Photo: Getty Images
Former Sacramento Fire Chief Gary Loesch suing the city of Sacramento for $10 million.
The Former Sacramento Fire Chief filed a claim Tuesday against the city as he's preparing to sue over his termination, alleging officials exposed him to COVID-19 deliberately after he appealed a disciplinary pay cut - he is reportedly seeking $10 million in damages. Loesch was fire from his position last week by City Manager Howard Chan, a position he has held since 2018, over claims that the former chief was involved in disciplinary incidents. A complaint filed against Loesch by a former employee made several claims of discrimination and harassment based on age, race and gender, as well as detailed workplace retaliation, including whistleblower retaliation, and allegations that detailed a Halloween party in 2019 where Loesch dressed like a Black pimp and asked female employees to dress and act like prostitutes.
Loesch has since challenged the decision in administrative court. “Before the hearing, the city manager told Chief Loesch the evidence was against him and he should just ‘take his lumps and let’s move on,’” the claim said. “During the hearing, the city manager admitted, ‘the fact that we’re here today is very distasteful to me ... it is very, very frustrating for me to be here today.’”
Loesch was formerly a member of the city’s executive team, considering him an at-will employee who could be terminated at the city manager’s discretion. Loesch asserts that after he was fired N-95 masks were provided to his department, the claim said. Loesch has been a firefighter for 36 years, and is one of only 160 people in the country to have graduated from the Fire Service Executive Development Institute.
The city declined comment on the claim because the city does not comment on personnel matters, city spokesman Tim Swanson said in an email.