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Solomon out as Paso Robles chief

March 20, 2012

Lisa Solomon

By DANIEL BLACKBURN

Lisa Solomon has stepped down as chief of police of Paso Robles following a tumultuous two months of relentless accusations by her own officers of sexual misconduct.

An agreement between her and the city calls for payment “within five days” of a lump sum to her in the amount of $250,000.

City Attorney Iris Ping Yang read a brief statement following a 40-minute closed session that was held after the city council’s regular meeting, acknowledging the separation. Council members left without comment.

Solomon termed her action “early retirement” and in a letter to the council blasted what she called “recent attacks on my character by unscrupulous media sources and self-serving individuals.”

CalCoastNews reported in late January that Solomon was being accused of sexually touching at least four of her officers in social situations, often in front of other sworn police personnel. Since then, other allegations from current and former officers have surfaced.

Solomon said public comment “has reached a level of indecency so great, I will no longer subject myself, my family, or my colleagues, to such invasions of privacy.”

City Manager Jim App praised Solomon after the meeting, calling her “a great asset” to the city and “a dedicated public servant.” He said he was personally distressed by Solomon’s departure.

“She has been a big part of this city for 24 years,” he said. His comments were the first regarding Solomon since the scandal broke.

Several officers told CalCoastNews Solomon emailed her former staff and said she had elected to take an early retirement. However, the officers said she is not able to collect her retirement for seven years and this is not early retirement.

Solomon’s last official day will be April 2, but she has effectively left her post and will not return. Her city-paid health benefits will cease on that day.

Capt. Robert Burton will act as interim chief until a search for a new chief can be completed.

The agreement with the city reads in part, “(Solomon) desires to leave employment, due to recent events which she believes, through no fault of either party, have caused damage to her reputation and other adverse effects.”

As part of her release, Solomon has agreed not to sue the city for any reason.


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QUOTING THE ARTICLE:

“City Manager Jim App praised Solomon after the meeting, calling her “a great asset” to the city and “a dedicated public servant.” He said he was personally distressed by Solomon’s departure.


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Are you kidding me? App actually said he was “distressed by solomon’s departure”?


So nice of the city manager to add insult to injury by delivering a slap in the face to the PRPD officers who solomon has SEXUALLY ASSAULTED, and to the residents of PR who have seen the safety of their city degraded under the failed leadership of solomon, and now face a future of paying even more taxes to fund the costs of the lawsuits that will be filed against the city, and financial damages that will be awarded to solomon’s victims, in response to solomon’s illegal actions.


What kind of stupid, spineless toady is app, anyway? With the incredibly poor judgment app has shown throughout the solomon debacle, how can he possibly have held his position as city manager for Paso Robles for so many years? How could the members of PR’s city council have allowed him to continue as PR’s city manager?


Solomon, with app’s approval, has now exposed PR and its residents to $$MILLIONS in legal bills and settlements. She was a weak, inept police chief, who was unable to lead PRPD’s officers by skills and inspiration and, instead of taking honest steps to learn to lead, she tried to lead by fear and intimidation. Instead of providing the kind of leadership that would have inspired her officers to follow, she “lead” by emasculating her subordinates, grabbing their genitals in front of other officers, and using fear of future sexual assaults as the means to control her subordinates.


And this is what App praises? A chief who practiced “leadership by sexual-assault intimidation”? Who was a public embarrassment to anyone associated with PR? Who used the officers she was supposed to be leading to prop up her pathetically shallow ego? Who, in order to feel worthy of male attention, has to order her subordinates into a hot-tub where she proceeds to grope them?


Solomon has opened PR to $$$millions in potential legal settlements, as well as costs associated with solomon’s sexual assaults of her subordinates. She has made PR appear pitiful and pathetic, and she has made the city council appear to have condoned and supported corruption of its chief of police. Thanks to app and solomon, PR looks like a place where the safety and workplace rights of its police officers mean nothing.


And app calls her an “asset” to the city? He is “distressed” by her leaving?


This cannot be the first time the city council has heard app claim solomon–who has been accused of sexual assaults of her subordinates, and constructing an illegal quota policy–was an “asset” to the city, and that he would be distressed if she was terminated.


If they didn’t understand app’s screwed-up sense of priorities before, they must understand it now, and immediately fire him. App has been a liability to the city, and will continue to be a liability to the city, because his sense of priorities are way beyond being effed up.


A city manager cannot support illegal acts of her/his subordinates. A city manager is supposed to ensure that illegal acts are NOT being done by her/his subordinates.


The city council has to get rid of app ASAP. If they don’t, they will be viewed just like app is being viewed now: an integral part of the problem, and unfit to lead PR towards a solution.


