Probe Delays Hiring of City Attorney

Only days after asking its mayor to hire a new city attorney, the Pasadena City Council has asked to delay any action pending further investigation into the job candidate’s background.

The decision late Thursday was made amid new questions about Cheryl Ward, senior assistant city attorney in Los Angeles, who was the council’s choice for city attorney.

The questions centered on her finances and arose from an initial background check that most of the council were unaware of when they decided Monday to sign her up as city attorney, council members said.

Ward refused to comment.

A council majority alleged in a memorandum to Mayor William Paparian that “significant information about Ms. Ward that was available to you was not disclosed to the rest of the City Council prior to our decision in Monday’s session.”

Before Thursday’s meeting, Councilman William E. Thomson Jr. said the mayor had “misled” the council.

But after the session, the council members said in a joint statement that the concerns about the timeliness of the information had been addressed. Individual council members declined to say more.