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Menlo cop caught with prostitute keeps job Case sheds light on confidential police disciplinary process.
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By Sandy Brundage Almanac Staff Writer
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earing a knock at the Motel 6 door, a prostitute wearing a black catsuit answered, $20 bills stashed in her cleavage. In the bathroom, Sunnyvale police officers found a veteran Menlo Park police detective wearing nothing. End of his career? Nope. Officer Jeffrey Vasquez, 48, returned to duty in the Menlo
Park Police Department late last year, following an internal affairs investigation triggered by the bust. He had also been charged with misdemeanor solicitation by the Santa Clara County District Attorney. What internal sanctions he faced remains unknown; the state’s confidentiality laws prevent discovery of penalties levied by his employer. The leak
Under California law, internal affairs investigations — even the fact that an investigation has occurred — are confidential
personnel matters. So are complaints of misconduct and police disciplinary records. But the investigation came to light anyway more than a year later. On Oct. 17, 2012, Menlo Park City Manager Alex McIntyre sat talking about city business with his predecessor, Glen Rojas, at a communal table near the bar at the Menlo Hub, a Menlo Park restaurant. Their conversation carried to an Almanac reporter sitting at the other end of the same table. Part of their discussion involved the city’s binding arbitration policy, invoked when a
police officer appeals a disciplinary penalty after failing to convince city management to reverse it. Apparently the city “lost royally” during arbitration, Mr. McIntyre said, forcing Menlo Park to reinstate the officer. The city manager said he told the council that paying the officer to leave instead of returning to work would be “a million dollar check.” He expressed frustration that some members of the City Council wanted to discuss the matter publicly despite regulations prohibiting disclosure. Without naming Officer
Vasquez, the city manager mentioned the officer’s length of service and gender. Only two current officers matched the description; a painstaking search of employment data, police logs and court records led the Almanac to a Santa Clara County Superior Court file that detailed the case against the officer. “You overheard a conversation between two colleagues,” Mr. McIntyre told the Almanac during an interview in January. He said he didn’t remember preContinued on page 10
Parcel tax vote likely for PV school district By Renee Batti
district board room. The school community was rocked last year by revelations oters are likely to be asked that then-superintendent and this spring to renew and chief finance officer Tim Hanboost the Portola Val- retty had embezzled more than ley School District’s parcel tax, $100,000 from the district, and which last year raised close to significantly misrepresented the $1 million for the two-school amount of money the district district. had at its disposal. After extenThe tax, approved by voters sive audits were performed and with the passage of Measure austerity measures put in place, C in 2004 and Measure D in the district closed the fiscal 2010, will expire in spring 2014. year ending June 30, 2012, with The district hopes a $31,000 deficit to place both meaand no money in sures on the ballot its reserve fund. in May for an eightBut the disThe district year renewal, and trict’s plan to ask raise the combined hopes to raise the voters to renew amount district resand possibly parcel tax by idents are assessed increase the par43 percent, to to a maximum of cel tax “has noth$656 — a 43 percent ing to do with $656 a year. increase. Tim Hanretty’s Currently, the actions,” school combined tax from board President both measures is Jocelyn Swisher $458 per parcel. Measure C said in an email to the Almanac. assesses $290 per parcel annu- “Through restitution (courtally; the assessment for Measure ordered at $181,750 to include D is $168 per parcel each year. attorney and auditor fees and That has added up to a robust other costs) and improvements supplement to the school dis- in process and oversight, we trict’s budget over the years, feel that those issues have been last year bringing in $987,296, addressed.” according to Sandra Lepley, the Instead, the parcel tax issue district’s interim chief business “relates to the long-term stabilofficial. ity of our school district,” she The school board will consider wrote. “We have two options: we adopting a resolution placing can renew and enhance stable the parcel tax measures on the local funding that we control; ballot on Wednesday, Feb. 6. or we can let these funds expire A public hearing on the mat- and hope for the best. “This ter will precede the vote. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the See PARCEL TAX, page 11
Almanac News Editor
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Photo by Howard Young
This tree along upper Alpine Road fell into Corte Madera Creek during a late December storm and, in falling, weakened the shoulder of the road. The situation is safe, officials say, but may cost $300,000 to repair.
December storm damages infrastructure By Dave Boyce Almanac Staff Writer
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he heavy rain over the Dec. 22 weekend inflicted infrastructure damage in Woodside and Portola Valley that could cost nearly $1 million to repair, officials said. There was damage in Woodside at two culverts and an equestrian crossing over Bear Gulch Creek, and in Portola Valley at the road shoulder on a short section of upper Alpine Road. Both towns have asked for disaster relief from the governor’s office through the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services. None of the damage affects vehicle traffic, officials said.
In Portola Valley, the damage to upper Alpine Road was to the road’s western shoulder along the bank of Corte Madera Creek. A tree fell over and took with it part of the shoulder, Town Manager Nick Pegueros said. The town geologist and public works director have inspected the site, and public works checks it regularly, Mr. Pegueros said. Repairs could reach $300,000. The town “will repair it at some point in the future, but it’s not a threat to life, safety or property,” he added. See STORM DAMAGE, page 11
January 16, 2013 N TheAlmanacOnline.com N The Almanac N 5