Costa Mesa police chief will quit in protest of budget cuts
Costa Mesa's interim Police Chief Steve Staveley said Monday he will resign from the Police Department at noon Tuesday.
DOCUMENT: Costa Mesa police chief resignation letter
Staveley said he is unhappy with what he calls "a foolhardy" proposal by the City Council to reduce police staffing levels. Council members on Tuesday will consider thinning the ranks to help grapple with budget problems.
"There's a point in time where I reached an ethical dilemma — stay and take their money and be quiet about the foolish council decision-making — or reject their money and call them on it," he told the Daily Pilot.
Staveley, a retired veteran police officer, began the interim post March 16. He has served in the Costa Mesa Police Department before.
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-- John Canalis, Times Community News
Photo: Costa Mesa police chief Steve Staveley. Credit: Tracy Lee Silveria / Los Angeles Times
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