When the city’s budget cutting turned into layoffs and demotions for 12 of his officers, Chief Steve Staveley tendered his resignation in protest of what would happen to his troops. The memo, which the city manager described as potentially libelous, accused the city of exaggerating the financial troubles
However, City Manager Tom Hatch said that without evidence, he assumes the former Chief’s comments were intended only to inflame the community.
From the Los Angeles Times:
Costa Mesa’s police chief resigned abruptly Monday, leaving behind a blistering four-page memo that calls the City Council majority “unethical and immoral” and accuses them of manufacturing a fiscal crisis in order to slash the city’s workforce by nearly half.
By day’s end, Costa Mesa City Manager Tom Hatch announced he had already hired a replacement for Chief Steve Staveley and angrily condemned the departing chief’s memo as “unprofessional” and “potentially libelous.”
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