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Former Cotati councilman and residents allege code‑enforcement misconduct; multiple complaints reportedly filed
Summary
Former Councilman George Berich and resident Laurie made public allegations at the council meeting of a long‑running code‑enforcement scandal involving alleged perjury, embezzlement and misuse of funds tied to a contracted code‑enforcement officer; complainants said they filed reports with local police, the state bar and other agencies; council acknowledged comments and no formal response was given during the meeting.
During the public‑comment period, former Cotati councilmember George Berich and local resident Laurie made extended, specific allegations that city code enforcement has been used as a political weapon and that misconduct by outside contractors and officials has harmed residents.
Berich, who identified himself as a former council member, accused current or former local officers and contractors — naming Robert Smith and referencing another person, Damien — of running an ‘‘extortion racket’’ through code‑enforcement actions intended to punish critics. He said a former code‑enforcement officer had come forward as a whistleblower and that he had filed criminal charges and complaints with multiple authorities. Berich warned those on the council they would be held responsible when the record becomes public, and urged others to provide information to the police chief.
Laurie (a Zoom commenter) echoed those complaints and said she and other witnesses were prepared to be plaintiffs in civil‑rights and ADA claims; she said there have been long administrative hearings, that evidence and documents have been difficult to obtain by public‑records requests, and that she had filed complaints with the FPPC (Fair Political Practices Commission), the state bar, the Sonoma County grand jury, and the local police department. In both comments they named Robert Smith as involved in disputed billing and contractual matters.
Council members did not provide substantive rebuttals in the meeting transcript. Mayor Ford and the chair thanked speakers for their remarks and noted the comments were recorded for the public record. The allegations referenced ongoing administrative hearings and investigations outside the council meeting; the city did not announce any formal internal investigation or legal action in response during the meeting.
Because these were allegations presented during public comment, they are reported here as claims made by speakers; they were not tested or substantiated in the meeting itself.
