Suspended Fire Chief Files Claim Against City
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Suspended Pasadena Fire Chief Kaya Pekerol has filed a legal claim seeking unspecified damages against the city, alleging that City Manager Philip Hawkey and other officials conspired to discredit his job performance.
Hawkey, who has denied any wrongdoing toward Pekerol, has declined to divulge why Pekerol was suspended last month, saying it is a confidential personnel matter.
But in his Dec. 7 claim against the city, Pekerol said Hawkey told him he was being suspended with pay because he went to the City Council seeking a raise that Hawkey wouldn’t give him. Pekerol is supposed to report directly to Hawkey.
Filing a claim against a government entity is usually considered a prelude to a lawsuit.
Hawkey and Pekerol attended a hearing on the suspension Tuesday, but no action was taken, a city spokeswoman said.
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