Filed 11/25/15 Krause v. City of Westminster CA4/3

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS

California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for 

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or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115. 

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION THREE

PETER KRAUSE,

 Plaintiff and Appellant,

v.

CITY OF WESTMINSTER,

 Defendant and Respondent.

 G050513

 (Super. Ct. No. 30-2013-00646815)

 O P I N I O N

Appeal from a judgment of the Superior Court of Orange County, 

Geoffrey T. Glass, Judge. Affirmed.

Law Offices of Robin L. Sergi and Robin L. Sergi for Plaintiff and 

Appellant.

Jones & Mayer, James Touchstone and Denise Rocawich for Defendant 

and Respondent.

* * *
2

INTRODUCTION

The City of Westminster (the City) fired Police Officer Peter Krause after 

an internal affairs investigation revealed he had violated portions of the Westminster 

Police Department’s policy manual (the manual) for his participation in an off-duty brawl 

in a restaurant parking lot. The trial court denied Krause’s petition for a writ of mandate 

(the petition). Substantial evidence supported the court’s findings and decision, and 

Krause failed to show his right to due process was violated. Accordingly, we affirm the 

order denying the petition and the judgment thereon.

FACTS

Consistent with the applicable substantial evidence standard of review, we 

recount the facts in the record in the light most favorable to the judgment. 

Krause was employed by the City as a police officer. After a night out 

celebrating his birthday, during the early morning hours of July 17, 2009, Krause was 

part of a group of 15 to 20 people in a Denny’s restaurant. Krause was intoxicated, 

having had several alcoholic drinks at a bar before arriving at the restaurant. 

Around 2:30 a.m. to 3:00 a.m., while Krause’s group was sitting inside the 

restaurant, a group that included four women, Caylee Hill, Lisa Alexander, Michelle 

Ayache, and Belinda Avila, and two men, Brian Balga and Travis Lilley (collectively, the 

Hill group) walked into the restaurant. Hill, Alexander, Ayache, and Balga worked 

together. Members of Krause’s group whistled and made flirtatious comments directed 

to the women in the Hill group and particularly to Hill. She was asked whether Balga 

was her boyfriend. Krause told Hill, “[o]h ma’am, I’m cuter than this guy.” Members of 

Krause’s group made comments to the women in the Hill group to the effect that they 

“should come party with them” and “hang out with real men.” 

The Hill group and eight members of Krause’s group, which included 

Krause, left the restaurant about the same time; six other members of Krause’s group 
3

remained inside. While Krause exchanged phone numbers with Alexander and was 

talking to her and Ayache in the parking lot, other members of Krause’s group insulted

Balga as he and Hill stood by his car. They called Balga “a faggot and all of these 

names” and told Hill that she and the other women in the Hill group “should party with 

them, and come hang out with them.” Around that time, a group of about five or six of 

Hill’s brother’s friends arrived and was seated inside the restaurant. 

Balga “finally got to the point that [he] couldn’t take it any more” and took 

off his jacket in a manner which, he explained, was “like in a show of . . . ‘Get out of the 

car and let me kick your ass real quick.’” Balga’s gesture was met with eight men of 

Krause’s group, including Krause, getting out of their respective vehicles and moving 

toward Balga. 

Krause, along with the seven others, started surrounding Balga. Krause 

advanced on Balga in a manner that Balga described as though he were considering “a 

good way to like get a good punch in.” Balga backed up to the restaurant’s door, turned, 

ran inside, and told the servers to call the police because “[t]here are eight guys about to 

attack me.” Balga ran into the kitchen, grabbed a large butcher knife, and waited to 

defend himself. 

In the parking lot, Avila approached Krause, yelling at him; she had her 

hands “up.” Krause grabbed Avila and pushed her, causing her to stumble back several 

steps. That incident was observed by some of Krause’s group who had remained in the 

restaurant and also by the group of Hill’s brother’s friends. At least some of each group 

came pouring out of the restaurant, and “it all just went crazy from there . . . [with] 

numerous fights going on.” After Balga had waited in the kitchen and no one came in 

after him, he looked outside and saw what he described as a “huge brawl” going on in the 

parking lot. 

