The mayor and City Council members make policy. We don’t micromanage the City; the city manager does that. But we don’t like surprises, and the public expects us to at least know what’s going on at City Hall.

On Friday, October 8, 2021, at 8:54 PM, City Manager Laura Snideman emailed City Council members:

Please know that Police Chief French is unexpectedly taking personal leave to address a distressing family situation.  I’m grateful to Acting Chief Tirona who has graciously agreed to step up and will lead the department for an undetermined period of time, minimally through the end of October. 

She asked us not to share her email, and I respected that. I didn’t really think much about her message. These things happen all the time. Chief French recently took a week off to visit her son who recently started law school at Harvard. Even City Manager Snideman took a month off last year to deal with some medical issues involving her mother.

Imagine my surprise when an ABC7 news reporter called me shortly after 5:00 PM yesterday evening and asked me to confirm that Chief French had been placed on administrative leave for “threatening someone.” People think it’s part of my job as mayor to know what is going on at City Hall, but I was embarrassed to tell them I knew nothing about it.

At 9:43 PM last night, October 13, 2021, after the details were splashed all over multiple media, City Manager Laura Snideman sent City Council members the following vague and cryptic email:

As follow-up to last week’s communication to you (included below), as often happens with public leaders, the press is now reporting on an increasingly difficult family situation that Chief French is experiencing.  As alluded to below, the city is also addressing any personnel-related matters as we would with any of our staff members. I will respond to press inquiries with the following statement:

The City of Richmond can confirm it has placed its Chief of Police on paid administrative leave because of an unfolding family situation. It’s imperative that we let the investigations play out without distraction and in accordance with established protocols that assure an objective assessment of the facts.  Out of respect for Chief French and her family and a desire to protect their privacy, we will not be making any additional comments until all investigations are concluded. Meanwhile, Acting Chief Louie Tirona will lead the department. He may be reached at ltirona@richmondpd.net or 510-620-6651.

You are welcome to reference the above statement and may wish to refer questions you may receive to the City Manager’s office.

It is not unusual that City Council members are the last to find out anything, and even then, they are kept in the dark about any details. This is far from the first time that I have had to plead ignorance when the press contacted me about some unfolding news event involving the City of Richmond. The level of secrecy at City Hall has been frustrating for me for some time.

There is a world of difference between “taking personal leave” and being “placed on administrative leave,” but the city manager did not bother to tell City Council members until long after the administrative leave action had been taken and the media made it common knowledge throughout the Bay Area. In my opinion, this is a huge lapse of judgment and a lack of respect for the mayor and City Council members.

In any event, it is a very sad tragedy for the French family, and they deserve our compassion, our prayers and our support as they work through this to, hopefully, a positive outcome.