CITY OF EL PASO DE ROBLES
"The Pass of the Oaks"
City Council Special Meeting Addendum
Tuesday, January 7, 2025, 4:00 PM
Council Chamber - Library/Conference Center
1000 Spring Street
Paso Robles, CA 93446
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Any writing or document pertaining to an open session item on this agenda which is distributed to a majority of the City Council after the posting of this agenda will be available for public inspection at the time the subject writing or document is distributed. The writing or document will be available for public review in the City Clerk’s Office, 1000 Spring Street, Paso Robles, CA, during normal business hours, and may be posted on the City’s web site at www.prcity.com/meetings.
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Pages
*F. PUBLIC COMMENT REGARDING CLOSED SESSION MATTERS 2 - 10 City Council Special Meeting Agenda January 7, 2025
From: Gary Lehrer
To: John Hamon
Cc: City Clerk; Chris Bausch; Fred Strong; Steve Gregory; Elizabeth Hull; Kris Beal Subject: Angela’s Pastry Transcript
Date: Tuesday, January 7, 2025 9:58:11 AM
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Melissa - please add this to today’s public comment Agenda Item F, Public Comment Regarding Closed Session Item
The most interesting thing I see about the Angela’s Pastry meeting transcript is that Ty Lewis says he is concerned about the city’s image and that he is a uniter.
This is what I saw at the chamber gala. I went and asked to be seated with Chris Bausch and I was told that protocol is that he sits with other council members. However I distinctly remember that Camille DeVaul was at his table. Chris later came by my table and said there was an empty spot. I asked the people at my table if they minded me leaving and they said fine.
When I got to Chris’ table Sharon Roden was trailing behind Ty Lewis like a puppy dog as he headed towards the front. Fred Strong was furious and most of us were laughing. I remarked that I had never seen anyone meaning Sharon Roden commit political suicide so fast in my entire life. Talk about conspiracies, after my discussions with Sharon Roden it was apparent she came in with a mission to go after Chris Bausch and colluded with Gregory and Hamon.
From what I saw Ty Lewis sat down right next to Mrs. Hull. I think we were all aghast. This was an extremely bad look. Talk about collusion. Why was she even at the chamber gala? What business did she even have being there? This was not good for the city’s image either.
If my memory is correct we were sitting right next to the guest of honor and prominent people.
I am sure that they noticed Lewis and Roden were slighting the people at our table and Chris joked that it looked like the people who were on the wrong side of the parking issue were made to sit together. I highly doubt that Chris Bausch berated Ty Lewis because he saw this obviously as something that reflected badly on Ty Lewis and needed no comment.
I spoke about this on the radio and got a hysterical phone call from Gina Kirkpatrick. The fact that Ty Lewis thought he could violate protocol and not upset Gina Fitzpatrick I very much thought this lended credence to Chris Bausch’s argument that they had a close relationship.
This also confirmed what some members of the parking referendum told me confidentially, that she could not be objective because of her relationship with Ty Lewis. So when I saw her name on the redacted claim form immediately my suspicions went up about a conspiracy.
Lewis, Hull, Pinder maybe others.
So Ty Lewis says he is a uniter but he was a divider over parking at the Chamber Gala as I think Chris Bausch was correct in his observation even if he was half joking and Ty Lewis frankly was reckless in his behavior at the Chamber Gala. I am suspicious that Pinder and Hamon are part of this conspiracy. Pinder never does any real reporting and appears to echo Lehrer, Gary
Item F - Public Comment
City Council Special Meeting Agenda January 7, 2025
everything that Ty Lewis wants reported. Are they in direct communication? You guys can obsess over a pastry shop all you want but there are more important things like a concerted effort to crush people like Karen Velie because she reports accurately and truthfully and Chris Bausch because he is actually doing his job. You go after innocent people like Glenn O’Hagan, use Pinder to write fantasies that associate us and you are going to get a flood of emails in response and ones that people can use in filing a claim.
Gary Lehrer
Lehrer, Gary
F - Public Comment
City Council Special Meeting Agenda January 7, 2025
From: Gary Lehrer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Comment for Today Agenda Item F Public Comment Regarding Closed Session Matters Date: Tuesday, January 7, 2025 10:05:52 AM
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Melissa Please put this into the record for public comment for the next meeting. Please note that this documents my reasons for believing I am being bullied by Clive Pinder as a result of the claim form that was filed by Ty Lewis and the reasons why I believe the claim form is based on fraudulent information. And that I am alleging Ty Lewis as a former police chief violated the ethics of his profession by filing a complaint based solely on hearsay regarding an alleged conspiracy where I am named. And frankly I have the right to make a claim based on that. I also fault the mayor for not renouncing the conspiracy allegations and therefore being partially responsible for the "satirical" and thinly disguised propaganda written by Clive Pinder.
