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Solomon costs taxpayers more than $300,000

April 13, 2012

Lisa Solomon

Paso Robles city officials have already spent about $330,000 dealing with allegations of sexual and managerial misconduct by former police Chief Lisa Solomon. [Tribune]

A cost that is likely to increase as the city battles lawsuits already filed or in the works regarding Solomon’s alleged illicit acts.

Following allegations by her officers that she sexually assaulted several men, the city hired an investigator to look into the complaints. At $150 an hour, San Francisco based investigator Debra Estrin billed for 56 hours during her two and a half month investigation at a cost to the taxpayers of $8,400.

City officials have refused to release the findings of Estrin’s investigation to the media, though several of the officers who have or are working on filing lawsuits against the city said their attorneys plan to procure the report through legal avenues.

In addition to reports of sexual assaults, a handful of former and current officers claim Solomon utilized illegal traffic quotas, and falsified city crime statistics while serving as the city’s top law enforcement official.

In March, city officials agreed to pay Solomon $250,000 and not fight her bid for disability as part of  Solomon’s separation agreement. The contract also prohibits Solomon and city officials from disparaging each other.

In addition to the cost of the settlement and the investigation, the city has incurred about $71,000 in legal fees associated with the Solomon scandal. City attorney Iris Yang is with the Sacramento-based firm of Best Best & Krieger LLP, the same firm that represented the city of Bell.


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I see someone finally woke up the Tribune to the Paso Robles City Hall quagmire. Where in the Hell have they been during the last few months? Cal Coast News worked their butts off and dug out the story months ago and all they received was ridicule. Now the Trib comes out with a front page story with details like they came up with the dirt. What a rag!!


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How much money did Borst cost the city?


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$3,000,000


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Paso-scott and paso_guy

John Borst and the concerned citizens saved the water users of paso 70 million dollars between what app and the city council were trying to screw the citizens out of and what was settled for after the election. You should probably do your own investigation and not believe what you are being told by the city.


App and the city council wasted 3 million dollars on iris yang fees, and public relation firms (to brain wash people like you that aren’t capable of intelligent thought).


It is probably the only responsible spending app and this council has done. A 3 million dollar investment for a 70 million dollar return. We need more citizens like John Borst.


You just go on believing everything app and this city council tell you. (I am sure they probably have some swamp land you might be interested in purchasing)


By the way app has added the 70 million dollars back in to our water bills because his plan stinks and he is just figuring out it isn’t going to work.


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I don’t think you know how applying public pressure works. The public lodges its complaints about its government in many different ways, and continues to do so until the government changes.


There is no requirement for those who express their displeasure over the state of their government to do the government’s job for them and supply all the answers.


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I know how it works, but doing it for the sake of no gain is just plain stupid.

Change for change is not improvement or evolution.

You have a knack for pressure, but no material to fix or solve.

Propose your solutions, then let us get behind your ideas to help you change or shut up.


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I hate bullies too but what I hate more is sycophant criminals posing as benevolent servants who legally RIP OFF the unsuspecting good citizens of home town communities, while lining the pockets of their crony friends and bed buddies.


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O.K. Sr. Scott, let’s start with the first solution. Getting rid of the stupid penile grabbing chief. Mission accomplished. That was major whether you want to admit it or not. Shit should have been started about her and it paid off because it was true. She has never denied it. If someone made those allegations about you, would you sit back and cry? No, you go and defend yourself if they are not true. Go back under your bridge and quite slandering people unless you have some facts to back it up. App, Yang, and the council are next loser!


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It’s so easy when the responses in opposition to your comments are erased…right?

Do you need that? Can’t handle being opposed? Makes you look weak.


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Borst kept his clothes on and didn’t grab anybody’s crotch. He didn’t get a dollar, either. He stood up last time things smelled fishy. (or crAppy) Now it’s time for the rest of us to stand up. DUMP APP, DUMP STRONG, DUMP IRIS!

Poor Picanco is too old for the heavy lifting. Steinbeck, Hamon, Gilman…….

do your job, you all know what the real problem has been, for years now.


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Borst is a sham. He was never in it to better Paso. Ulitmately, he did not save us from anything. He wasted millions. He did not further this community and should be ashamed of himself.


