Costa Mesa Police Department interim Chief Steve Slaveley abruptly resigned Monday, saying "there is no fiscal crisis" and that he objected to the City Council's proposed cutbacks.
Former La Habra Police Department Chief Dennis Kies was hired to replace Slaveley. Costa Mesa Chief Executive Officer Tom Hatch had been interviewing Kies recently to replace Slaveley when it became apparent Slaveley didn't agree with the proposed cutbacks in the police department.
"It's very clear to me that there is no fiscal crisis in the city of Costa Mesa," Slaveley said in a letter to employees in the police department.
"The majority of the council has created budget gaps in order to affect to create the appearance of a fiscal crisis. They have pushed finance and the budget process around to get the kind of numbers that benefit their position. They have in essence lied as they create the appearance of a crisis in order to appear as the white knight to a narrow band of political followers."
Slaveley further had further accusations of politics in the budget process.
"They have done this, I believe, because they have a political need to lay off police officers," Slaveley said. "This is completely unethical and immoral behavior and I will have no part in it."
City Councilman Jim Righeimer called Slaveley's criticism "probably one of the most unprofessional things I've seen in my 30 years in business."
"We're asking the police department for 3.5 percent cuts, the least amount of any department," Righeimer said. "To come out with these inflammatory statements is completely unprofessional."
Slaveley also objected to a plan to make all police employees work eight-hour days, five days a week. Righeimer said the council only wanted non-sworn personnel to work the conventional work shifts, instead of the four-day, 10-hour shifts they work now.
Slaveley accused city officials of "meddling" in the scheduling of police officers, an allegation Righeimer denied.
"I don't think it's too much to ask for non-sworn police staff to work eight hours a day five days a week like everybody else," Righeimer said.
Righeimer also discounted Slaveley's take on the city's budget problems.
"To say there's not a fiscal crisis throughout the state -- I mean, people are cutting left and right from San Jose to San Francisco and our city is no different," Righeimer said. "To say there's not a budget problem in municipal government just shows you how out of touch some people are."
Hatch said he was "shocked and saddened by the unprofessional resignation letter" Slaveley sent to his employees.
"I know that Mr. Slaveley is angry at some of the changes being proposed for the police department, but this reckless parting shot does not help our organization or the community," Hatch said, adding he considered Slaveley's comments as "potentially libelous."
Hatch expects to hire a permanent police chief within the next couple of weeks.
Hatch said the cutbacks are needed as the city has used more than $33 million of its reserves since 2008 and in the coming years faces of having to spend up to a quarter of the annual budget to cover pension costs.
Righeimer said the council is expected Tuesday to approve a balanced budget. Part of the plan to balance the budget will include outsourcing some city jobs to private contractors, who are expected to rehire most of the laid-off employees, Righeimer said.
