Do-over on trash votes is costing City of El Cajon thousands of dollars

By Jeff McDonald | [email protected] | The San Diego Union-Tribune

UPDATED: April 30, 2019 at 8:06 PM PDT

The City of El Cajon has spent thousands of dollars to remedy an apparent conflict-of-interest for Councilman Bessmon “Ben” Kalasho, who voted on city business involving a company that paid him to be a member of his for-profit chamber of commerce.

The city trash hauler, Waste Management Inc., requires council approval of liens on property for owners who do not pay the trash bill. The company paid $2,500 to Kalasho’s Middle Eastern Chamber of Commerce, unaware that the organization was a private business with Kalasho as sole proprietor.

After U-T Watchdog revealed the nature of the chamber, city officials mobilized to re-take the votes, excluding Kalasho. The re-votes are set to take place Tuesday afternoon.

According to Dirk Epperson, the city’s director of public works, the city had to spend $3,420 to re-notify property owners and prepare the new council action.

Kalasho declined to respond to questions about the cost to the city. He also would not say whether he plans to sit out the vote on Tuesday, as recommended by the city attorney.

The first-term council member voted in February and again in June with the council majority to approve the original liens.

State law generally prohibits elected officials from voting on matters in which they have a financial interest. One definition of financial interest used by state ethics regulators is “an individual or an entity from whom the official has received income or promised income aggregating to $500 or more in the previous 12 months.”

Waste Management canceled its hip in the for-profit chamber of commerce earlier this year, after Kalasho and the organization were sued for fraud and defamation by contestants in a beauty pageant run by the chamber, among others. Kalasho has denied all the allegations in a counter lawsuit.

City Attorney Morgan Foley said the re-vote should satisfy state and local conflict-of-interest rules. He said it is up to elected officials to abstain from voting on matters in which they may have a conflict of interest.