Residents in Arvin are questioning city leadership after former Police Chief Alex Ghazalpour's contract was not renewed after nearly 15 years with the department.
A group of community members gathered at City Hall Monday morning, chanting "Bring back the Chief" as they attempted to meet with City Manager Jeff Jones regarding the decision not to renew Ghazalpour's contract.
"I understand contracts and I understand at-will employees, it's the way that it was done," said Alicia Ojeda, a community member.
Ghazalpour, who had been with the department for almost 15 years, told me he was caught off guard by the decision. He said he and Jones had previously discussed extending his contract.
"In my heart of hearts and in my mind of minds, this was going to go through at the next council meeting sometime in August and I was ready for it," said Ghazalpour.
Instead, Ghazalpour received an email from Jones notifying him that the city was opting for a change of direction.
"I've always had an open dialogue with him about what's going on, when it's going on, and how it's going on, so it was kind of a gut punch to find out that way," said Ghazalpour.
Community members and Vice Mayor Susana Reyes are now demanding an explanation for the sudden change.
"They want to go in another direction, supposedly, by what they told him. As you can see in the Grand Jury Report, that was the only positive thing on there—the police department—and going in another direction, they're going forward now, what direction do they want to go in backwards?" said Ramon Gracia, a community member.
Some residents allege the decision was influenced by Mayor Olivia Calderon.
"The council members didn't vote on this. This was between Olivia and Jeff Jones, the city manager and the mayor," said James McNeill, a community member.
While councilmen Donny Horton and Jaime Perez declined to comment, Vice Mayor Reyes expressed shock at the decision. In an email to Jones that Reyes shared with me, she wrote: "I am writing to express my deeply disappointment and concern regarding your recent decision not to renew the Chief go police contract. This decision feels abrupt and unjustified, particularly given how many times you have stated he was doing a great job with the police department."
Reyes continued, "Adding to my disappointment is the fact that I did not receive a courtesy call or email; I found out through a resident."
Jones declined to comment when I attempted to speak with him.
Ghazalpour's final day with the department was Friday. He hopes the community continues to support the police department, now led by former Acting Police Chief Joseph Huggett.
"The same attention I was given, in regards to rallying behind me with the changes that have been affected and the things that have been done, I'd like you to rally around him to continue to build upon those legacies that are left behind," said Ghazalpour.
I reached out to Mayor Calderon for comment, but did not receive a response by publication time.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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