2 Accused of Spying Dropped From City Payroll

Two employees accused of spying on a police union meeting are no longer working for the city of Redondo Beach, officials said.

Auditor Crystal Alexander and General Services Officer Bill Bollinger were placed on leave in August while city officials evaluated their future employment with the city. City Atty. Jerry Goddard said that the two have used up their accrued vacation and sick time and are no longer employed by the city. Goddard said he could not comment on whether the two had been fired because it was a personnel matter.

The two employees, along with former information services Director Rick Garcia, were discovered watching a police union meeting in February in a nearby videotaping control room. The three denied that they were spying and said they were learning to use the equipment. Garcia was arrested in April on conflict-of-interest allegations unrelated to the alleged spying and was later fired.

The district attorney’s office investigated the matter and decided not to prosecute.