Santa Barbara’s City Council voted to fire City Attorney Ariel Calonne during a special closed session meeting Tuesday, a decision made more than three months after Calonne was put on paid administrative leave.
Calonne, who was hired as city attorney in 2014, was placed on paid administrative leave in late July after an undisclosed incident with another attorney outside the office at City Hall.
The incident was reportedly heated and argumentative, and staff reported it to the Human Resources Department, Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina has previously reported.
Calonne did not comment when asked by Noozhawk on Tuesday afternoon.
Six council members voted unanimously to terminate Calonne’s employment, with Councilman Mike Jordan absent from the meeting.
The termination of employment goes into effect on Dec. 8, city spokeswoman Shelly Cone said in a statement Tuesday.
“There will be no interruption in operations at the City Attorney’s Office, which will continue to provide full services to the city of Santa Barbara,” according to Cone.
Assistant City Attorney Sarah Knecht has been the acting city attorney since Calonne was placed on leave.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.