CHP to settle with former chief

The California Highway Patrol agreed Tuesday to pay a $995,000 settlement to a former chief who alleged he was retaliated against after he sought the top job in the agency and reported unfair practices to others. The settlement will go to former Chief Art Acevedo, whose 22-year career included a stint as second-in-command for operations in the L.A. area.

The CHP issued a statement saying the settlement is not an admission of fault.

“It does allow both parties to move forward and put the potential of protracted litigation and escalating costs behind them,” the statement said.

The CHP payment follows a decision by the state personnel board in January that found former CHP Commissioner Dwight “Spike” Helmick and others retaliated against Acevedo after the chief sought the commissioner’s job in 2004.

The state board found that Helmick and other command officers acted “to cause maximum stress, embarrassment and damage to complainant’s reputation.”