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Borst was the first citizen to stand up against the city and he didn’t make a dime from it. You should be ashamed to have been so misled by the City Council. Are you even half aware of the money that some councilmen are making off city deals? Hamon, Steinbeck, and Gilman profited from the lower developer fees fro the last two years that will cost taxpayers $1 million dollars. This happened at the same time the city told us we didn’t have the $100,000 to keep Centenial Swimming Pool open.


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I didn’t get my information from city council. I went to Borst and asked him questions. His answers are what my conclusions are based on.

Stop with the hyperbole.

If you want to improve paso, let’s talk about it.

Change for the sake of change is stupid and misguided.

Why is this “new group” not called improve paso? Why haven’t they proposed solutions to the “problems”?

Stop being a lemming and a bully.

Borst was wrong, he achieved nothing and cost all of us a lot of money. Fact


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Paso-scott. Solutions to the problems will be proposed. The first task is to get people mobilized and on board, and to get people who will actually go forward with solutions on the city council. We have to rid the city of Jim App and Iris Yang because they are controlling the progress of the city.


Meanwhile, people need to know what this city leadership has done that needs to be corrected. Gross neglect of city streets and roads, an epic fail in the circulation plan, lack of long range planning for 46 and 101 as advised by Cal Trans, waste water funding, water plan based on more housing development (with no new roads and inadequate traffic flow condemned by Cal Trans), lack of city codes and enforcement for the protection of neighborhoods, police department in disarray, lack of citizen input in decision making (the council needs to allow two or three sessions before voting on important policies), lack of business input in downtown planning, and on and on.


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No offense, but I disagree.

The roads across the state have been neglected. No specific city issue has caused this. Budget cuts, for help and materials have been in short supply for years. To attribute this to Paso leadership is wrong.

The circulation plan has many problems. Crossing the river is a major issue. There are others, but the current circumstances are not the consequence of poor planning.

The 46/101 exhanges are problematic. Historically, not just in the past 15 years, business owners of Paso Robles have discouraged a system that allows traffic to flow around the town. Both interchanges are problematic. Both are being and have been addressed, with years of open, public welcome, discussions.

Waste water funding, and water system funding in general, has been hampered by borst and his people. Not to mention that the aquifer levels have dropped significantly in recent years. Statewide drought has many other areas working to solve very complex water delivery and disposal solutions. De Sal plants, filters systems to treat waste and make it potable just to name a few ideas have been contentiously discussed statewide. Not a Paso specific issue, but the Paso specific issues have been derailed and challenged ad nauseum.

Not planning for future development will only postpone and confuse the matters. If there is no future development, housing affordability becomes an issue.

There are city codes for protection. Enforcement is always an issue. If it were simple, there wouldn’t be immigration or drug issues. Crime is on the rise because many people are suffering financially now. Have nots target have’s for theft and vandalism. It’s been true throughout history.

Police department issues are obvious. If Lisa did the things she was accused of then she should have been removed. Because of the way public pressure affected the process, we will never know. Many departmenst statewide have been decimated by hiring freezes and limits on budgets in general.

The citizens voted in the council and the mayor. There have been many special, public centric events and programs, to address the needs of the city. If the citizens have not had input, I don’ t think it’s because of a closed door. On the water rate issue alone, there were countless all day events open to the public.

The downtown has grown more than any other Central Coast community over the last 15 years. At that time, there was no foot traffic to 14th street, one hotel near the park and very few restaurants. I have seen and am proud of the growth.

I am not saying there are no problems here. I see mountains being made of mole hills to further one cause. Remove leadership.

I don’t agree with the agenda and I certainly don’t agree with witch hunts that ignore due process.

If you have solutions to any of these solutions, don’t be shy, let’s here them.

Getting people on board and mobilized to what end. Lather them up and then choose the path. That doesn’t make sense.

Go to council meetings, introduce ideas, let’s see them shoot down. Then let’s talk.


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No offense,

Just because you disagree, somehow that makes what you think more valid, I doesn’t to me.


Your allegations that leadership isn’t responsible for the condition our city is in is stoopid and doesn’t even deserve any response, but I will in fairness.


The City waste and water system is a responsibility of city government. The idea that because citizens expected it be done responsibly somehow hampered the city, once again, you are wrong.


