Claim cites a toxic work environment involving Councilman Chris Bausch, among others
PASO ROBLES — The City of Paso Robles has rejected a complaint by City Manager Ty Lewis that was filed just after his leave of absence in August. Within the complaint, Lewis sought over $2 million for personal injuries, with Councilman Chris Bausch as the primary city employee involved.
Paso Robles Press filed a public records request with the City of Paso Robles and received the claim and its rejection letter on Tuesday, Oct. 8. The claim, filed on Aug. 14 and received by the city clerk on Aug. 16, says Lewis, who is also the city’s former Chief of Police, states the date of injury occurring “Before and on May 7, 2024, and continuing” at “City Hall and in Paso Robles.” Lewis is requesting specifically $2.275 million for his reported injuries.
Paso Robles Press reached out to Paso Robles Mayor John Hamon for comment regarding the complaint, which the city rejected on Sept. 26, and he said, “The city has received the claim by Mr. Lewis and have rejected it. Mr. Lewis is currently out on a job-protected leave, and Mr. Huot is serving in the position as interim city manager until these issues can be resolved.”
During the Tuesday, Oct. 1, City Council meeting, Assistant City Manager Chris Huot was appointed as the interim city manager by the council. However, he was approved with a 4-0 vote, with Councilman Chris Bausch abstaining, saying he was advised to do so. Staff’s report noted that Huot has been performing the duties of city manager since Aug. 12, when Lewis took a leave of absence due to reported health reasons.
Huot told Paso Robles Press, “Our residents and visitors can rest assured that the city is operating without disruption. Our dedicated team is fully committed to providing essential services and ensuring the well-being of our community. I am proud of the remarkable dedication shown by our nearly 300 city staff members every day.”
An accompanying letter attached to the filed complaint from Lewis’s lawyer contained a summary of facts outlining several allegations about Bausch and other Paso Robles residents. The claim outlines that Lewis suffered continuing injuries under seven codes.
The following is pulled directly from the complaint:
- Violation of the Paso Robles Municipal Code: The CITY, by and through BAUSCH, violated the City’sMunicipal Code by conduct referenced in this Claim, including by refusing to deal with administrative matters and personnel matters only through the City Manager.
- Violation of the City’s Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation Prevention Policy: The CITY, by and through BAUSCH, has violated the CITY’s Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation Prevention Policy by, among other things, the conduct referenced in this Claim.
- Defamation and Damage to Reputation: The CITY, by and through BAUSCH, has repeatedly and with malice engaged in unprivileged conduct by which LEWIS has been illegally and untruthfully defamed, with substantial damage to LEWIS’s reputation, as referenced in this Claim.
- Intentional and Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress: The CITY, by and through BAUSCH, both intentionally and negligently inflicted severe emotional distress on LEWIS by conduct referenced in this Claim.
- Harassment Based on Sexual Orientation and Religion: The CITY, by and through BAUSCH, has harassed LEWIS on the basis of his perceived sexual orientation and his religion, as manifested by conduct referenced in this Claim.
- Hostile Work Environment: The CITY, by and through BAUSCH, has subjected LEWIS to, and continues to subject LEWIS to, an illegal, hostile and abusive work environment, as referenced in this Claim.
- Abusive Conducted, Including Bullying, as Defined in Government Code Section 12950.1: The CITY, by and through BAUSCH, subjected LEWIS to hostile, offensive and threatening conduct, including bullying, as manifested by conduct referred to in this Claim, that undermined his work performance.
Lewis’s summary of facts begins: “I experienced a vasovagal medical event on May 7, during a City Council meeting. I was subsequently transported via ambulance to Twin Cities Community Hospital for treatment. Initial evaluation by a hospital physician indicated I experienced a sudden drop in blood pressure and heart rate, rendering me nearly unconscious. I experienced head pain, chest tightness, nausea, and disorientation.
“My primary healthcare provider believes the incident was at least in part, if not fully, attributable to current and prior stressors experienced within the workplace.”
