San Bernardino Council Weighs Response as Police Chief's Lawsuit Against the City and a Council Member Moves Forward
SAN BERNARDINO — San Bernardino is a city in San Bernardino County, California. A lawsuit filed by San Bernardino Police Chief Darren Goodman against the city and Council Member Kimberly Calvin Ortiz has become a focus at City Hall. The City Council has met in closed session to discuss how to defend against the suit or whether to seek a negotiated settlement; according to local reporting, Ortiz was excluded from the closed-session discussion of a case in which she is a defendant.
The dispute is directly tied to Ortiz's eavesdropping case: she was accused of recording a private meeting with Chief Goodman without his consent on August 29, 2024, and was convicted on September 10, 2026, after a 10-day trial. Sentencing was scheduled for October 14, and her defense has sought dismissal, arguing prosecutors failed to bring the remaining count within the required one-year period. Goodman's civil suit alleges the conduct amounted to malice, oppression or fraud and seeks punitive damages. City officials said they had not yet been formally served but had earlier rejected the precursor claim, making the lawsuit expected.
Local reporting on the filings also raised a further question for the council: whether the chief should be placed on administrative leave. The council's October 7 closed session was set to discuss defense and settlement posture, with that question in the mix. As of publication, the council has announced no public decision on the chief's status.
Neither the chief's counsel nor the city has publicly commented on the outcome of the closed-session deliberations. Whether the case moves toward settlement, litigation or a personnel decision remains to be seen. (GSM, based on San Bernardino County Sentinel reporting)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：San Bernardino 市政厅北立面（资料图）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，公有领域。Photo: North elevation of San Bernardino City Hall (file photo). Source: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