One of Hill’s brother’s friends, James Carpenter, was knocked unconscious. 

Hill saw a group of four men, including Krause, standing over Carpenter; she saw that the 
4

unconscious Carpenter was being forcefully kicked in the head but she could not 

remember by whom. She saw “blood all around” Carpenter and thought he was dead. 

Balga saw Krause standing over the unconscious Carpenter, “just throwing 

a right hand, a vicious right hand, going straight down like that onto his head.” Balga 

stated, “[Krause] rain[ed] down that one last blow that I got to see, which looked like an 

absolutely brutal blow.” Alexander, who did not testify at the arbitration hearing, told 

Huntington Beach Police Officer Steve Fong that she saw, inter alia, Krause punch and 

kick Carpenter when he was on the ground. 

During the Westminster Police Department’s internal affairs investigation, 

one of Krause’s friends and coworkers, who was there that night, stated that Krause had 

been “aggressive since he had been drinking.” The friend also stated that Krause had told 

him “he had started punching someone.” 

The former chief of police, James Mitchell Waller, issued a notice of intent 

to terminate Krause’s employment in a memorandum dated March 8, 2010. The 

memorandum synopsized the “events and causes and specifications” for the decision to 

terminate Krause’s employment. After holding a “Skelly meeting”

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with Krause and his 

representative, a final notice of disciplinary action in the form of employment 

termination, dated May 4, 2010, was issued. 

BACKGROUND

I.

KRAUSE FILES THE PETITION.

In May 2013, Krause filed the petition under Code of Civil Procedure 

section 1094.5. The petition alleged Krause was employed by the City as a police officer 

and was a permanent member of the civil service system, who enjoyed a vested and 

 

 

1

 See Skelly v. State Personnel Bd. (1975) 15 Cal.3d 194, 215.
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substantial property right in his employment. In the petition, Krause acknowledged that 

“Westminster City Council . . . was, pursuant to City Charter and Memorandum of 

Understanding (MOU) . . . between the City of Westminster and the Westminster Police 

Officer Association, entrusted with the final decision in disciplinary cases involving city 

employees in the classified service.” Krause further acknowledged the City Council “is 

required to allow evidentiary hearings before an independent arbitrator whose decision is 

non-binding” and the “Westminster City Council may adopt or reject such decision and 

render final decisions of appeals brought by employees of the City contesting disciplinary 

actions imposed upon them.” 

The petition alleged Krause had been charged by Chief of Police Waller for 

violating “Manual sections” dealing with his conduct as a police officer, six of which 

were set forth in the dismissal letter dated May 4, 2010. The petition further alleged that 

on those grounds, Krause’s employment was terminated by the City manager and Krause 

timely appealed. 

The petition stated that a disciplinary hearing was commenced before an 

arbitrator who determined at the conclusion of the arbitration proceedings that no cause 

existed to discipline Krause and recommended that the employment termination decision 

be overturned. The petition further stated that upon subsequent review by the City 

Council, the arbitrator’s recommendation was rejected. Krause asserted, in the petition,

that by upholding the decision to terminate his employment, the City Council 

prejudicially abused its discretion because it did not proceed in a manner required by law, 

its findings were not supported by the evidence presented at the hearing, and its findings 

did not support its decision. 

In the petition, Krause requested that the trial court exercise its independent 

judgment on the evidence and determine that the City Council’s findings were not 

supported by the weight of the evidence. He further requested that the court issue a writ 

of mandate compelling the City Council and the City to set aside the employment 
6

termination decision, to reinstate Krause with full backpay and benefits to which he 

would otherwise be entitled, and to make the necessary changes, corrections, and 

deletions in his personnel files to reflect the order of the court. 

II.

THE TRIAL COURT DENIES THE PETITION AND KRAUSE APPEALS.