Mayor Hamon,
Again I am asking you to end this farce. Ty Lewis' claim looks suspiciously like an alleged insurance fraud. This claim will never stand up in a court of law. As a former police chief Ty Lewis knows the Federal Rules of Evidence. He knows about hearsay. He knows that the character of witnesses is crucial in judging the veracity of their testimony. He knows the internal logic of the data presented will be analyzed by attorneys. Yet he provides a claim form which he has to know given his background as a police chief is not going to be acceptable in a court. The two main proponents of the conspiracy theory in the redacted claim form are someone he has complained accused him of a conspiracy. The other, Ernest Hall has a criminal record and from the Cal Coast news story has had dealings with the city over his cannabis business. No judge, jury or mediator is going to take their testimony over someone like me who has never had any trouble with the law.
The point here is that the source of the information for the pdf dated 8-08- 2024 has to be Glenn O'Hagan and I believe his information has been altered to support the claim . The Halls name came up to me only in connection with Lehrer, Gary (2)
F - Public Comment
City Council Special Meeting Agenda January 7, 2025
the parking referendum which they were supportive of until their restaurant closed and they now rely on their cannabis business for income. Ty Lewis had to have known this and seen their testimony as an attempt to get back in favor with Hamon, Gregory, Roden and Lewis. Why else would the Hall's betray the very people who worked so hard to help his restaurant business. So Ernest or his wife Grace is an alleged backstabber, O'Hagan is considered by Lewis to be a fomentor of conspiracy theories and Ernest has been in trouble with the law. Yet these are the same people he is saying are the sources for his complaint. Meanwhile you have Chris Bausch who busted the School District and that led to a Grand Jury report, Karen Velie who has helped expose a great deal of corruption, Michael Rivera an honest businessman who has held responsible positions in government, myself who has no criminal record and has nothing to gain plus Linda George who is now working for Ken Houston in Oakland on legislation. Meanwhile another person who was heavily involved in the political scene was not even mentioned (and I won't) which further proves that whoever provided the information for the document had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. Do you now get why I am thinking there is actually a conspiracy of Clive Pinder, Ty Lewis and possibly members of the City Council or Mayor as accessories? This is not just hearsay, speculation or based on some false testimony. We have a clear pattern of behavior to disrupt the election by releasing a redacted document close to the election which Clive Pinder admitted on the radio was an attempt at election interference. We have the mayor saying there is a conspiracy and he seems to not know what the redacted letter says since he did not know I was named. Also, remember that Rivera and George are protected classes and the FBI web site only says there has to be a deliberate attempt to interfere with the election of a protected class person. It does not say anything about singling them out as minorities, I think Clive Pinder made that up himself since he does not say what attorney he is using.
Note that Lewis says O'hagan had accused him of being part of a conspiracy.
If O'Hagan is a trusted source then Lewis is guilty as charged. But somehow when O'Hagan charges Lewis with a conspiracy that's not ok, but when it comes to me and several others now suddenly O'Hagan is not a liar. You can't have it both ways. The other person. Ernest Hall has a criminal record.
So you have someone that Lewis has framed as a liar and an inventor of conspiracies and someone who does business with the city and has a criminal record backing up his claim. Unbelievable. I guess then if O'Hagan is a credible source then everything he told me about Lewis is true. You want me to go to a mediator or a judge with that point? This is not a threat, this is a statement of fact. If what O'Hagan is supposedly alleging about me is true, Lehrer, Gary (2)
F - Public Comment
City Council Special Meeting Agenda January 7, 2025
why isn't what he is alleging about Lewis true as well? The other damning thing about the claim form is that this evidence was given as hearsay, not subject to cross examination nor given under oath that it is not perjury.
Neither of these two are primary witnesses and nobody can be a witness of something that has not happened. Again the Hall's attended no meetings, were not in the loop, their name was never mentioned, they benefited from the referendum. And again I want to stress the fact that there were no regular meetings and it is not up to me to prove my innocence, Again Lewis had the audacity to use extremely flawed sources that even he does not find credible.
Also, how could either O'hagan or the Halls have any knowledge of meetings that did not take place. This proves the sources of his document are fraudulent. Based on nothing Ty Lewis submits this addendum and he knows it being a former police chief.