The rest of your post propping up city policies comes from somebody that belly’d up to the city money trough too long. You don’t get to stay there unless you buy into the system lock stock and barrel.


The question has come up many times if anybody in our community is capable of becoming a CC member (as if there is some incredible ability an wisdom that exists there now). I contend that most people that are reading and responding to this blog are 100% more qualified to be a CC member, They all know at least how it shouldn’t be done. That is 100% more qualifications than the current CC.


When you want some specifics on what we propose to do, you can answer your own question. Look and see how it is being done now, and you can imagine it working just the opposite.


You have tried to convince us of your intellect so I am sure you are aware of Albert Einstein’s quote “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”. Unless we make some change there is no reason to expect anything to improve.


The status quo wants everything to continue to operate in the system app built because they know nothing ever gets done that way.


It is time for some different people and different ideas in our city government.


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paso-scott, don’t think I have ever seen you add anything to a conversation but bitch about what someone else said with you short curt and meaningless remarks. Could paso-scott be App possibly?


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SCN, I decided I will consider PScott to be Jim App until proven otherwise. When I compared his ramblings last nite to emails recvd from Mr App yesterday, it wouldn’t be a far stretching possibility.


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It’s easier to make stuff up than face reality, I guess.

I am not Jim App.


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paso-scott —– According to Mr. Fred Strong ( City Councilman ) who keeps changing the dollar values

that Mr. Borst has cost the City of Paso Robles $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. However, Mr. Fred Strong doesn’t mention the approximate $40,000,000 plus that Mr. Borst has saved the City from a

ridiculous “flat rate fee” in 2007. A matter of fact, City Mgr. Mr. J App related, by rescinding the “flat rate fee” of up to $60.00 to all Paso Robles residents and local bussinesses would save the citizens of Paso Robles approximately $40,000,000 and that’s the rest of the story. Also, on another matter, the City council lost an election bid on a petition drive 46% to 54%. The citizens of Paso Robles indicated to the City council that they were dissatisfied with their actions.


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Do you acknowledge there is outstanding debt and future infrastructure issues that need to be resolved?


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Do you acknowledge there is outstanding debt that the council and the public doesn’t know about yet?


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Is that a yes? Borst is no hero. He is a sham. I corresponded with him and have his responses. Be careful. Not everyone who thinks differently than the people that post here are stupid or ignorant.

You’ve made no point, simply making an usubstaniated claim.


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1.) Replace Picanco, Strong amd Gilman at the next election.


2.) Can James App.


3.) If Hamon and Steinbeck don’t change their ways, recall them.


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2b.) Can Iris P. Yang the contract city attorney.


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3) File a malpractice suit against BEST, BEST & KRIEGER.


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Some people are saying that it isn’t Gilman, they say he can’t do anything because he gets out voted. I might be wrong but its my understanding that closed door meetings regarding employees are confidential to the extent that the individual council votes can not be disclosed. For instance if Gilman voted no, he would not be able to reveal that he voiced his disapproval. BUT…..legally he can give an inquirer his personal opinion about a matter.


An instance as I describe occurred here in Atascadero when our city manager received a raise during a closed door evaluation. As far as I knew, there were 3 CC who said they were going to get rid of our city manager so I called them individually and asked, do you believe that Wade deserved a raise? Since I was simply asking an opinion, they could legally answer me, 2 said NO, the 3rd said I can’t disclose anything that occurs behind closed doors. I said, I’m not asking about that, I’m asking your opinion. That CC members (wife) then gave me an excuse why they thought we were better off with Wade rather than without him. So voila, I knew which CC member had betrayed his promise.


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I can’t believe how gullible we have all become, Just because these pin heads make a rule to do the wrong thing, that somehow makes it right.


Gilman is just as stained as the rest of them are.


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Two additional items of mine:


1. Terminate the contract with Iris P. Yang and ban BEST, BEST & KRIEGER from contract with the City of Paso Robles int he future.


2. File a malpractice lawsuit against BB&K Here’s a link to LA Times’ article about the malpractice lawsuit filed against BB&K for ideas: [[ http://tinyurl.com/brwufhm ]]. It is actually a motion from Governor Jerry Brown for court permission to appoint a monitor for the City of Bell. But it has several interesting attachments/exhibits.


