The Hermosa Beach City Council Jan. 14 took “disciplinary action” against City Manager Steve Burrell who was pulled over by Hermosa Beach police officers for suspicion of drunken driving in December. During the traffic stop, officers smelled alcohol on Burrell’s breath but never gave him a field sobriety test and eventually drove him and his wife to their home in Torrance.

The council members would not disclose actions taken during their closed-session meeting which included Burrell and City Attorney Mike Jenkins.

“Because there was no field sobriety test, we have no finding to suggest Steve was driving under the influence,” said Yoon. “It’s not like we are docking the guy’s pay or anything. We communicated to him to drive a little more safely. Because no laws were broken, the meeting focused on a strong admonition backed by a certain level of discipline voluntarily received by Steve.”

Officers Todd Lewitt and Steve Saylor stopped Burrell Dec. 6 at 1:30 a.m. near the intersection of Hermosa Avenue and Herondo Street after they observed him drive “a little erratic” and run a stop sign.

According to police, Burrell who has been the city manager since 1993, did not identify himself as a city employee to officers. Saylor, who is new on the police force, did not know Burrell.

The officers conducted a routine check of the car’s registration and called Sgt. Kevin Averill. Averill then contacted Capt. Mark Wright who had the authority to advise officers on the matter. Wright told Averill to drive Burrell and his wife home.

“I think the whole thing was blown out of proportion. We have no factual finding,” said Councilman Sam Edgerton. “I don’t think it was favoritism at all. The only thing Steve got out of this was a headache. He is not that kind of guy who would drink and drive.”

Burrell was on his way home from the downtown area where he spent the evening at the city-sponsored Christmas tree-lighting ceremony and then visited Cafe Boogaloo for a short time.

In issues related to suspicion of driving while under the influence, officers may exercise discretion by sometimes allowing drivers to take a taxicab home depending on circumstances such as the vacancy of the local jail and whether it is the best use of an officer’s time while patrolling the area.

“It’s within their jurisdiction to make judgment calls,” added Yoon. “We respect the police to do their job and they have the flexibility to use their discretion. (Council) communicated to the chief how we interpreted the law and it’s been tweaked a bit. I feel confident there won’t be anything like this again for the rest of my term.”