As a former police officer Ty Lewis has to know the weaknesses and shortcomings of this document. Ty Lewis knows that you are innocent unless proven guilty. Mayor Hamon you had the audacity, the lack of character and the really bad judgement to publicly confirm this and then sent me an email saying why did I resent this because apparently you didn't know that I was named. That's how badly misinformed you are yet you lent credence to this farce. If Linda George sues the city I am positive she is going to win. Here's what you wrote me:
Mr. Lehrer
Odd, I am wondering why you think I have labeled you a nefarious conspirator. I can’t recall using your name in any communication I’ve ever written. But I do hope for your sake, you are not connected in anyway with this very real group.
Mayor Hamon
Sent from John Hamon
So you are weighing in on this and don't even know I listed on the redacted claim form? You gave an opinion without any knowledge of the claim form and made a public statement and had no idea it would reflect badly on innocent people? Frankly Mayor Hamon this is just shocking and shows if Lehrer, Gary (2)
F - Public Comment
City Council Special Meeting Agenda January 7, 2025
there is any conspiracy it is one to destroy the character and reputation of Chris Bausch, Karen Velie and others.The tape and the accusations over Angela's Pastry pales in comparison to insurance fraud, you know that and Ty Lewis knows it and that frankly is the reason that you and Lewis are going off on tangents. Mayor Hamon, I believe that makes you a party to an alleged insurance fraud as well. So what if me and a bunch of people were at Angela's Pastry. What does that even compare to what Ty Lewis has done in smearing innocent people and causing a huge embarrassment to the city of Paso Robles? And frankly I listened to the tape and was shocked that Ty Lewis was not focused on fixing the roads, the budget or any real problems but seemed concerned that Donna King was upset about something so she left for SLO. Good grief.
Look what Ty Lewis says here and makes allegations about Glenn O'Hagan that are not backed up by evidence, legal citations or court cases. I actually talked to someone who worked for Social Services and verified that rumors about a premium being put on white kids for adoption were circulating 20 years ago. You know I could have brought that up but didn't. As a matter of fact Pinder has me guilty of association with Velie and Bausch and if I tell you that neither of them asked me to spread rumors about sex parties or other behavior and would swear to that in a court of law then that shows you again THERE IS NO CONSPIRACY. If Pinder says I am so close to these two then he has to accept my sworn testimony regarding our relationship and the fact that if they did not ask me to do things like that then the likelihood of them asking anyone else is nil, and Pinder would have to agree.
From the redacted claim form:
Approximately 6yrs ago, the PRPD investigated O’Hagen for illegally taking possession of a newborn child. O’Hagen allegedly made a deal with a drug addicted pregnant woman to take possession of the woman’s child at birth and then raise it as his own. The PRPD investigated along with Child Welfare Services and eventually took protective custody of the infant. The infant was eventually placed into foster care and then adopted by a family. O’Hagen accused the investigators, former Chief of Police Robert Burton, the CWS social worker and me of conspiring to kidnap and deprive him of his child I was unsurprised by the allegations relayed by about O’Hagen. O’Hagen has made
similar allegations on social media and other places throughout the years. offered to
Lehrer, Gary (2)
F - Public Comment
City Council Special Meeting Agenda January 7, 2025
obtain a copy of the jump drive and provide it to me. They said they didn’t want me to be blindsided and felt it was the wrong what he planned to do.
Unsolicited, then expanded the conversation and told me there was an active effort by
Karen Velie (of CalCoast News and KPRL radio), Chris Bausch, Gary Lehrer, Linda George and others to ‘take me down.’ They also told me O’Hagen is an informant for Velie and works for her
regularly.
https://calcoastnews.com/2024/12/eye-on-ty-who-is-the-pot-dealer-backinglewis-conspiracy-claim/ Ernest Hall has a lengthy criminal history that includes nine arrests in San Luis Obispo County that may have impacted his ability to get a state license.
Ernest Hall’s charges include three for drunk driving, two driving on a suspended license, assault, battery and marijuana possession. He pleaded no contest to his latest charge, felony battery with serious bodily injury in 2017.
So these are the people you want to back you up? You are saying that O'Hagan makes wild accusations about conspiracies and now he is a credible source? The insurance company knows this, we all know this yet Mayor Hamon turned down my request via email to his personal account to end this farce. To me again this makes the Mayor an accessory to insurance fraud.
And this now includes Gina Fitzpatick and the Halls and anyone else who was responsible for enabling this fraud. Mr. Lewis, you knew that the Halls had a cannabis business, is counting on support from the city and you should have told them to contact the investigator and not speak to him directly.
