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San Diego scandal cause for new Paso chief withdrawing?

January 4, 2013

Manny Guaderrama

The San Diego police captain slated to become Paso Robles’ next police chief has withdrawn his candidacy for the position.

Manny Guaderrama, a 29-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department, was set to earn up to $160,000 plus benefits as the permanent replacement for Lisa Solomon-Chitty after city leaders conditionally approved his hire in December. But, Guaderrama, who has received criticism for the perceived preferential treatment of his son by police, withdrew his interest Thursday, citing personal matters.

In August, multiple witnesses accused the captain’s 23-year-old son of a drunken tirade in which he groped two women, hit another in the face and smashed a car window. Instead of arresting the younger Guaderrama, officers allowed him to receive treatment for his cuts and then transported him to a parking lot in La Mesa, where his mother picked him up.

Following the incident, several officers complained to the press about the preferential treatment of a police captain’s son.

Police records showed that witnesses accused Guaderrama of grabbing a woman’s buttocks while waiting in line at a Pacific Beach taco shop early in the morning of August 21. After doing so, Guaderrama got into a fight with the group accompanying the woman. Witnesses said that the capatain’s son then grabbed another woman’s breast and struck a third woman in the face.

After the fight, the three women called a male friend to pick them up. When he arrived, Guarderrama smashed the back window of the car.

Manny Guaderrama never commented publicly on the actions of his son, nor on the reason officers did not arrest him for sexual battery and vandalism. In the past two years the San Diego Police Department has also had more than ten internal investigations into alleged crimes committed by officers.

Guaderrama, who lives in the small San Diego County town of Alpine, told the Tribune in December that he planned to move to Paso Robles once hired and that he, along with his wife, was attracted to the city because of its small-town atmosphere.

Paso Robles must now reopen its search for a new police chief. Acting Chief Robert Burton will continue to head the department until the city makes a new hire.

 


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What a scumbag. Nice job, App!


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These situations (meaning the vetting and unknown information of) of hiring management personnel in cities, towns, county, state, and federal governments and all its employees as well, all comes about because of the “personnel privacy” laws. It is these laws that “protect” the (usually) terminated employee so that they can qualify and get hired again in the same type job position wherever they might like to apply to.

Case in point, Lisa Soloman. She gets fired with a nice fat payoff and the people that actually paid for it -the taxpayers- don’t even know exactly why it happened. They just pay and sooner or later, Lisa will find another job as a chief somewhere else. Same thing with the Atascadero chief. These situations and many others, without the big payout, are commonly and constantly getting fired but will just go get the same job in another town and most likely do the same job performance or not, as no one really knows (or is not allowed to know or is not allowed to use that information to make an employment decision) why they got fired in the first place.

To be fair, this also happens in private industry as well, though not as well publicized. I personally know of a nurse (not from around here) that was fired from, in essence, taking patients drugs. They are still working elsewhere and making more money than ever. I also have personal experience with a used to be local doctor that was unethical and incompetent at best, was caught and the medical board just said, “take an ethical class” and everything will be ok. Still working, but not around here.

Anyway, while I agree with Danika and most others posting here, my point is that any hiring panel may not have access to information (due to personnel laws) that they would like to have. I don’t know if that is the case here, as it appears that the information regarding Manny Guaderrama’s son was available and for reasons yet unknown, the panel recommended the hiring anyway. My two cents.


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The “hiring panel may not have access to information”?


Then they need to DEMAND access to that information. If the other party refuses to comply, whatever the reason, legal or otherwise, then they should refuse to hire the candidate. No city can afford to take on a walking time bomb in their midst.


And don’t hire ANY candidate unless their ex-employers are willing to disclose the critical information.


They need to get stubborn about this.


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Gimlet, a simple internet search for “Manuel Guaderrama” and “San Diego” would have brought up pages and pages of information about the sexual assaults against two women, perpetrated by Guaderrama’s son, who got a free pass for his violence against women.


I agree–if someone refuses to reveal information about a prior employment performance issue, then that candidate should be immediately discarded from condition.


Really, with PR’s past history of Lisa Solomon sexually assaulting and harassing the PR police officers, no one with any similar criminal failure to perform history should be considered for a position with the PRPD.


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This is all very odd. I recall reading that his wife owned and operated her own skin care salon in San Diego and I wondered why she would want to relocate all the way to PR? I wondered if the extra pay that her husband would earn was worth it or perhaps she figured it was time to sell her business and retire. I thought of those things and he didn’t until after he went through a 6 month process and won the position? How can he expect any of us to believe that?


