He still received pay
in January, February;
quit in March
By Charles M. Kelly
Joe Stilinovich, the police chief, received approximately $133,000 in severance pay from the City of Seal Beach, according to the severance agreement obtained by a Seal Beach resident under the California Public Records Act. The document was signed by Stilinovich and City Manager Jill Ingram on March 2.
The severance agreement also states the personnel investigation that led to his resignation ended in late December. According to Assistant City Manager Patrick Gallegos, the submission of the investigator’s report was part of the process.
Stilinovich was on paid administrative leave following a complaint that was made on Sept. 23, 2016, according to the severance agreement. Stilinovich and Ingram announced his resignation on March 3. According to the severance agreement, the investigator completed an administrative investigation of Stilinovich on Dec. 28, 2016 and submitted a report to the city. Stilinovich has never seen the report, according to the severance agreement. Yet according to the minutes of the Jan. 9 City Council meeting, City Attorney Craig Steele said that “the investigation continues to move quickly toward a completion.”
According to Gallegos, that statement was accurate.
“A personnel investigation is a process. Once an investigator’s report is submitted, there are subsequent steps in the process still to be completed, and the employee has certain rights and time periods available under state and federal law,” according to Gallegos.
“As you know, this is a personnel investigation and we are very limited on the information that we can provide given certain privacy rights,” according to Gallegos.
According to City Treasurer/Finance Director Victoria Beatley, Stilinovich was paid almost $85,000 between the time the investigation ended and his resignation.
District One Councilwoman Ellery Deaton didn’t know anything about the time lag between the filing of the investigator’s report and Stilinovich’s resignation. “The council was kept completely separate from the investigation and its particulars because of its potential to come to us on appeal,” she said.
In January, City Attorney Steele said City Charter specifically prohibited the City Council from interfering in the investigation. The reason for the investigation will not be made public.
According to the agreement, Seal Beach will only release the separate investigation file under a court order or if Stilinovich authorizes the release. According to the agreement, neither Stilinovich nor any Seal Beach city official may make disparaging comments about the other. Stilinovich waived his right to sue the city. The severance agreement also frees the city of any liability. As for his severance pay, that was based on a combination of 320 hours of accumulated vacation time and six months’ pay with a base salary of $97.53 an hour.
Although Stilinovich had support from many Seal Beach residents, at the March 13 City Council meeting, more than 20 uniformed officers and civilian Police Department employees stood in support of Acting Police Chief Joe Miller, Ingram, and the personnel investigation of their former boss. There are 53 full and part time employees in the department.
