Serious Charges
Seaside’s legal bills for police flap top $120,000.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The City of Seaside has spent almost $128,000 on legal advice and sleuth work involving Seaside Police Department officers since early 2008.
The numbers were provided to the Weekly in response to a public records act request for bills reflecting legal services and investigations since January 1, 2008, into harassment claims, complaints and conduct inquiries involving Seaside cops, including: Code Enforcement Officer Vanessa Alcaraz, Dep. Police Chief Louis Lumpkin, Cmdr. Mike Kimball, Officer Barry Pasquarosa and Chief Steve Cercone. Bills related to similar inquiries involving City Manager Ray Corpuz were also requested.
The city's response shows the following breakdown, rounded to the nearest $100:
- $48,600 to Los Gatos attorney Patricia Elliot, for services from March to August, 2009;
- $35,400 to San Francisco law firm Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, from October 2008 to September 2009;
- $17,700 to San Rafael private investigator Richard Schmidt in September 2009;
- $16,000 to Monterey firm Kennedy, Archer and Harray for services rendered in October and September 2009;
- $6,600 to Salinas private investigator Gary St. Clair in September 2009;
- $3,300 to Monterey firm Fortune Investigations in December 2008; and
- $100 to S.F. firm Wheels of Justice for court service in October 2008.
The city is in the midst of a wide-ranging investigation of officer conduct that dates back to a harassment claim filed by Alcaraz in fall 2008. The city has placed five officers on leave, including Chief Cercone, since July. Cercone, in turn, filed a grievance against Corpuz, the city manager, in mid-August.
Read Thursday's print edition of the Weekly for more information.
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