San Bernardino leaders want prosecutors to look into who leaked confidential information about last year’s search for a new city manager.
The City Council referred the matter to the San Bernardino County district attorney and the civil grand jury after a former city manager candidate filed a claim alleging city officials had interfered with his former employer and cost him his job.
Steve Carrigan — once San Bernardino’s top choice to replace Rob Field as city manager — filed his claim in November, taking what is traditionally the first step in a process that could lead to a lawsuit.
Carrigan was the city manager of Salinas when he interviewed for the San Bernardino position last fall. In early September, the San Bernardino City Council announced they had picked a new city manager, but were keeping the individual’s name private until it was official.
Word got back to Salinas, however, that Carrigan was interviewing for another job. Despite him , the .
According to Carrigan’s claim, San Bernardino council members leaked the information about his interview to Salinas in an attempt to scuttle his candidacy.
There is “a pattern of unprivileged conduct designed to destroy the employment prospects” of city manager candidates who are not favored by the mayor or council members, the claim reads in part.
“Council members leak the candidacy of those who are disfavored to the city council where the candidate then works,” the claim continues. “The wrongful intent and purpose of the city in this effort is to undermine a candidate’s current employment, so that the disfavored candidate becomes insecure and withdraws his candidacy.”
During the behind-closed-doors portion of a study session on Thursday, April 10, the San Bernardino council voted 6-0 to refer the matter of “illegal disclosure of confidential closed session information” connected to the city manager recruiting process to the District Attorney’s Office and the civil grand jury. Councilmember Ben Reynoso was absent.
Under California’s open meetings law, the , government bodies are allowed to keep personnel matters private.
Carrigan’s claim doesn’t name which council members he believes are responsible for the leak, but alleges the council members opposed to his candidacy are Black.
At the time, there were three Black members of council: Damon Alexander, Kimberly Calvin and Reynoso.
At last week’s meeting, the council majority voted to add the possible censure of Calvin to the agenda for the meeting Wednesday, April 17.
According to Carrigan’s claim, what happened to him in San Bernardino has already cost him another job in Pacific Grove.
“(The recruiter) explained to Carrigan that the Pacific Grove City Council said that they knew of Carrigan and they think he is a good guy, but there were unwilling to move forward with Carrigan because his circumstances were ‘too political,’” the claim reads in part.
Carrigan is seeking $2.2 million in damages, including $731,250 that he would have earned during the remainder of his contract in Salinas, $500,000 for damages to his reputation and $1 million from loss of future employment opportunities.
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