The trial court denied the petition. The court’s minute order stated in part: 

“On May 4, 2010, the city served Officer Krause with the Final Notice of Disciplinary 

Action terminating him from his position as a police officer. The city based the 

termination on Westminster Police Department Policy § 340.3.2(a) (prohibiting 

unauthorized or unlawful fighting, threatening, or attempting to inflict bodily injury on 

another), § 340.3.5(o) (prohibiting criminal, dishonest, infamous or disgraceful conduct 

adversely affecting the employee/employer relationship, whether on or off duty), and 

§ 340.3.5(aa) (prohibiting any on duty or off duty conduct which any employee knows or 

reasonably should know is unbecoming a member of the department or which is contrary 

to good order, efficiency or morale, or which tends to reflect unfavorably upon the 

department or its members).” 

The minute order also stated: “Mr. Krause appealed and a neutral arbitrator 

held a hearing in November and December 2011. The arbitrator found there was no 

evidence to sustain any of the allegations against . . . Mr. Krause. [¶] Per the MOU and 

Article X Section 5, No. 8 of the City Manual, the findings and recommendations of the 

arbitrator are advisory and the final decision rests with the City Council. Per Article X 

Section 5 No. 9 of the City Manual, the City Council met and as memorialized in 

Resolution 4435, the City Council rejected the advisory opinion of the arbitrator and 

sustained the termination of Krause. The City Council found that Krause had violated 

three policy sections as stated in the Final Notice of Termination. [¶] Krause then filed 

this Petition for Writ of Administrative Mandamus challenging the decision made by the 
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City Council in Resolution 4435.” Noting that Krause’s and the City’s briefing in the 

trial court agreed that the court’s applicable standard of review was the independent 

judgment review, the court confirmed, in ruling on the petition, that “[t]his court [wa]s to

determine whether the weight of the evidence as provided in the Administrative Record 

supports the Council’s findings.” 

In the minute order, the trial court stated its ruling on the petition, as 

follows: “After review of the petition, briefs and the entire administrative record, the 

weight of the evidence supports the City Council’s decision. Krause was terminated for 

violations of WPD Policy Manual § 340.3.2(a), § 340.3.5(o) and § 340.3.5(aa). The City 

Council found that the evidence showed the petitioner assaulted Balga causing him to run 

for safety, grabbed Avila shoving her and striking Carpenter while he was on the ground. 

The City Council considered the entire administrative record in this matter, and sustained 

the Chief’s determination, as does this court. [¶] This court has read the administrative 

record, considered the evidence presented and conducted an independent judgment

review. [¶] This court denies the instant Petition for Writ of Mandamus.” 

No party requested a statement of decision and the trial court’s minute 

order was not a statement of decision. No party raised objections to the minute order. 

Judgment denying the petition was entered. Krause appealed. 

DISCUSSION

I.

WE REVIEW THE TRIAL COURT’S DENIAL OF THE PETITION TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE 

COURT’S JUDGMENT IS SUPPORTED BY SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.

“Section 1094.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure governs judicial review by 

administrative mandate of any final decision or order rendered by an administrative 

agency. A trial court’s review of an adjudicatory administrative decision is subject to 

two possible standards of review depending upon the nature of the right involved. (Code 
8

Civ. Proc., § 1094.5, subd. (c).) If the administrative decision substantially affects a 

fundamental vested right, the trial court must exercise its independent judgment on the 

evidence. [Citations.] The trial court must not only examine the administrative record 

for errors of law, but must also conduct an independent review of the entire record to 

determine whether the weight of the evidence supports the administrative findings. 

[Citation.] If, on the other hand, the administrative decision neither involves nor 

substantially affects a fundamental vested right, the trial court’s review is limited to 

determining whether the administrative findings are supported by substantial evidence. 

[Citations.]” (Wences v. City of Los Angeles (2009) 177 Cal.App.4th 305, 313.)

“It repeatedly has been held that ‘[d]iscipline imposed on public employees 

affects their fundamental vested right in employment,’ and therefore, when a public 

employee challenges an employer’s disciplinary action in a mandamus proceeding, the 

trial court is required to exercise its independent judgment on the evidence. [Citations.]” 

(Wences v. City of Los Angeles, supra, 177 Cal.App.4th at p. 314.)

