West Covina, CA, Fire Chief Said he was 'Blindsided' by Firing

West Covina Fire Chief Vincent Capelle has been fired by the city, Capelle and a city official confirmed Wednesday, Nov. 27.

Capelle said that on Tuesday, Nov. 26, he was given a notice of separation pending an appeal hearing.

“I was blindsided and completely shocked,” Capelle said Wednesday evening.

Mayor Brian Calderon Tabatabai said he received an email from City Manager Paulina Morales on Tuesday, which said the chief had been placed on administrative leave. When Tabatabai spoke with Morales he was told Capelle had been given termination papers and that the city manager had lost trust in the chief.

“At this time there is no comment,” Morales said in an email Wednesday afternoon.

Tabatabai said Capelle had been a target of Mayor Pro Tem Tony Wu since an incident where Wu allegedly yelled at Capelle at a public event because State Sen. Josh Newman did not speak at a pinning ceremony.

“I was not surprised,” Tabatabai said Wednesday. “There’s a cruelty to this to do it the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.”

According to a Human Resources memorandum dated Aug. 9, 2022, Wu shouted at Capelle, “Don’t you ever (expletive) disrespect me again!”

Wu told this newspaper in 2023 that he was upset but denied shouting the statement.

Wu could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday night.

At the Tuesday, Nov. 19, City Council meeting, the council voted 3-1-1, with Letty Lopez-Viado abstaining and Tabatabai voting no, on a motion to decline a SAFER grant, which would have funded 15 firefighter positions for three years.

Morales said the city had a negative experience in the past when using SAFER grant funding and that after three years the city would be on the hook for paying the 15 new employees.

Capelle fielded questions from council members about the grant including Wu asking Capelle about why he applied for the grant without approval from the city manager’s office.

“That isn’t how city hall is run,” Tabatabai said Wednesday of Wu’s premise.

Capelle’s departure would leave the city with openings at the head of both public safety departments with Police Chief Richard Bell’s retirement date effective Dec. 27.

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