Frankly we don't know, you could have made up this whole story. I find it interesting that Ernest Hall is liking my comments on social media that I am suspicious that he was used or coerced into doing your bidding. Since Mr.
Lewis is a big fan of social media I think he will find this interesting.
Let's work this out in a court or mediation. Clive Pinder and Ty Lewis say they want this aired out publicly. Great. Chris Bausch, Karen Velie, Linda George, Michael Rivera, myself and others can all testify that you, Pinder, Lewis and others allegedly conspired to destroy the reputations of innocent people to back up an allegedly fraudulent insurance claim. That's great.
That's exactly what I want. And this is not blackmail, extortion or anything of the kind Mr. Lewis, this is what you say you want, that the truth comes out.
I'm fully 100 per cent behind that. This is the logical conclusion of using people and get a payout and drag innocent people into it. If you want to talk Lehrer, Gary (2)
F - Public Comment
City Council Special Meeting Agenda January 7, 2025
about Angela's Pastry shop I am entitled to give my side of the story since you named me and others. Another point is that Ty Lewis should have seen this as an alleged attempted bribe, that the Halls would trade manufactured testimony in exchange for help with their cannabis business. Anyone who reads that redacted claim form can connect the dots who is also familiar with the Hall's business dealings.
Linda George has every right to sue the city and frankly I hope she wins. We have two choices. End this now, issue an apology and disavow Pinder's articles. Or drag this out and give a bunch of us a chance to contact the Joint Powers Insurance Agency and see if they are interested in what we have to say about our suspicions of insurance fraud and how Linda's claims are legitimate. I'm happy either way. Again, O'Hagan who you all say is not a reliable source is clearly the source for Ty's Claim. Pinder has no produced no evidence, communication of any kind that shows there was a connection with the Halls and the people slandered, smeared and falsely accused in the Chris Bausch Complaint_Redacted-c1.pd.
And Mayor Hamon you can be accused of violating PRA. My understanding is that you could have prevented claim form release in the public interest as it was close to an election and remember I have a recording of Clive Pinder saying on the Dave Congalton Show that it was intended to influence the election. I highly suggest that you consider that Linda George has a real shot at winning in a court of law and you should settle with her before it gets to that point.
Here is the code of ethics that you violated in that very opinion piece you published https://www.prcity.com/DocumentCenter/View/33001/Code-ofEthics-for-Local-Government-PDF
CONDUCT
Advisory Body and Commission Members are expected to exercise a duty of care in carrying out their
responsibilities, which includes devoting sufficient time to carefully review and fully understand the matters
that come before them.
Advisory Body and Commission Members shall act with civility towards all and shall refrain from abusive
conduct, personal charges, or verbal attacks upon the character or motives of others.
You also violated:
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Lehrer, Gary (2)
F - Public Comment
City Council Special Meeting Agenda January 7, 2025
Advisory Body and Commission Members shall not use their official positions to influence government
decisions in which they have a financial interest, or where they have an organizational responsibility or
personal relationship that would present a conflict of interest under applicable State law.
It is obvious that you favored re-election of Roden and Gregory and anything that hurt them would be seen as a benefit to the candidates that you supported.
I had an exchange with Pinder on ND that was deleted. Clive Pinder saying that O'Hagan cannot be a trusted source. I am saying that he has to be the person behind the Hall's testimony because they had zero involvement and must be reciting something either they made up to ingratiate themselves with Ty Lewis or got from O'Hagan. Either way you have dicey testimony from people with unusual backgrounds. I have asked Pinder for a detailed analysis of the redacted claim form and I can only surmise he is working with Ty Lews but won't admit it. Why else would he fail in five or six columns to mention any of the flaws?
So it's up to you. Go ahead and play this out to the logical conclusion which is not going to be good to the city, or issue an apology and disavow Pinder's columns, let people like Rivera and George put in claims against the city.
Again this is not extortion, blackmail etc. We are playing under the same rules but more honestly than Ty Lewis. We are not basing our positions on hearsay but on the non validity of the claim form itself. There were no meetings, no conspiracies, no one was told to get Ty Lewis, the people who provided the info for the Chris Bausch redacted pdf are highly questionable.
Ty Lewis himself by filing a claim form turned this into a completely public matter, this is no longer just a personnel matter and you owe it to us who were mentioned in the document to release the insurance investigation results. Please stop hiding behind closed sessions, don't hide claims that this is a purely personnel matter because it is not. Ty Lewis is claiming something, says he wants it aired out in public so let's accommodate him.
Sincerely,
Gary Lehrer
Lehrer, Gary (2)
F - Public Comment
City Council Special Meeting Agenda January 7, 2025