Yucaipa s special City Council meeting on Oct. 30 opened with sustained public comment criticizing the councils handling of a recent city manager recruitment and alleging conflicts of interest involving Councilmember Bob Miller.

Sherilyn Long, a resident who addressed the council during public comment, said the recruitment appeared opaque and charged that the hiring process resembled a "rigged application process," adding, "we were promised transparency and that the community would be able to vet and provide input into who would be managing our city." Long said a job recruiter was paid $25,000 and was an acquaintance of two councilmembers, which she said raised questions about the integrity of the process.

Hanson Wong, a District 1 resident, told the council the perception of ethical conduct matters as much as following the letter of the law and urged more transparency in the manager search: "I would stress again that you look out for your constituents, be as transparent as possible, and give the best perception possible, that you are doing what is in the best interest of the city." Holly Warner and Melody Warner, both identified as District 1 residents, also asked for specific information about legal spending and flagged past votes on a warehouse development as examples of broken trust.

Council members provided some clarifying details during and after public comment. One councilmember said the city issued a request for proposals for city-manager recruitment, received 11 responses, and interviewed three firms; the council unanimously chose the firm that conducted the recruitment. That clarification was offered to correct the public record on the recruitment process.

Councilmember Bob Miller addressed the meeting at length. Miller said he is "funding my defense myself" regarding allegations referenced by several commentators and said he has received no promises of outside funding. He described submitting a seven-page response from his attorney and said he had recused himself from related council deliberations when appropriate. Miller also described personal impacts tied to the controversy, including the termination of his wife's city contract on Oct. 6, and said he would not resign: "I'm not going anywhere until some authority tells me I can't. I'm not resigning."

No ordinance, contract award or disciplinary action was adopted during the meeting on these issues. The council did not make a formal finding or direct staff to pursue criminal or civil investigation during the public session; Miller invited outside authorities to investigate if they wished. The city attorney noted that further investigatory steps and any funding for legal expenses were not resolved at the meeting.

The discussion over hiring transparency and allegations of conflict was one of two substantive matters the council addressed at the special session; the other was a detailed review of the city's payment processes, which the council debated separately and acted on later in the meeting.

Reporting note: direct quotations in this article are drawn from the Oct. 30, 2025 Yucaipa City Council meeting transcript. Statements attributed to named speakers are quoted verbatim from that record.