As for the special treatment that his 23 year old son received when he was delivered to mommy rather than booked, that was previously publicized in SD and I would think it would have been entirely investigated/addressed and the air cleared before he was offered the position. How ridiculous, I suspect there is more to all of this.


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There is no more to this. It’s just Paso Robles as usual.


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The beginning of Guaderrama’s six-month process would have been just about the time the $hit hit the fan about his son’s sexual assaults on two women and the allegations of Guaderrama using his power to protect his son from appropriate prosecution and sentencing.


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It sounds like the citizens of Paso dodged a bullet on this one – so to speak.


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Not really. The taxpayers have to pay for the complete failure of the city council and city officials’ negligence in the performance of a credible and professional search for a new chief of police.


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Remember, there were many people who gave this guy a thumbs up. A hand picked panel specifically chosen by the City Council to give their opinions, ask questions, help vett the guy, though none on the panel had ANY hand in the actual hiring . In all those background checks, question and answers, conversations etc., did someone finally just pick up a dart and throw it at potential candidates photos handing on a dart board? i am thinking so. This reflects poorly on each and every person involved in the decision process from start to finish in the choosing of Mr. Guarderrama. If this was our best option, what exactly stood out in him that took him to the position of the “chosen one”? Clearly, he had financial concerns and didn’t get it that he should have discussed moving to PR with his wife BEFORE he accepted the offer….


How much did this total waste of time cost the taxpayer, Mr. App?

I wonder how the other candidates now feel about not making the grade now this info is out about the guy that was chosen. Proof again, the City failed it’s people again.


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I really don’t know how anyone could be surprised that our dubious council and city administration hires, or that is attempts to hire another social and morally inept reject. The same people hired chief solomon – chitty years ago full well knowing her questionable conduct (legally, morally and ethically). The last idiot they hired will cost us tax payers millions of dollars, if not tens of millions once the dust settles. But here we go again, hiring another POS. To be frank, we elect people of questionable character, who then place people of questionable character into top positions. Our elected officials like a little dirt on key staff that way they can leverage the dirt bag latter so that sweet deals can then go to their friends. Morally, ethically and legally corrupt is the motto around here anymore. It is too bad, since there are many hard working and dedicated staff members at local agencies, but they can’t change the corruption, only we can as voters. When or will we demand a major house cleaning at City hall – fire all council and all management and start new.


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I guess it’s hard to find an honest police chief.


What PR needs is a moratorium on government. About 10 years will do.


They will get used to it, and once they do, they will never want to go back to the incessant intrusions, incompetence, intimidation, and waste.


Who would?


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Well, it is REALLY hard to find an honest police chief when you aren’t looking for an honest police chief.


Even if they were looking for an honest police chief, It’s hard to find an honest police chief who will want to work in a scandal- and cronyism-centric city like Paso Robles.


I think it is obvious they were looking for someone who would support the PR entrenched cronyism-mafia power structure.


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Precisely why PR needs a moratorium on government.


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The real fault lies with the so-called recruiting agency, the person that hired them (Big Phat Bald Guy), and the brilliant citizens that interviewed him in December. Would have to believe they all had their heads in the sand, not to have seen this one coming.


And as much as it pains me to say so, I have to give Guaderama a small kudo for pulling out. He would have to believe that if he had taken the job, and then this mess came out – that it would make him look very foolish and would have cost him dearly in terms of respect by both his officers and the public.


I also agree with the feelings of many other commentors – real change in Paso Robles will only come

with a complete and total change in city government – starting with App and including the entire city council and mayor. They continue to exhibit the arrogance, and lack of true leadership, that has brought this city to where it is today.


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I don’t give Guaderrama any credit AT ALL for pulling out when the truth about the type of police work he did was revealed.


He didn’t do it for any other reason than to save himself and his sexually violent son from problems.


If he had actually cared one bit about the impact his own past of lack of leadership and his son’s multiple criminal sexually violent acts against women would have on the people of PR, he would have never applied for the job in the first place.


Finally, sustainable change is occurring. The last thing PR should be looking for are large changes in a short period of time because it almost always creates the kind of chaos and accompanying lack of oversight that leads to even worse problems.


A steady path of change of the city council members and city administrators is what is needed. The process has already started.


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The continued incompetency of the PR city government is beyond astonishing. It’s just plain absurd. Everybody involved in this botched hiring, and the one before it, should be beyond embarrassed, to the point of which they ought to be crafting their resignation letters as I type this.


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