California places police chief on leave
CALIFORNIA – California Borough council Thursday voted to place acting police chief Tracy Vitale on paid administrative leave until a question regarding her citizenship has been resolved. An investigation into Vitale’s citizenship was begun earlier this summer by the Pennsylvania Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission following a complaint filed with the certification organization in July.
“I can confirm that the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission is conducting a review of the qualifications of Chief Hudak-Vitale. However, no other information is available on that review at this time,” commission spokesman Jack Lewis stated in an e-mail to the Herald-Standard at the end of July.
“This matter is still under investigation and state police is awaiting information from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services as part of that investigation,”stated Jack Lewis pf the training commission in a Sept. 1 e-mail to the Herald-Standard.
All Pennsylvania police officers are required to be citizens of the United States. Councilman Jon Bittner made the motion to place Vitale on paid administrative leave.
“I’m not saying she isn’t a citizen, I just want to protect the borough of California.
Councilman Gerald “Galvie” Gardner said he was opposed to paying an employee to stay home and he suggested that Vitale be placed on administrative duty, with orders not to leave the office, but that was not considered in the motion.
Councilmen Patsy Alfano, Jon Bittner and Anthony Mariscotti voted in favor of the paid administrative leave, with council members Gardner and Sheila Chambers voting against it. Councilwomen Shelly Roberts and Donna Bridges did not return from an executive session on the matter and did not vote on the issue.
The issue will be reviewed again in 30 days.
Council also voted to hire Kristie Orbin as a full-time parking enforcement officer under the police contract. Orbin has been working as a part-time officer in the borough. It was estimated that the position would pay for itself in fines collected for illegal parking.
“They are parking every way they can. We need enforcement and we need it now,” said councilman Jon Bittner.
It was reported that rental property inspections have shown some properties with code violations and others that are operating improperly as rooming houses in single-family residential areas.
“We have a couple of serious problem landlords who have a substantial number of units who have not provided a timely response,” said Councilman Patsy Alfano.
Alfano said the issues are being taken to the magisterial district judge’s office and the borough may need to evict 30 to 35 tenants, primarily California University of Pennsylvania students.
Norm Hasbrouck, the special assistant to the university president, was at the meeting and said the possibility of evictions due to code problems had been considered by the university.
Hasbrouck said there are approximately a dozen spaces available in university-owned housing and Barry Niccolai, the dean for residence and off-campus student life, has compiled a list of available off-campus housing.
Council also approved an agreement that provides the borough with a perpetual easement for a pump station on the old Harris farm property owned by the Student Association Inc. at California University of Pennsylvania in exchange for a perpetual lease of property on Third Street needed by the university for completion of its new ring road around the main campus.
Councilman Patsy Alfano said York Realty appraised the two properties and appraised the borough property at $11,250 and the old Harris farm property at $15,750.
Alfano said the university has waived any exchange of money in the deal and will cover the cost of the appraisal and legal fees to complete the agreement.
It was also reported that a section of Sixth Street between Hickory and Gallagher will be closed for the next eight weeks because of the Loop Road project.
Councilalso voted unanimously to sell a 3.47 acre parcel of land on Meadow Street to Jeff Maund and Eric Pagac for $24,001. The land was previously appraised at $20,000.