Should a group wish to file a lawsuit against the City of Paso Robles and/or any of the corrupt city government officials/employees who have benefitted from illegal and/or unethical acts.


One part of this Jerry Brown filing which might give ideas for pertinent issues for filing such a lawsuit is a letter from legal firm ALESHIRE & WYNDER (legal counsel for an association of City-of-Bell concerned) in which they ask attorney Edawrd Lee (BEST, BEST & KRIEGER) specific info. I like the paragraph at the bottom of the first page of that letter (page 34 of the document):


“It may be possible to take legal action to invalidate the contracts or obtain a disgorgement of profits. However, to determine this, more information is needed by the public. We assume that these are also matters in which the City would have an interest..”


“Disgorgement of profits” is the forced return of profits that have been gained through “illegal or unethical acts.” An example would be Lisa Solomon’s “Buh-Bye” termination payout.


It is separate from awards for damages.


There are lots of good examples for “disgorgement of profits in this ALESHIRE & WYNDER letter.


“Pursuant to the common law incompatibility rule, as construed by various Attorney General opinions and California Government Code Section 1 099(b), we believe that when an incompatible office is assumed, in this case the office of Interim City Manager in the City of Maywood, that Ms. Spaccia immediately forfeited her office as Assistant City Manager in the City of Bell. Hence, Bell would have no further obligations to Ms. Spaccia under her excessive contract and Bell should recover all payments made to her since she entered into the contract with Maywood.


This relates to the fact that Spaccia–who was the City of Bell’s Assistant City Manager ($50,833 a month) –also worked as the City of Maywood’s interim administrator ($10,000 a month).


If the legal firm, ALESHIRE & WYNDER, can find supporting issues in the contracts for Spaccia, they can file a lawsuit requesting “disgorgement of profits” for the $50,833 a month (her Bell pay) for the 5 months she worked as an interim administrator for Maywood, which only paid $10,000 a month.


Also, in this same Jerry Brown legal document, as an attachment, is a letter from BASTA (the citiizen action group that applied the public pressure necessary to bring change to Bell) to Bell’s Interim Chief Administrative Officer, Pedro Carrillo. In this letter (which starts on page 47 of the Brown document) are a list of requests for changes in the way city council meetings are run (i.e., have public questions after each item) to facilitate better public participation, and requests some very specific information. I think this letter is a very good example of how one can be aggressive yet polite at the same time, and hold the city government’s feet to the fire.


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there around 200 days until election day, not much time. Who is ruuning against the incumbants? When is the deadline to get one’s name on the ballot?


Please, don’t tell me Gary Nemeth. New blood


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There’s the key. It’s easy to say ‘get them out’ but it’s another thing to find people to run against them. We see this all the time, boneheads running unopposed or boneheads running against other boneheads.


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App and city council members go around singing the praises of Lisa and what a fine job she did and everything and that this was all a witch hunt orchastrated by CCN BUT this investigation was started before CCN got a hold of it.


Even more important (going back to App) I can’t think of people that have such great charactar as he states normally being investigated.


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On “Talk is Cheap” this afternoon, I think it was Dan who said that there is no reason that the reportedly incomplete investigation could not be completed.


I think a new, truly independent investigation, would better serve the PR residents’ best interests, however. Anyone chosen by PR or its legal counsel, Iris P. Yang, is likely to be corrupt.


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What astounds me the most is how deep the corruption is, the city council just gives app a free pass, incredible.


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No lack of Boss Tweeds running around. They just keep sprouting up like so many daisies.


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I would like to know why Paso Robles was using the attorney’s to provide the public records requests rather than the elected city clerk? Isn’t it the city clerks job to provide the records requests? Isn’t that what they are elected to do and at a fraction of the cost that an attorney charges to edit for possible necessary redaction’s.


It’s also highly questionable as to what sort of job the city attorney has been doing for the people she is supposed to be serving. Why didn’t she step in and say something when App ordered the illegal e-mail deletions? Where are all the missing e-mails (current and outside deletion time frame policy) that were not provided?


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City Attorney serves at the pleasure of the person who sets her contract: City Manager Jim App. She is not going to investigate or comment on deleted emails of the ticket quota policy or the naked / topless hot tub party…..

she knows what side her bread is buttered on. She shows almost as much disdain for the public at CC meetings as App. The water is flowing, rates are in place, we need to get the sewage treatment up and running so we can get the crApp out of Paso.


