Investigation into alleged power abuse by Atwater city manager finds no wrongdoing
An independent investigation into abuse of power allegations made against Atwater’s city manager and police chief found that the top city officials did nothing wrong..
The investigation looked into accusations by Sandra Rahn, a former city employee and resident who previously rented a property from City Manager Lori Waterman.
Rahn filed a government claim in May alleging that Waterman and Police Chief Michael Salvador exploited their authority during a private tenancy dispute.
It remains to be seen whether the claim filed by Rahn will be a precursor to a lawsuit.
Generally, filing a government claim is a formal step in the process of suing a government. The claim allows the city to investigate the circumstances surrounding the claim before a potential lawsuit is filed.
Depending on the findings, the city can accept liability and settle or reject the claim and possibly go to court.
Atwater in February hired employment lawyer Jennifer Shaw, president of Shaw Law Group, to investigate Rahn’s allegations. Shaw conducted several interviews, including with Rahn, and reviewed relevant documents and evidence, according to a statement sent to the Sun-Star by Atwater Deputy City Manager Jeanna Del Real.
The completed investigation “did not substantiate Ms. Rahn’s concerns that Chief Salvador or Ms. Waterman abused or otherwise misused their respective offices in connection with Waterman and Rahn’s landlord-tenant dispute,” the statement said.
The city has yet to formally respond to the claim but is expected to within the next week or so, according to the statement.
What led to the allegations
Rahn’s accusations stem from a landlord-tenant disagreement with Waterman that led to the city’s top cop and other officers getting involved.
The conflict was spurred in November when Waterman sold the home and gave Rahn notice to move out.
Rahn said she complied, but didn’t want outside individuals entering the property while she was still a tenant.
The claim states that the COVID-19 pandemic and recent traumatic loss of a loved one led her to request that a real estate inspector refrain from entering the house for two weeks until she got her affairs in order and moved out.
Waterman denied this request and said the inspection had to take place on Nov. 18, according to Rahn. In videos of the incident obtained by the Sun-Star, Rahn was told by Salvador that the inspection was necessary for the home’s sale to move forward.
The recorded videos show emotional — and at times heated — discourse between Rahn and her family, Waterman, Salvador and another officer at the rental property.
It is unclear how the police chief and officer became aware of the disagreement and was called to the property. The Sun-Star filed a Public Records Act request with the City of Atwater with the intent of discovering this, but was told that no responsive records concerning the request were found.
Rahn and her attorney alleged that city police officers and the police chief never would have personally interfered if the property was owned by someone other than Atwater’s city manager.
Atwater’s attorney told the Sun-Star that Rahn’s telling of events mischaracterized what occurred.
The claim filed against the city cited violations of emotional distress, false imprisonment, assault and protections against unreasonable search and seizure under the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment and the California Constitution.
This story was originally published June 16, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
