A Siskiyou County Civil Grand Jury found legal and safety concerns within the City of Montague, including the mayor's dual role overseeing the fire department while serving on the City Council.
Much of the report focuses on Mayor Takeshi Murakami, who also serves as acting fire chief.
The report also raises concerns about firefighter safety, the handling of confidential employee information and the city's failure to fill a vacant City Council seat. The city has 90 days to respond to the findings and recommendations.
The grand jury concluded Murakami's dual role is inconsistent with state law because the City Council oversees the fire chief. Murakami disputed that conclusion, saying he never formally became fire chief after the previous chief resigned.
“As the assistant chief, I am running the day-to-day operations of the fire department," Murakami said. "But we do not have a chief currently.”
The previous fire chief, Jasen Vela, was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of embezzling public funds. Murakami said some residents are angry with him for reporting Vela to authorities.
Murakami removed Vela and two other members of the fire department in 2024 for undisclosed allegations. Murakami said those actions led to conflict with other volunteer firefighters, culminating in multiple letters of no confidence submitted to the city.
The grand jury report says firefighters feared for their safety because of a lack of training, Murakami's performance under pressure and a decision to cancel a mutual aid agreement with another fire department.
"Their assertion that we have a lack of training has no validity to it as well," Murakami said. "We actually train once a week, which historically has been more than any other volunteer fire department in the county."
Members of the civil grand jury could not be reached for comment. The report says jurors reviewed city records, recordings of City Council meetings and interviewed more than 30 people whose identities were not disclosed.
The report also found the city failed to adequately protect confidential employee information and left a City Council seat vacant for more than a year. That seat is expected to be filled in the November election.
The city must respond to the grand jury's findings within 90 days, stating whether it agrees with each finding and whether it plans to implement the report's recommendations.
