Another Exodus
The loss of key city personnel would, in most cases, be a city council's worst nightmare. Not in Cypress, where the new council majority’s actions in 2025 precipitated a significant exodus of key staff. In full disclosure, Eyes on Cypress didn’t conduct exit interviews with these staff. Still, following the summer of city council chaos, which led to the resignation of City Manager Peter Grant, followed by the resignations of the City Clerk and the Deputy City Clerk, the connections become apparent.
The resignation of Peter Grant included a large severance package, which doesn’t typically occur when a city manager resigns to take another job. Let’s thank the new council majority of Mayor David Burke, Mayor Pro Tem Leo Medrano, and Council Member Kyle Chang for the destabilization of this fantastic city.
Two more losses are expected in the next few months.
Matt Burton, Director of Finance and Administrative Services/City Treasurer, will be retiring at the end of the year. Matt was responsible for more than just the finance division; he also oversaw human resources and information technology.
The guidance of Peter Grant and Matt Burton was instrumental in the City of Cypress developing a solid plan to fund the city's pension liability. Other cities are now considering the approach they created.
Under Matt’s leadership, the City of Cypress was named the most financially healthy city in Orange County in 2018 and 2021. His financial reports also won awards for Excellence in Financial Reporting.
City Attorney Fred Galante of the law firm Aleshire & Wynder LLP must relinquish his assignment as Cypress’s City Attorney after the council majority decided to switch the regular city council meeting from Mondays to Tuesdays to accommodate their desire for more time off. Even after Mr. Galante informed the council majority of his inability to attend Tuesday's sessions, they still decided to change the date.
Here is a summary of the years of institutional knowledge lost:
Peter Grant, City Manager 11.5 years
Alisha Farnell, City Clerk 20 years
Christina Dizol, Assistant City Clerk 10 years
Matt Burton, Director of Finance 29 years
Fred Galante, City Attorney 5 years
The total of institutional knowledge above is 75.5 years!
Currently, the city will continue using Aleshire & Wynder, and the firm will assign another attorney to Cypress. The city has used legal services from this law firm for 28 years. The loss of Mr. Galante’s oversight of critical recent lawsuits, his handling of former council member Frances Marquez's lawsuit against the city (Frances Marquez v. City of Cypress Case No. 8:24-cv-1835-ODW-JDE United States District Court, Central District of California, Western Division), as well as his current knowledge of city ordinances and procedures, will have ramifications on Cypress.
Why is the new city council majority comfortable with losing over 75+ years of city knowledge and expertise? In a recent post, While Cypress Loses, Peter Grant Wins, a reference was made to an Orange County Register article titled “Soap Opera at City Hall” which indicated new councils want a new city manager that matches their philosophies.
What can we expect in 2026? Is a new city law firm on the horizon? Will more staff leave?
Eyes on Cypress encourages residents to engage with the city council regarding changes happening under this council majority.
If you can, please attend the special meeting on Friday, November 28th, where the council will select an applicant to fill the vacant seat. We will publish the official agenda once the City Clerk releases it. If you cannot attend that meeting, please try to attend the last council meeting of the year, which is scheduled for Monday, December 8th, at 6:00 PM. At this meeting, a new mayor will be selected.
Below is a link to prior Mayor and City Council Member Anne Mallari’s comments at the November 10, 2025, regular city council meeting, in which she encourages civic engagement amid these changes.