Dear Editors of the Bay Area News Group / East Bay Times:
I am writing to request that the East Bay Times retract the following libelous statements from the April 28, 2021, “Assessor Seeks $350,000 to Cover His Legal Fees in Misconduct Case”:
“Separate findings by a civil grand jury and a county-hired independent investigator that he had indeed harassed his employees led to a civil trial last year that would have seen Kramer removed from office.”
The Grand Jury did not make findings. It made allegations, which are different from findings in that findings are substantiated, allegations are not.
The county-hired independent investigator did not find that Gus Kramer had harassed employees. In fact, the Bay Area news group retracted a similar statement in October 2018 because this is simply not true. Reprinting this false statement with actual knowledge that it is false is malicious.
“Contra Costa County paid a $1 million settlement in 2009 to a former employee who alleged similar inappropriate behavior by Kramer.”
There was no $1 million settlement by the county with a former employee in 2009. The employee in fact received $275,000 settlement for which the County was responsible because of its personnel policies and $595,000 for attorney’s fees for which the County was also responsible. There was an additional $10,000 charge against Mr. Kramer, which the County paid for him.
-Gus Kramer