by John Glidden | June 30, 2021
VALLEJO – The Greg Nyhoff era in Vallejo is over.
The Vallejo City Council will meet during a special meeting Thursday to approve a $577,536 resignation and separation agreement between the city of Vallejo and Nyhoff.
The payment is the remaining balance owed to Nyhoff under his employment agreement with the city, which was scheduled to end in January 2023.
“It’s something we had to address,” said Vallejo Mayor Robert McConnell when reached for comment about Nyhoff.
McConnell said he doesn’t expect city hall to be impact as the council continues to address issues within the city, including reforming the Vallejo Police Department.
Nyhoff has been away from city hall for nearly a month with an undisclosed medical illness.
Reaction to the news was swift as civil rights lawyer Melissa Nold expressed her pleasure with Nyhoff’s upcoming departure from Vallejo.
“I’m going to have a champagne toast and dessert potluck to celebrate,” said Nold, who has been a staunch critic of Nyhoff.
“I’m glad he is leaving,” she added, “but I’m flabbergasted that he gets to walk away with money.”
Nold called the settlement amount “bad lawyering” on the part of Vallejo City Attorney Veronica Nebb.
His disappearance raised eyebrows as it came shortly before the city council was expected to sign off on Nyhoff’s recommended 2021-22 fiscal year budget. It also took place days after the city’s housing manager, Judy Shepard-Hall, was placed on paid administrative leave.
Prior to her placement on leave, Shepard-Hall filed a complaint against Nyhoff with the city’s human resources department.
City Hall has declined to speak about the Shepard-Hall’s complaint and/or placement on leave, claiming it is a personnel issue.
Earlier this week, U-Haul vehicles were seen outside Nyhoff’s Mare Island home. It’s not known if he has moved to another part of the city or out of Vallejo altogether.
A bulk of the payment, $408,542, will be equal to the amount of salary Nyhoff would receive through the end of the employment agreement. He will also receive $67,382 for 528 hours of unused vacation, $36,768 that would have been paid to his CalPERS, $3,000 in an automobile allowance, and $23,100 for a housing allowance, along with his medical insurance.
Settlement terms also require Nyhoff to cooperate with the city regarding the multiple active lawsuits he has been named in during his time in Vallejo. Nyhoff will also be paid $128 per hour.
“In addition, Nyhoff agrees to execute declarations of fact under penalty of perjury concurrently with the execution by Nyhoff of this Agreement and before he receives any payment hereunder,” the agreement states. “The Declarations shall be prepared by the City’s attorneys, in cooperation with Nyhoff. The Declarations shall contain a recitation of facts in each case identified below and as currently known to Nyhoff.
Those cases include a whistleblower lawsuit filed by three former high-ranking city hall employees. Nyhoff fired Will Morat, Slater Matzke, and Joanna Altman in April 2020, sending shockwaves throughout the city organization.
All three filed wrongful termination claims against the city last October. The claims, including Morat’s August claim – were denied by the city. Nyhoff, then-interim City Attorney Randy Risner, Assistant City Manager Anne Cardwell, and former Human Resources Director Heather Ruiz were then named in a lawsuit the trio filed with the Solano County Superior Court on Feb. 9.
“It is a shame that the Vallejo taxpayers will carry yet another burden with Vallejo City Council’s decision to reward Nyhoff’s exploitation of power with $577,000 in public dollars, and even rewarding his corruption by agreeing to pay Nyhoff an hourly rate for his time required by courts in the future as the City continues to deal with the numerous lawsuits that he has caused,” said Matzke in a statement released by Gwilliam Ivary Chiosso Cavalli & Brewer, the law firm representing all three fired employees.
Other cases include two sepreate lawsuits filed by the Vallejo Police Officers’ Association, and a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by former Vallejo Police Capt. John Whitney.
Whitney, who was fired by the department in August 2019, claims he was retaliated against for raising concerns about officers bending the tips of their badges after killing someone.
Cardwell is expected to remain as acting city manager for the time being.
The special Vallejo City Council meeting will begin at 6 p.m.
Members of the public may provide public comments during the meeting via ZOOM (https://ZoomRegular.Cityofvallejo.net), or via phone, by dialing (669) 9006833.
To view the meeting, watch Vallejo local channel 28; stream from the city website: http://www.cityofvallejo.net/Streaming; or join the Zoom at https://ZoomRegular.Cityofvallejo.net.
JohnGlidden.com is an independent news blog covering the cities of Vallejo and Benicia. If you appreciate the journalism on this site, please consider making a contribution.
JohnGlidden.com 
He’s going to make a mint off the City with these extras.
Further, except for preparation and execution of declarations as provided hereafter, the City shall pay Nyhoff at the rate of One Hundred Twenty Eight ($128.00) per hour for each hour of Cooperation. In addition, Nyhoff agrees to execute declarations of fact under penalty of perjury (the “Declarations”) concurrently with the execution by Nyhoff of this Agreement and before he receives any payment hereunder. The Declarations shall be prepared by the City’s attorneys, in cooperation with Nyhoff. The Declarations shall contain a recitation of facts in each case identified below and as currently known to Nyhoff. The Declarations shall be prepared in the following cases:
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What a rip off!! Again I told the city council the night they hired this dude that his last job in Oxnard did not renew his contract in essence fired him! Why in God’s name would we hire a reject from another city.?? We just keep getting rip off by hiring theses incompetent people. We need a strong mayor form of government in Vallejo change the city charter to have a full time council and strong mayor and pay them a decent salary. Maybe we would be able to get a strong progressive council and Mayor and Vallejo could come out of the dark ages..(((SMDH)))
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Totally Outrageous
That we reward criminals
Police can murder
City Manager can fire City Staff
Dedicated and Morally Grounded Individuals working and looking out for the
Greater Good of Our Community
Rather than Developer Driven Terms
Despite the Disdain Nyhoff has shown
For the Citizenry of Vallejo thru his backroom
Deals and Control antics
He controlled the Narratve to the End
Phoned in his Last Edicts
For his Lush Red Carpet Exit
Hugging His Slush funds Gifts Graft
On the Last Steps out the Door
Meanwhile
I remind us what about the travesty he brought to this Communiy
Purported structurally balanced budget because
There are 57 vacant positions
Lawless still employed murderers on the force
Many police lawsuits
And wrongfully terminated employees because
Unlike a number of Council
They had backbones and Moral Grounding
They objected to what was Wrong
They told truth to power
They took most seriously their position
As Both True Public Servants and as Vallejo Citizens
Remember Will Morat and Slater Matzke
When you consider real worth and their
Wrongful termination in comparison to what you just gave and will be giving to the entity nyhoff
Incomprehensible
Reprehensible
The prior council was rushed to two decisions by Nyhoff in December after the electorate had just chosen two new council members that finally were representing citizens rather than special interests
One was tearing up the term sheet as directed by
Southern Land Company
And of course the Ill conceived and Idiotic placement of Police Headquarters on Our Waterfront
Change course on these and everything else he put his greasy palms on
Start being Accountable
or
We will Exit you out of office
With Recalls
Rjb
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Maybe they should build the city employees there own jail with the money dirty crooks
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