Lodi’s former city manager is suing the city, alleging officials retaliated against him and later fired him after he raised concerns about financial controls, city credit card use and other issues at City Hall.
Scott Carney filed the civil complaint June 4 in San Joaquin County Superior Court. The lawsuit accuses the city of violating California whistleblower protections under the state Labor Code and seeks unspecified damages.
The Lodi City Council is scheduled to discuss the case in closed session Wednesday. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Carney’s lawsuit stems from concerns he publicly raised during an April 1, 2025, City Council meeting. At that meeting, Carney said staff reports had been changed before they were presented to the council and raised concerns about internal controls, city finances and the possible misuse of public funds.
During the meeting, then-Mayor Cameron Bregman stopped Carney as he began discussing personnel-related matters in open session. The city later placed Carney on administrative leave and said it would investigate the concerns he raised.
The Brown Act, California’s open-meetings law, limits what local officials can discuss outside properly noticed public meetings or closed sessions.
According to the lawsuit, Carney began raising concerns about city operations shortly after he was hired. The complaint says two community members approached him on May 1, 2024 — the same day the council approved his employment contract — with...
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