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Steve Gesell seeking work in Arizona

December 11, 2015

Steve Gesell 4Former San Luis Obispo police chief Steve Gesell, who was forced out of the top cop job in SLO earlier this year, is now pursuing work in Cottonwood Arizona. [KSBY]

The Cottonwood Police department serves a population of about 40,000 people. The current chief is retiring in Jan. 2016, and city officials would like to have a new chief in place at that time.

Gesell left the San Luis Obispo job in May after a feud with City Manager Katie Lichtig. Gesell received a $120,000 severance package, and Lichtig has not disclosed specifically why she chose to part ways with Gesell.

In January, CalCoastNews reported Gesell violated city travel reimbursement policies on several occasions, often making the city foot the bill for conferences that turned into family trips. Around the same time, Gesell applied for the police chief job in Chico.

However, Gesell told SLO police staff he had no plans to leave the city, and his attorney stated the same publicly, even as Gesell became a leading candidate for the Chico job. Gesell withdrew his candidacy for the position shortly after members of the Chico police union visited San Luis Obispo to investigate Gesell’s background.


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please wish steve well….should he not land this job….he will have to resort to blowing john’s in the alley for scraps


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Now who is going to hire a former member of the corrupt administration from the City of SLO. This crook is still a cop after pilfering public funds for personal benefit. He should be in prison playing housemaid with bubba.


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Well it’s going to be interesting how the new chief will be working out. It appears that she comes with way more baggage than Gesel accumulated while here.

It’s clear that Gesell wanted to enforce the law in SLO but Litchtig and crew had other plans.

The no chief probably has met the “yes man/woman” criteria for employment.


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“Gesell wanted to enforce the law in SLO”, just not the law when it comes to how and where to spend taxpayer money.


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Justbeware, if he met the qualifications for work, I would put him on my payroll. I know how to enforce rules and keep my employees in line. He made a mistake, he got away with it because his boss let him and then she threw him under the bus. Move on, there’s other crime and corruption to expose is what I’m saying. He’s down, stop kicking.


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On the other hand, maybe this isn’t ‘kicking’. Maybe this is an example this county needs to think about when hiring or electing people for government jobs. Past actions tell about ones character. In addition, ones’ associates tell about their character. Elected officials should come with a clean background and no known associates with questionable behavior. These elected officials and government employees should be given the opportunity to be employed in the private sector.


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Kettle have you ever heard of a second chance? Hope you never need one?


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Knowing that you will receive $200,000 a year for life of taxpayer money, not really into second chances at that point. Steve screwed up knowing in the public sector there are no real consequences and there is no risk to his lifetime salary, this time he got caught.


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