Advertisement Seaside taxpayers calling on Kayla Jones to resign Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Seaside City Council member Kayla Jones has come under fire after racking up thousands of dollars in questionable spending on the city's dime. Some Seaside taxpayers are now calling on Jones to resign, or face a recall. Jones is running to become mayor. At this week's City Council meeting, things got heated and police officers had to intervene.One speaker at the meeting, Darryl Choates, claims he was assaulted by one of Jones' supporters.According to Choates, after speaking at the podium, he was tripped on his way back to his seat by Karen Araugo. According to her Facebook page, Araugo is Vice Chair of Monterey County Democrats, and she is part of the Monterey County Commission on the Status of Women.A police officer escorted Araugo out of the council chambers. Choates filed a police report to press charges Friday. Police Cmdr. Nick Borges said three witnesses saw Araugo deliberately trip Choates and cause him to fall. Jones spent more than $20,000 of city money on travel, food, and child care expenses while, according to Jones, she was conducting city business and attending leadership conferences. About $12,000 was apparently paid to Jones' grandmother for child care services.Jones is the only council member who has a city-funded purchasing card, according to the city manager. The city is conducting an audit on all council members' spending. Jones said at Thursday's meeting, "This audit, I'm in full support of. Whatever's going to make people happy I will do, and abide by. I have made a commitment that if there's anything out of policy that I will pay that back. I've already made good on that promise so far."When one speaker asked Jones to resign, Jones shook her head no. After her spending of city money came under fire, Jones did not attend a Sept. 20 City Council meeting, and temporarily took down her public Facebook page. Her supporters, including her husband, defended Jones at the Sept. 20 meeting."She's at home right now because she's a human, and she's nice, and she's a good person," Jones' husband, Ryan Gibson, said. "I don't think it's fair for her to sit through the vitriol aimed at her."Jones returned to Facebook on Sept. 23 to issue a press release reading: "PRESS RELEASE: Governance should reflect the community it serves. Public service should never be limited to the retired, wealthy, or child-free, especially in a community with so many low-income families. That’s why I’m grateful that my City Council unanimously passed family-care reimbursements for Councilmembers “while in the line of duty” in 2017. Progressive policies like that empower everyday people to run for office and win, knowing that we won’t be spending thousands of dollars during our term to work for our residents. For example, prior to this policy, I spent $2,300 out of my own pocket to receive a three-day mandatory training for newly elected officials. I could not afford to serve on the Council without this policy. Serving on the City Council is basically a volunteer job. My stipend minus healthcare is $161/month. I put an average of 100 hours a month into Councilmember duties. Regarding my travel to attend four workshops and the trip to Texas to hire the Police Chief, I was away from my family for several days at a time. All of my activities were legitimate City business and were cleared by City staff. Any of the Councilmembers could have participated, but they chose not to. I take my job as a Councilmember very seriously. Some training is required, and the learning should be ongoing. A City is better served if their elected officials attend workshops and conferences to stay current on the law and learn new ideas that can be brought back to the City.Everyone benefits from a broader perspective. I consistently asked City staff if there were any procedures I needed to follow and any paperwork I needed to complete. I did everything they asked me to do. Lastly, on the issue of the sexual harassment investigation, I never asked for an investigation. I asked for the council as a whole to receive sensitivity training around sexual harassment and gender diversity on boards. - Kayla Jones, Seaside City Councilmember."A second investigation involving Jones was launched by the city after she accused her fellow council members of sexual harassment. Jones, 25, is the only female member on the City Council.She said, "Since being on this council for the past almost two years, I have sat down before council meetings and had members of this board comment on my appearance, comment on my hair, comments on my makeup, comment on what clothes I wear. I honestly feel like I have had to deal with a level of just blatant sexual harassment."Jones was recently fined thousands of dollars by elections officials for failing to turn in campaign finance disclosure forms, also known as 460s.City Clerk Lesley Milton-Rerig says Jones has failed to properly turn in three out of four necessary forms, and has been warned repeatedly about it.