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Iris P. Yang has the legal knowledge to exclude records which might demonstrate corruption in the City of Paso Robles.


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There are no words for the city officials who just keep spending our money. We MUST unite and stop this madness.


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Do you guys have people to run against them,,,how about you? You’re a smart woman, I think you’d be great for the job, we know that you’d have a lot of support.


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One thing for sure Typo is that it can’t be you who runs.


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Very wise observation on your part. Nothing gets past you ;)


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I do know of names coming to surface that may prove to be viable candidates. I am not one of them. I am dedicated to my husband, my work, and CPRN2012,org, which ALL keep me extremely busy these days.


TQ…I appreciate the compliment, though! : )


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danika, If you weren’t a co-chair for CPRN2012, you would, in fact, be an excellent candidate, particularly with all your long term business experience. Being that you prefer to support while leading a call to change rather than take an Office, you perhaps are doing the greatest service of all.


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Is it just me or does anyone else think it is strange that she would “win” a damage claim and receive disability before the lawsuits have gone forward enough to determine guilt regarding the allegations?

If she and the City are determined to be at fault regarding these charges/allegations she could/should be fired for cause, not awarded/rewarded financially.

This continues to be nothing more than outrageous. If these officers win their lawsuit then more of our money will be flowing out the door.


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Our money is already flowing out the door. It will keep doing so up until WE make it stop.


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You have an excellent point. She should have been on paid administrative leave and then terminated for cause if the allegations were found to be true. Fact is, the allegations were already found to be true which is why the investigative report was squashed and she was paid off before the law suits get settled. No doubt once one sexual harassment suit is settled, they other officers will be looking for theirs as well and the cabal plans to pay off the hush funds under the radar, claiming a right to maintain confidentiality. They can not be allowed to get away with this. The truth must come out and the guilty must be held accountable for the cost to the tax payers.


I believe that a cover up and crime has taken place. I suspect (truly suspect) that she has something on these guy’s. I believe that the people need to elect a council who will agree to investigate the actions of the outgoing city council and its city manager. If wrong doing can be proved, I believe Solomon can be made to pay the people “THEIR MONEY” back.


Here is a post that “Dog’s not Cat’s” posted over in the TT.


“Today is the first day of the rest of my life…I leave the most honorable profession to find new joy, challenge and adventure! Thank you to all my colleagues and friends who have made my 26 year career such a success!”


” –Lisa Chitty, March ’12 Facebook Timeline quote (public setting–avail for all to read…and cringe.)”


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She is so disgusting. I had the extreme displeasure of seeing/hearing her perform at a chamber dinner. I was embarrassed to see the way she flaunted her oversized unattractiveness on stage. She is treating this whole thing like a joke, her facebook post is nothing more than another slap in the face to us citizens.


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Start the countdown until she screws up “the rest of [my] life.”


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Bankruptcy…CHECK

4 marriages…CHECK

Loss of stolen gun…CHECK

Career-ending scandal…CHECK

$250K hush money settlement….CHECK

Future bogus disability claim to be uncontested…CHECK


I’d say things are going quite smoothly in Chittyland!


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oops…that’s Loss of LOADED gun …


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that’s loss of UNREGISTERED, LOADED gun………


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That’s what struck me. How can they possibly give her a settlement (hush money?) BEFORE this is all settled LEGALLY???


I’m with those who have suggested that a lawsuit/injunction be file to stop this transfer of money until this is all settled legally. There is still an investigation going on, isn’t there?


Why the rush to judgment?


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1. They wanted to get Solomon committed to a no-tell agreement. Solomon probably knows a lot of stuff the PR city government would just as soon she not share with the public–for instance, if she was to get sued by someone.


2. They wanted to throw the public a bone, to indicate they were fighting corruption or whatever. Election time is just around the corner, you know.


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Well, ok, but some “no tell agreement” is not going to stop the people of Paso from filing lawsuits all over the place, starting up recall elections, and taking these crooks to court. That “no tell agreement” might very well get invalidated during a criminal investigation which uncovers crimes.


Clearly, these city council members stink and should be not only removed, but have criminal charges brought against them. Get them, get them all.


DON’T LET THEM GET AWAY WITH THIS!!!!


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