Lewis adds that leading up to the May 7 event, he had been experiencing sleep distress, severe anxiety, and gastrointestinal issues. Since then, he says he has been diagnosed with hypertension, leaving him unable to work. Lewis claims that Bausch has created a toxic work environment for him and others in the city.
Bausch, who represents District 2, was first appointed to the seat in August 2022 following the resignation of City Councilmember Maria Garcia. He left his position as a member of the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees to try out for the position on the City Council. While he was appointed to finish Garcia’s term, which ended in December of that year, Bausch ran in that November’s election for a full four-year term. Running unopposed, he won the District 2 spot, and his term ends in 2026.
Prior to serving as city manager, Lewis served as the City of Paso Robles’s chief of police. In 2021, Lewis was selectedto serve as the new city manager. He served as the chief of the Paso Robles Police Department since 2018 and was hired by the city on March 31, 2002, as a police officer, sergeant, and later a commander.
Contentions between Lewis and Bausch began during the May 7 City Council meeting, though notes of displeasure are said to have started even earlier.
According to Lewis’s complaint, during that meeting, Bausch made him uncomfortable: “I felt extremely intimidated and belittled by Mr. Bausch. He glared angrily at me continuously and made remarks to me and other Councilmembers about finally coming to the light. This habit of glaring at me and intimidating me has been noted and commented on by other Councilmembers. Every councilperson has commented on how Mr. Bausch has it out for me and that I should be careful. Mr. Bausch regularly glares at me for long uncomfortable periods of time at Council meetings. Just one example of his doing so was at a meeting on Feb. 20, 2024.”
Lewis even claims that Bausch helped Paso Robles resident Michael Rivera “manufacture and perpetuate a false criminal complaint against me.”
The criminal complaint Lewis refers to was reported by Rivera, who has run for Paso Robles City mayor in a past election against the late Mayor Steve Martin, and this November, he is running for City Council to represent District 3.
In November 2023, Rivera accused Lewis of slapping him on the shoulder and intimidating him during a Homeless Strategic Plan meeting. The incident was reported to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated the allegation. However, no charges were filed.
Paso Robles Press reached out to Rivera for comment regarding the allegation from Lewis.
“Mr. Lewis makes a bold accusation; I deny his fiction. If Mr. Lewis has evidence of his accusation, have him produce it,” said Rivera. “I spoke to Mr. Bausch about the incident after my complaint was filed and after Mr. Parish’s Statement to the investigators. If Mr. Lewis has evidence to the contrary, let him produce it now. I am sad and disappointed that Mr. Lewis would make this false allegation.”
Throughout the complaint, Lewis outlines several accusations Bausch made against him. In one of them, Lewis says on May 13, he met with Bausch during a recurring one-on-one meeting to brief him on council and community relatedmatters. “During this meeting he accused me of steering a Request for Proposals process involving applicants for the airport’s fixed based operator process to ‘a personal friend,’ the owner of Lloyd’s Aviation, all of which is untrue,” the compaint states. “He pressured me to not allow a Council ad hoc recommendation to move forward to Council. He accused me of unethical behavior for personal gain. This was highly distressing to me as I’ve learned of similar comments made in the media. It appears that Mr. Bausch is behind the untrue rumors circulating in the media about me and other matters.”
Lewis claims that Bausch has been spreading rumors to intentionally harm his reputation. According to Lewis, Bausch “intentionally and repeatedly leaked information from closed sessions to the media, particularly to Karen Velie of KPRL and CalCoast News.” He further alleges that this included a live discussion of a closed-session item from April 2024, which involved the reconsideration of the Council’s paid parking policy.
Lewis says in the claim that Bausch’s rumors have caused him “great mental anguish and distress.”
The distress, Lewis says, has also come from Bausch’s supporters, including District 1 City Council Candidate Linda George. Lewis claims that following his medical incident on May 7, George posted on social media that she wished Lewis had died from the incident.
