Even if the legalities between Paso Robles and The Tribune are technically settled, tension still loomed in council chambers with Mayor John Hamon suggesting a recall of Councilmember Chris Bausch.
“Public officials are entrusted to act with integrity, good sense, and respect for the office they hold,” Hamon said at the Sept. 16 Paso Robles City Council meeting. “Instead, Mr. Bausch’s actions have brought nearly a half million dollars of taxpayer dollars to be diverted from crucial city services—funds that should have been invested in infrastructure, public safety, and community programs. Rather, they were paid out in legal fees including his own personal defense and settlements that could have been entirely avoided.”
While not on the meeting’s agenda, the topic came up for discussion after a resident asked for an update of the lawsuit, which was settled between the three entities—The Tribune, Paso Robles, and Bausch—on Sept. 8, City Attorney Elizabeth Hull said.
The lawsuit’s been in motion since March, when the McClatchy-owned newspaper filed a lawsuit alleging that both the city and Bausch violated the state Public Records Act (PRA) by not turning over requested documents as it attempted to uncover the truth about what happened between Bausch and former City Manager Ty Lewis.
In California, the PRA gives every person the legal right to receive the available public records within a reasonable timeframe, but according to court documents, The Tribune did not believe that Bausch had complied with its 19 requests.
Bausch then sued the city and The Tribune, claiming he wasn’t given adequate time or resources to respond.
Hull explained at the Sept. 16 meeting that the court eventually ordered Bausch to release all PRAs that fell under The Tribune’s request, even if they were on his personal devices. He eventually turned over more than 900 emails and 3,500 text messages, according to The Tribune’s reporting.
As part of the lawsuit settlements, the three parties agreed that Paso Robles would pay $250,000 of The Tribune’s legal fees and $27,000 for Bausch’s, Hull said.
On Sept. 16, Bausch said that he never broke the law and had only waited to turn over any records at the advice of his own counsel.
“I was well within my rights to take several months to turn over 700 searches, some of those researches yielded hundreds of potential records,” he said at the meeting.
But Mayor Hamon saw things differently.
“Leadership requires accountability, and it is unacceptable for elected officials to engage in conduct that exposes the city to repeated legal challenges,” he said. “Every dollar spent on litigation is a dollar taken away from residents that depend on their government to manage precious tax revenue responsibly. These lawsuits have not only harmed Paso Robles citizens financially, but, in my opinion, have eroded the public’s trust in local government.”
Hamon said that the council could approach the issue in multiple ways. They could vote to remove Bausch from any city-related external committees, they could publicly express disapproval, or they could leave it up to voters in a recall, which he said would be the most effective option.
“I have known [Bausch] for over 30 years, but what he has done to the city over these many months has been disrespectful, shameful, and dishonorable not only to our citizens, but also to our employees of the city and to our fellow City Council members,” Hamon said.
Bausch responded by blaming Hamon for hiring the former city manager who started the conflict in the first place.
“Take responsibility, John. Own it. It’s OK; we can move past this, but only when you take responsibility. I didn’t ask for any of this,” he said.
As only a discussion at the Sept. 16 meeting, the council took no action that night.
City Manager Chris Huot told New Times via email that the city had no comment.
This article appears in Autumn Arts Annual 2025.