The council voted 3-2 to approve the mayor’s appointments of council members to various government agencies. This was originally a Consent Calendar item, but was pulled at the request of District Five Councilman Nathan Steele. At issue: District Three Councilwoman/Mayor Lisa Landau appointed herself to serve on the Orange County Fire Authority Board of Directors. District One Councilman Joe Kalmick has been on the board since January 2021, according to the OCFA website.
Steele made a motion to approve the appointments, but with Kalmick continuing on the board. Landau made a substitute motion with the appointments unchanged. Landau’s substitute motion passed, with Steele and Kalmick dissenting.
Discussion
The following is not a transcript but highlights from the meeting.
During the public comment part of the meeting, Robert Frackelton, mayor pro tem of the city of Villa Park and a member of the OCFA board, “implored” the council to kepp Kalmick on the OCFA Board. “Joe is currently our vice chair and in a couple of weeks, God willing, he’ll be nominated as our chair,” Frackelton said.
“Our fire chief resigned earlier this month, so we have a big vacuum and we need the continuity of leadership now more than ever. We need Joe in that center seat, driving us in 2026 ,” Frackelton said.
“It will be a tremendous advantage to Seal Beach because you’re going to have somebody there with a lot of influence on who is hired to be our next fire chief. If you send somebody new, quite honestly, the way it works, like a lot of committees you’ve been on, you’ll be the newbie, you’re not going to get the plumb assignments, you’re not going to be on any of the committees that those big decisions,” Frackelton said.
Frackelton said it takes a year, perhaps two, to understand how the OCFA operates.
When it came time for the council to discuss the issue, Landau spoke first.
“As you know, it is the mayor’s responsibility to assign various council members to interagency committees,” Landau said.
“I took everyone’s suggestions into consideration when making these assignments. My goal was to do what’s best for Seal Beach,” Landau said.
“The purpose of serving on the committees is to bring information back to the full council so that every council member understands what’s happening at the county and state level and how it effects Seal Beach. That’s why these assignments are meant to rotate over time. I will now open it up for discussion,” Landau said.
Steele said there were three countywide committees in Orange County: the Vector Control Board, the Sanitation District, and the Fire Authority. Steele said the OCFA was unique. “Their business is complicated. Their organization is vast,” he said.
According to Steele, it takes time for anyone on the OCFA board to absorb the issues and discuss them intelligently.
“If we get a spot on a board and we swap out every couple of years, our particular representative, we have very little chance of rising up to the ranks of influence inside those organizations,” Steele said.
Steele said Kalmick’s influence on the OCFA Board has continued to rise. “He serves on, I believe, three different committees besides the board itself,” Steele said.
“Joe’s about to become the chair of the OCFA Board,” he said. Steele believed there are 25 seats on the OCFA board.
“For a small city like Seal Beach to have that much influence in a board of that size across the county is really a very, very rare and unique thing,” Steele said.
Steele read a letter from Phil Bacerra, chair of the OCFA Board, who wrote that the board would like to retain Kalmick on the board. (The text of the entire letter, dated Dec. 4, 2025, appears on page 44 of the Jan. 12 City Council agenda package PDF file.)
“As part of our ongoing efforts to foster effective governance of the OCFA, we would like to retain continuity of Vice Chair/Director Kalmick serving on the Board and minimize turnover to the extent possible,” Bacerra wrote.
“With an operating budget of over half a billion dollars, over 1,500 employees, four labor associations, and the operation of 78 fire stations, the issues we face are myriad and complex. The learning curve is steep to become familiar with the organizational structure, its operations, finances, and the types of policies and issues that come before the board,” Bacerra wrote.
Steele said he spoke with four different members of the OCFA Board and they were concerned about any change.
“I’m asking this panel right here to do the right thing and send Joe Kalmick back to the OCFA,” Steele said.
Steele then asked the city attorney how to phrase his motion that would have Kalmick be the assigned Seal Beach City Council member to serve on the OCFA Board in 2026.
City Attorney Nick Ghirelli told Mayor Landau that the council had a motion pending and the council could debate that motion.
“I attend every board meeting,” Kalmick said.
“It is very important for us to be representatives,” he said.
“I attend all the graduations for the Fire Academy,” Kalmick said.
Kalmick said he hated to admit it, but it took him a few years to be able to acquire a utility vehicle for Fire Station 44 (the Station in Old Town). He said this was requested because Seal Beach has had three fires on the pier. Kalmick said after each of those fires, it was recommended that Seal Beach have a utility vehicle to carry fire fighters and equipment on the Pier since a fire engine is not supposed to go on the pier.