The Tribune shared in a Oct. 8 article covering the complaint that on George’s personal Instagram account, a post made on May 8, 2024, she said in the caption that she wished Lewis was gone. A screenshot of the post that The Tribune tookon Oct. 7 shows the caption was edited 21 weeks ago. Paso Robles Press took a screenshot of the same post on Oct. 8 at 12:23 p.m. that says the caption was again edited 18 hours prior. As of 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 8, the May 8 post was deleted from George’s page altogether.
Lewis also claims that George has created multiple fake social media accounts accusing Lewis of illegal activities. One of which includes the page “#805Watchtower.” Lewis says “Watchtower” is a reference to him being raised as a Jehovah’s Witness.
Paso Robles Press reached out to George for comment. She referred us to an article published by CalCoastNews on Oct. 6, where George says Lewis’ accusations were “ludicrous.”
Lewis also says that Bausch made a comment to him about a rumor — which he alleges Bausch is the source of — that accuses the Paso Robles and Templeton Chamber of Commerce President/CEO of supporting the paid parking program because she and Lewis were having an affair.
Within the complaint, Lewis says that Bausch said the “two are in bed together.”
Lewis adds, “This rumor was publicly discussed on KPRL radio on March 27, 2024. This rumor is totally untrue and made up by Mr. Bausch for his personal purposes.”
Paso Robles Press reached out to the President/CEO of Paso Robles and Templeton Chamber of Commerce, who stated she is not available to comment at this time.
Paso Robles Press also reached out to Velie for comment, who stated, “I explain Lewis’s misinformed claim that Bausch shared information with CalCoastNews regarding the April 16 closed session meeting on CalCoastNews. As for Lewis’s allegations that Bausch discussed Lewis having an affair or taking bribes on KPRL, neither Bausch nor I made or repeated those alleged claims on KPRL. As there are taped copies of the shows, it will be easy to provide evidence of Lewis’s misstatements.”
Lewis goes further to say that Bausch confronted him, saying that he heard a rumor that he had gone to sex parties, but Bausch refused to say who told him the rumor.
In the complaint, Lewis states, “When I emphatically denied the accusation, he [Bausch] said something similar to,‘Are you sure there aren’t pictures of you at these parties? You with men and women? The rumor is there are pictures.’ Mr. Bausch harassed me by questioning my supposed sexual orientation and supposed sexual proclivities. He also bullied and tried to intimidate me by saying that my supposed sexual proclivities would negatively impact my employment were the public to learn of this information.”
Paso Robles Press reached out to Bausch for comment regarding the complaint. Due to being an ongoing personal matter, he declined the opportunity to comment.
Earlier this month, Lewis filed a Fictitious Business Name with the County of San Luis Obispo. Lewis told Paso Robles Press that the business — SLO-CAL Investigative Services — is him planning for the future. He said that he has been working on getting his private investigator license for a while and that it is a long process.
In regards to the complaint with the city, Lewis told Paso Robles Press, “I want the public to know that I am fully cooperating with the council majority on this matter. I’ve placed my community reputation and two decades of honorable service on the line because the community deserves government leaders free of illegal, immoral, and unethical conduct.”
Paso Robles Press asked Lewis if he plans to move forward with a lawsuit against the city. He said he plans to resolve the issue amicably with the council majority.
“There are good men and women working on the council and for the city. They are working hard to accomplish great things for this community,” said Lewis. “I respect those councilmembers and teammates immensely. I cannot say what my next steps will be at this point, it is too early to tell, but I am hoping for a transparent result that cures the situation.”
Paso Robles Press will continue to follow this story and provide updates as they become available.
Feature Image: Paso Robles City Manager Ty Lewis speaks at the funeral of Paso Robles Mayor Steve Martin earlier this year. Lewis filed a complaint against the city, claiming a toxic work environment involving City Councilmember Chris Bausch and others. Photo Courtesy of City of Paso Robles
