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Resident asks council to review legality and transparency of recent police chief hire
Summary
Resident Terry Gun asked the Atwater Council to explain authority for the recent police chief hire, citing California Government Code section 34856 and alleging the city's Title 2 is outdated and that a hiring posting was withdrawn after applicants applied; he requested Title 2 be updated and an explanation be placed on the next agenda.
At the start of public comment on June 8, Atwater resident Terry Gun raised concerns about the recent police chief appointment and the process used to fill the position. Gun said Atwater’s municipal Title 2 has been outdated since at least 2016 and cited California Government Code section 34856, which he said vests hiring authority for a police chief in the city council for a general-law city. "Was this hire legally authorized?" he asked the council.
Gun also alleged the city manager publicly posted the opening, then pulled the posting after at least two applicants had applied so a preferred candidate could be installed, which he said denied those applicants an opportunity. He raised a transparency and conflict-of-interest concern because a member of the newly hired chief’s immediate family is employed in the city’s human-resources office. Gun explicitly said he was not alleging wrongdoing but urged the council to provide documentation of any conflict‑of‑interest review and to place an update to Title 2 on the next agenda.
No formal response resolving the claim appears in the transcript; council did not take immediate action during the meeting but the speaker said, "We're watching. We're paying attention, and we won't stop until we get these answers." The matter remains open to follow-up and, if the council directs staff, could return as an agenda item for legal review and possible code amendments.