According to Kalmick, a city would have additional influence by having someone in the OCFA Board chair’s seat.
“I think it’s important to take advantage of that opportunity,” Kalmick said.
Landau thanked Kalmick for the years he served on the OCFA Board. “Joe build strong relationships on behalf of Seal Beach, and that work is appreciated,” she said.
“OCFA is incredibly important to our city and all of Orange County. That said, Joe is term-limited at the end of this year,” Landau said.
She said it was important that the city prepare for when Kalmick is no longer in that role.
“Right now, no other council member has direct experience with OCFA. We know nothing about OCFA. That creates a gap we need to address,” Landau said.
Landau quoted from the same letter than Steele read, referring to the paragraph concerning the size and complexity of the OCFA. “This is the perfect example of why we need new representation, so we can all learn these ropes,” Landau said.
“That means rotating so we are all in the loop,” Landau said.
“Since Joe termed out, with the new council member in place this year, at least we have Joe for the next 10, eleven months, to help mentor us and bring us up to speed with OCFA. That is what is best for Seal Beach,” Landau said.
Landau then made her substitute motion to keep the item resolution as it was written.
District Four Councilwoman Patty Senecal seconded the motion.
District Two Councilman Ben Wong said Councilman Steele said he talked to different groups that supported Kalmick. He asked who they were.
Steele said he had spoken with OCFA board members who are all concerned about losing Kalmick from the board.
Steele said he also spoke with a union representative who was concerned about the matter.
“It’s one thing to put new blood into the office next year as opposed to this year ,” Steele said.
“We are going into the point where we get the maximum currency on the Board of Directors for the benefit of Seal Beach and for the benefit of OCFA. That’s happening this year, right now, with Joe. We can go to new blood next year,” Steele said.
Steele said swapping out Kalmick for new blood now did make sense to him.
He argued that replacing Kalmick now was a waste of political capital.
Wong acknowledged the letter from the OCFA chair and the presence of the Villa Park board member. Wong asked if Steele had letters of support from the other people he spoke with.
“You don’t want to take my word for it?” Steele asked.
“You misunderstood my question. My question was, yes, you spoke with them; have they publicly come out and endorsed him?” Wong said.
“They publicly endorsed the letter from the chair of the board,” Steele said.
Wong asked for their letters of support.
“Ben, make up your own mind one way or the other. You’re having trouble making up your mind on currency, no currency, that’s your problem not mine,” Steele said.
They talked over one another.
Wong said if Steele would like to hear a discussion, Wong suggested Steele listen. “You might hear another point of view,” Wong said.
Steele laughed. “I’ve heard another point of view,” Steele said.
“Well, I would like to share a lot more, but if you would like this to go to a vote, I don’t mind,” Wong said.
According to City Attorney Nick Ghirelli, Robert’s Rules of Order required the city to take the substitute motion (by Landau) first.
Landau’s motion carried.
List of appointments
Appointments are listed below in order of agency, representative, and second representative or alternate. The names were taken from the council resolution.
• California Joint Powers Insurance Authority—Landau—City Manager Patrick Gallegos
• League of California Cities, Orange County Division—District Four Councilwoman Patty Senecal—District Two Councilman Ben Wong
• Leisure World Standing Committee—Two representatives: Wong and District Five Councilman Nathan Steele. (Note: Both Wong and Steele represent Leisure World on the council.)
• Los Alamitos Unified School District Standing Committee—Two representatives: Wong and Landau
• Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority—District One Council Member Kalmick—Senecal
• Orange County Fire Authority—Landau—The space for the alternative was left blank in the resolution. (On page 44 of the agenda package PDF file, a Dec. 4, 2025 letter from OFCA Board of Directors Chair Phil Bacerra wrote that the board would like to retain Kalmick on the board.)
• Orange County Library Board—Steele—Joe Kalmick
• Orange County Sanitation District, Board of Directors—Landau—Wong
• Orange County Vector Control Board—Steele—The space for the alternative was left blank in the resolution.
• Santa Ana River Flood Protection Agency—Senecal—Joe Kalmick
• Seal Beach Audit Committee—Steele—Wong
• West Comm – Joint Powers Authority—Wong—Senecal
• West Orange County Water Board—Steele—Senecal
• Chamber of Commerce Committee—Two representatives: Senecal and Wong
• Southern California Association of Governments General Assembly.
“Council Members may rotate their participation for the Coalition based on availability. No more than two Council Members may participate at anyone meeting,” according to the resolution. Delegate: Senecal—Kalmick
