Pomona Eyes Azusa Chief Again

POMONA —  City Council members have renewed their interest in hiring Azusa Police Chief Lloyd Wood, even though he withdrew from consideration for the chief’s job in Pomona two months ago.

City Administrator Julio Fuentes said he told Wood last week about the council’s interest in hiring him, but Wood has not yet agreed to take the job. Wood could not be reached for comment.

Wood withdrew his name from consideration in early March after lengthy negotiations over a three-year employment agreement, saying it had become clear that he could not get the council’s full support.

Councilman C. L. (Clay) Bryant said he is still opposed to hiring Wood under a long-term agreement. Bryant said the “market is flooded with people” who are qualified to be police chief and would take the job without the added security of an employment contract.

But Councilwoman Nell Soto said the city should give three-year contracts not only to Wood but also to Fire Chief Tom Fee and Fuentes. “I think it would bring about stability,” she said.

The city has been unable to fill the police chief’s position on a permanent basis since Chief Richard Tefank was fired last September.

Fuentes, who was hired late last year, has been severely criticized by Bryant. Mayor Donna Smith, who supports Fuentes, said the council was on the verge of firing Fuentes six weeks ago.

Soto said rumors have made it difficult for Fuentes to concentrate on his job. With a three-year agreement, Soto said, “Julio would have peace of mind.”

Smith said Pomona will have to offer a long-term contract to attract a qualified police chief because the city has had so much political turmoil.

But Bryant said that if an employee performs well, “nobody is going to threaten his job.” The notion that an employee needs a three-year commitment, he said, “is a bunch of garbage.”

Under the agreement with Wood the council was considering earlier this year, Wood would have been paid $82,932 annually for three years unless he was fired for a felony conviction, physical or mental incapacity, or incompetence.