Sean Webb Yanked from Arts and Community Services Commission on Split Vote

LA QUINTA — Seam Webb, who is currently running for a seat on the Desert Recreation District Board of Directors, was removed Tuesday without cause from this Arts and Community Services Commission on a 3- 2 vote by the City Council.

Councilors John Peña and Deborah McGarrey opposed the removal. Peña had hoped to postpone any vote until Webb could attend a City Council meeting to explain himself.

Webb, who serves as Executive Director of Read With Me, did not attend the Tuesday meeting but sent in some written comments. His term was slated to end in June in 2027.

His ouster comes about two weeks after Uken Report first broke the news that Webb had operated a property service business in La Quinta without a required business license since 2020. He has since corrected that. Furthermore, this led to discovery that he repeatedly failed to disclose this business, other income, and his spouse’s income on his mandatory Form 700 (Statement of Financial Interest) filings across multiple public roles for years.

“I expected a higher standard,” Evans said Tuesday.

Kathleeen Fitzgerald echoed Evans’ comments, saying she takes these things “very seriously.”

City Councilor Steve Sanchez called Webb a friend, but said he had to agree with Evans and Fitzpatrick in removing Webb from the Commission.

An official seven-count complaint has also been filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission. It was filed on Sept. 28 at 4:15 p.m., so this issue has been simmering with Webb at the center for a while. The complainant was anonymous. You can read the complaint here.

Arts and Community Services Commission

The Commission’s primary functions are to serve in an advisory capacity to the city council to identify community needs for all matters pertaining to social services, community programs, public art, and public recreation as listed in detail in the ACSC Road Map, maintained by the Community Services Department, as may be amended from time to time, according to the city’s website.

The Commission Road Map focuses on the following three (3) main categories: Art, Events and Recreation.

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Applications are accepted all year long and kept on file in the Clerk’s office until a vacancy needs to be filled.

Application to Serve on the CSC