Rubin Settles Lawsuit Against Calabasas

CALABASAS, CA — The City of Calabasas announced that it has reached an undisclosed settlement with outgoing Community Services Director Jeff Rubin, who will leave his post Wednesday. The city will not pay Rubin, who filed a complaint against the city in February 2020, alleging retaliation for reporting what he believed were violations of state and local laws.

“The settlement was reached after a lengthy mediation session in February [2021] where both the City through the California Joint Powers Insurance Agency (CJPIA) and Mr. Rubin through his legal counsel agreed to resolve all issues involving all parties,” the city said in a statement. Neither side is admitting to any “liability or responsibility for any of the actions or conduct alleged in the litigation,” the statement continued.

Rubin, who has worked for the city for 25 years, filed a complaint against the city in February 2020, alleging that former City Manager Gary Lysik and Councilmember David Shapiro created a hostile work environment after Rubin raised questions about their ethical standards, according to a report in The Acorn.

Rubin, in addition to other city employees and councilmembers, voiced concerns about a $50,000 holiday party put on by the city in January 2019, just a month and a half after the Woolsey Fire. Lysik hired his wife and sister-in-law to help plan the evening, and paid them with city funds. Lysik was also criticized for spending $35,000 on a promotional night at Dodger Stadium, and for paying his son $60,000 for various City Hall positions for which he was allegedly unqualified.

Rubin also listed longtime Lysik ally Councilmember David Shapiro in his complaint, whom city records show authorized the spending of more than $35,000 on the Dodger’s event, more than twice the budgeted amount, according to The Acorn.

“Over the past months I informed the city that I believed there were individuals unlawfully taking advantage of the public’s trust,” Rubin said in a February 2020 statement obtained by The Acorn. “I believe the information went unheeded and I received what I believe were retaliatory threats.

Calabasas Communications Director Michael Russo told The Acorn in March 2020 that he does not comment on city personnel matters.

Deputy Community Services Director Marty Hall will take as acting director after Wednesday.

Related coverage:

Calabasas Names New Interim City Manager | Calabasas, CA Patch

Lysik Out As Calabasas City Manager | Calabasas, CA Patch