Sacramento paid police watchdog director $270k after ‘horrible treatment’ allegations
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- City paid about $271,000 to former OPSA director and halted personnel probes.
- Watson emailed council weeks earlier alleging exclusion and inequity.
- City cited personnel policy, named interim director and opened a replacement search.
The city of Sacramento agreed to pay its former police watchdog director $270,000 to leave her job and halted personnel investigations involving her, just weeks after she raised concerns about “absurd” treatment by city leadership.
The agreement and complaints shed new light on LaTesha Watson’s abrupt exit as the director for the Office of Public Safety and Accountability — the oversight body that investigates community complaints against the Police and Fire Department. City officials and Watson have not publicly explained her departure, though they finalized a settlement agreement in October that paid Watson about $271,000 in exchange for her resignation.
Under the deal, the city also agreed to immediately stop personnel investigations involving Watson before an investigative report could be finalized. The city has not disclosed what allegations, if any, were under review.
While the exact reason for Watson’s departure remains unclear, partially redacted emails obtained by The Sacramento Bee detail that she raised concerns with city leaders only weeks earlier. The OPSA director operates at the same level as the city manager and other top level positions, per the city’s organizational chart.
On Sept. 4, Watson emailed Interim City Manager Leyne Milstein expressing frustration that she and another Black female city leader had been excluded from an upcoming City Council workshop. The workshop, held on Sept. 29, included the full council, positions that directly report to the elected body and some assistant city managers.
“I want to be very clear — this is quite disrespectful, and it is not the first time,” wrote Watson, who had led OSPA since 2020. “Actions speak louder than words.”
Watson later referenced a “reset meeting” in January in which she said Milstein “advised a multitude of things,” yet actions have “shown the complete opposite.” She described her exclusion as particularly “alarming” because Milstein is part of the city’s Racial Equity Committee but engages in actions that are not “equitable and discriminatory.”
“We must learn to do better,” Watson added. “This treatment is absurd and uncalled for. My position in accountability does not warrant such horrible treatment.”
Milstein responded the next day, writing that the charter officers invited to the workshop were shared with several council members and that she did not receive feedback “reflecting other direct reports to be included.” Milstein added she had inquired with Mayor Kevin McCarty, Mayor Pro Tem Eric Guerra and Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes about whether to include additional staff.
Watson emailed the entire council that same day, calling Milstein’s response “unbelievable” and reiterating that an invitation was warranted given her role as a direct council report. She also mentioned the city’s “pre-textual stop audit,” likely referring to a 2023 review that found several cases in which Sacramento police officers conducted unreasonable searches and seizures. Earlier this year, The Bee’s Opinion team reported “ire” between Watson and Police Chief Kathy Lester and a struggle for OPSA to do its job properly.
“The level of pettiness has tripled since Leyne and Kathy received notice of the pre-textual stop audit,” Watson wrote to the council on Sept. 5. “The actions seem to be on rinse and repeat because this type of behavior occurred when the improper search and seizure audit was being conducted.”
Watson ended the email by asking the council to address this issue and saying she had previously requested “additional cover and increased support” for her job, knowing that “internal stakeholders do not want these things evaluated.”
“I am disappointed as well as exhausted with this type of behavior,” Watson wrote.
Watson did not attend the Sept. 29 workshop and has not responded to multiple requests for comment from The Bee since her departure.
At the workshop, Councilmember Mai Vang called Watson’s exclusion “problematic” during a discussion of the city’s budget goals.
The entire council, including Vang, has previously either not responded to questions about Watson’s exit or declined to comment. McCarty, through a spokesperson, reiterated the departure as a personnel matter on Tuesday afternoon.
“No council member can comment otherwise we open ourselves and the city to personal liability,” Councilmember Lisa Kaplan told The Bee in October.
City spokesperson Jennifer Singer did not to respond to questions about the settlement agreement, citing the city’s policy on personnel matters. She pointed to a provision in the agreement stating both parties would say the payment and agreement were “negotiated to the mutual satisfaction of the parties” if asked.
In response to a public records act request for any complaints, grievances or allegations filed by Watson in the last 12 months, the city provided the September email exchange and said all other responsive records are exempt under attorney-client privilege and the catch-all exemption. The catch-all exemption is a broad provision used by government agencies provided they prove the public interest in withholding clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure. The city said such an exemption applied because “the complaint was withdrawn before an investigation took place.”
Watson was appointed to lead OSPA in June 2020 after decades of experience as a sworn officer and police chief. Before arriving in the capital region, Watson was the first Black woman to be the Henderson, Nevada police chief.
She was fired from that position in part for creating division between management and unions and being uncooperative with an independent investigator, according to previous reporting from The Las Vegas Review Journal. Watson denied the allegations and filed a lawsuit against the city claiming racial discrimination, defamation and libel.
Earlier this year, according to KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, a federal judge ruled against Watson. She has been one of five police chiefs for Henderson since 2017.
Jody Johnson, previously assistant director for OPSA, was named the interim director last month. The city is searching for a permanent replacement.
The city created OSPA in 1999 to monitor the investigation of community complaints against the Sacramento Police Department. In 2004, the office’s responsibilities were extended to include the Sacramento Fire Department.
