By Robert Haugh
When the 49er Five fired former City Manager Deanna Santana weeks ago, former Police Chief Mike Sellers called in.
He wanted to let everyone know what he thought about Santana. It wasn’t nice.
Santana has been criticized for having a high salary. Recently Sellers and some other city employees have stepped forward to say she was a bad manager.
But Sellers did not disclose his high salary.
According to Transparent California, in Sellers’ final year, 2019, the Mission City paid him $767,530. Wow.
Because of his vacation pay out (“other pay”), Sellers made more than Santana in 2019. She was paid a total of $709,445.
In 2018, Sellers made a total of almost $527,000 with no vacation pay out. Santana made almost $684,000.
Sellers also did not disclose that he was considered the least popular police chief in Santa Clara history. On his watch in 2016, for the first time ever police officers voted that they had “no confidence” in a police chief.
As a Santa Clara police chief, Sellers did not have a good legacy. He was even publicly asked to resign by the Mercury News.
According to one police department source, “the entire building was laughing at the irony of Sellers’ comments” about Santana being unpopular with employees.
Councilmembers Raj Chahal and Karen Hardy voted to fire Santana a few weeks ago. They were on the City Council when Sellers got his huge 2019 salary. But Chahal and Hardy never publicly spoke out against it.
A participant in the press conference on Tuesday who criticized Councilman Kevin Park for likening Santana to a “dog,” sees a double standard.
“It’s pretty obvious that Chahal and Hardy are willing to look the other way for a white male police chief and not a Latina city manager,” said the community leader.
When talking about pension spiking don’t forget about R. Batra the interim city manager. his hands aren’t clean either.
Sellers does dirty work for Jed too.
Helped form the Citizens for Efficient
Government and Full Voting Rights PAC
with former Congressman Mike Honda
and PattyMahan, and funded by 49ers
owner Jed York in the 2020 election.They
used their hate of Lisa Gilmore to get 5
a$$ho!@$ elected to destroy Santa Clara.
Courtesy of Jed.
Sellers robbed Santa Clara blind with his pension spiking and vacation payout at retirement – $500K! And don’t forget the PD lawsuit payouts. This is just 5 years worth in his role as Chief —
–During the five years Sellers has served as police chief, 2012-2017, four cases have been settled for $8.7 million, including the two most recent and largest. That’s 470 times more than the Lodge-Kyle years.–
And then Jed’s team complains about the CVRA lawsuit? What a crock! In the case of Sellers, facts are factsl!
Sellers – hope you’re enjoying your $500K vacation.
Got to love Sellers,
To have the “Balls” to call our out our City Manager for being unpopular with employee’s is beyond laughable.
His own Police Force went public in 2016 with how much they respected him as a leader.
Bravery / Stupidity are close cousins.
That may explain why our 49er Five Council members think they are so intelligent. Compared to Mike Sellers, they all just look just that much smarter now. Well all but Kevin Park… category onto himself.
So Mike, here is a tip, relax.
You already found the “Golden Goose”. Santa Clara is paying you a ton every month.
You don’t need “Sugar Daddy’s” chump change…
You don’t need all this B.S.
Think for one second, what if your actions help to kill the “Golden Goose”?
Going forward, please consider that one thought before you do anymore damage to our City.
I mean this is so simple, even Kevin Park could figure this would be a bad move.
Yes….. even Kevin Park could figure this out, it does not get any simpler than that.
Burt Field
Bert,
Just leaving this here to remind folks what the Murky News said about Sellers in 2016.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/06/18/sellers-vs-nikolai-for-santa-clara-police-chief/