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I just read the separation agreement over on the trib. It confirms (page 5) that there is a pending Work Comp case Lisa filed against the City. The agreement lets her go on with it. This is an outrage! She will probally get a medical retirement out of this, Tax free money for life, plus she is eligible for medical insurance if she gets this retirement within 12 months! Talk about rewarding the crook! She just won the lottery folks! Her wallet is fatter than her ass now!


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Bravo sierra!


White wash!


This=a royal screwing for the taxpayers!!!!!


$250,000 my you know what!


She should not be getting a penny!


Don’t let them get away with this crime, people of Paso!


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OMG!!! Where do start? How about with a thanks to another uncovering of slime on the central coast by CCN.


How about to Mr. Cuddy over at that dinosaur newspaper called the Trib? Thankfully newspapers and the likes of lazy (I don’t want to have to investigate) reporters like Cuddy are going the way of the dinosaur. They (Tribune) haven’t reported anything major in years. They specialize in fluff pieces.


How about all the people (friends of Lisa) telling everyone how wrong they were? Yes just like every other story here.


Also isn’t it interesting that Lisa’s deal is simular to Atascadero’s chief that, like Lisa, promised to go away and not sue for the right kind of money.


Last to Lisa. You can spin this any which way from Sunday that you like. I have lived to long now to see to many of these same kind of situations, of yea I didn’t do anything but I’m stepping down. Sorry not buying. Sell that crap to Mr. Sewer gas over at the Trib. I hear he buys about anything that someone will tell him.


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The Tribune’s “article” about solomon’s being drop-kicked from the PR police chief’s position like last Halloween’s rotting pumpkin, as usual, reads like a City of Paso Robles press release.


The Tribune’s “press-release” journalism enables the corruption, which is so damaging to our county, to continue. The Tribune is an active part of the problem, and not the media watch-dog the main source for print news for our county should be.


CCN’s real, balls-to-the-wall, investigative journalism is what disables those responsible for the corruption, and is the only resource we have for journalism that works to stop the corruption.


The county’s district attorney’s office, which should be working to stop the institutionalized corruption in the county, instead unsuccessfully wastes taxpayer dollars by obsessively–like a demented ferret on crank–harasses Rx cannabis outlets, wasting $$hundreds of thousands to persecute these business owners. The DA persecutes these businesses, which actually pumped money into our economy, and ignores the rampant corruption occurring in the county, which cripples our economy and places added burndens on taxpayers who were the source of the funds used illegaly or outright ripped off by frauds like ‘Citizen of the Year” like Kelly Gearheart.


Thanks, CCN, for your efforts to out the ethical and financial frauds whose corruption costs us in so many ways. If it wasn’t for CCN, corruption by the likes of Gearheart and Solomon would still be plaguing us.


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Not enough praise can be heaped upon CCN, Karen Velie and Dan Blackburn for their courageous doggedness in keeping the public apprised of the internal corruption in Paso Robles. I am grateful that there are investigative journalists still out amongst us.


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What “has reached a level of indecency so great…” is the amount paid to her and I am sure that App was misquoted when he meant to say “She has a great ass” not “she was a great asset” and she was “a great PUBIC servant” not “public”. Quoting a great philosoper, “Good widdance to bad wubbish”.


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Dan and Karen will be interviewed today at 5:05 on News/Talk 920 AM KVEC. You can stream it live on your computer at http://www.920kvec.com.


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I want to know if Dan and Karen ever worry about getting clipped or framed?


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I still have not heard her declare her innocence. I heard about attacks on her character, but no admission her character is bad. Narcissism at its best. We are not done with her yet. More lawsuits are coming. I think the 250K is an attempt to buy her cooperation in defending these suits. I also have a feeling she will be filing a work comp claim soon for stress, than a medical retirement (tax free).


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Excellent reporting by Karen, Dan and CalCoastNews. Mr. Cuddy, The Tribune, New Times and KSBY needs to take a lesson on what not to say or do when you either don’t have the facts or you don’t want to report the truth.


Well, since she is still on the City payroll until April 2 I suspect she will have time to file for a Worker’s Comp. $30,000 of this settlement is her’s because it is admin, vacation and sick leave that Mr. App’s has been telling everyone isn’t a liability or problem to the City (Take notice Ataascadero, it is a liability). This could go towards her retirement pension and count as time served but I suspect she will take the money because she could still go out on Worker’s Comp and cost us more. Under worker’s com whe will not have to pay taxes on her retirement money because she is law enforcement and that is how their system works. But, she is gone and I get that is the price we pay for Mr. App’s mistakes.


Next, where is the investigation report that the City taxpayers paid for and when will this be released. I suspect that will happen after April 2 when she will have check in hand. I sincerely hope this is still made public (I’m sure it will be as the lawsuits all get filed). This is far from over and this $220,000 payoff is just the tip of the cake. Mr. Apps needs to go and that will cost BIG BUCKS.


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