“In exercising its independent judgment, a trial court must afford a strong 

presumption of correctness concerning the administrative findings, and the party 

challenging the administrative decision bears the burden of convincing the court that the 

administrative findings are contrary to the weight of the evidence.” (Fukuda v. City of 

Angels (1999) 20 Cal.4th 805, 817.) “[T]he presumption provides the trial court with a 

starting point for review—but it is only a presumption, and may be overcome. Because 

the trial court ultimately must exercise its own independent judgment, that court is free to 

substitute its own findings after first giving due respect to the agency’s findings.” (Id. at 

p. 818.)

When “the trial court is required to review an administrative decision under 

the independent judgment standard of review, the standard of review on appeal of the 
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trial court’s determination is the substantial evidence test.” (Fukuda v. City of Angels, 

supra, 20 Cal.4th at p. 824.)

2

As no party requested a statement of decision, and none was issued by the 

trial court, the doctrine of implied findings applies. (County of Orange v. Barratt 

American, Inc. (2007) 150 Cal.App.4th 420, 438.)

3

 We therefore “review the trial court’s 

express factual findings, and any implied findings, for substantial evidence.” (Apex LLC 

v. Sharing World, Inc. (2012) 206 Cal.App.4th 999, 1009.)

II.

SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE SUPPORTED THE TRIAL COURT’S FINDINGS.

Krause contends insufficient evidence supported the charges against him. 

The trial court found that Krause’s employment was properly terminated because he 

violated the following policy sections of the manual: (1) section 340.3.2(a) which 

prohibits “[u]nauthorized or unlawful fighting, threatening, or attempting to inflict bodily 

injury on another”; (2) section 340.3.5(o) which prohibits “[c]riminal, dishonest, 

infamous or disgraceful conduct adversely affecting the employee/employer relationship, 

whether on or off duty”; and (3) section 340.3.5(aa) which prohibits “[a]ny other on duty 

or off duty conduct which any employee knows or reasonably should know is 

 

 

2

 The appellate court reviews de novo whether an agency’s decision to impose a 

particular penalty constituted an abuse of discretion. (Cassidy v. California Bd. of 

Accountancy (2013) 220 Cal.App.4th 620, 627.) Krause does not argue that the decision 

to terminate his employment, based on the findings, constituted an abuse of discretion.

 

3

 “Without a statement of decision, and timely objections to any ambiguities or 

omissions in it, the doctrine of implied findings applies.” (County of Orange v. Barratt 

American, Inc., supra, 150 Cal.App.4th at p. 438.) “The doctrine of implied findings 

requires the appellate court to infer the trial court made all factual findings necessary to 

support the judgment. [Citation.] The doctrine is a natural and logical corollary to three 

fundamental principles of appellate review: (1) a judgment is presumed correct; (2) all 

intendments and presumptions are indulged in favor of correctness; and (3) the appellant 

bears the burden of providing an adequate record affirmatively providing error. 

[Citations.]” (Fladeboe v. American Isuzu Motors Inc. (2007) 150 Cal.App.4th 42, 58.)
10

unbecoming a member of the department or which is contrary to good order, efficiency or 

morale, or which tends to reflect unfavorably upon the department or its members.” 

(Italics omitted.) These policy violations were based on substantial evidence that Krause 

(1) assaulted Balga, which caused him to run for safety and notify authorities, (2) grabbed

and pushed Avila, and (3) struck Carpenter while he was on the ground.

4

 

A.

Substantial Evidence Showed Krause Assaulted Balga.

The trial court found the weight of the evidence supported the City 

Council’s finding that Krause assaulted Balga causing him to run for safety. Substantial 

evidence of Krause’s assault on Balga included the arbitration hearing testimony of

Balga. His testimony showed that after Balga took off his jacket in the parking lot, 

Krause and seven other men, who had been with Krause, got out of their vehicles and 

started crowding Balga. Balga testified that Krause advanced on him as if Krause were

“trying to find . . . a good way to like get a good punch in or whatever.” Balga backed up 

to the restaurant’s door as Krause and the others advanced on him, then Balga turned and 

ran into the restaurant’s kitchen. That testimony was sufficient to support the finding that 

Krause assaulted Balga causing him to run for safety. 

Krause argues Balga’s testimony was not sufficient to support that finding 

because the arbitrator did not find Balga credible. The arbitrator’s role, pursuant to the 

applicable memorandum of understanding between the City and the Westminster Police 

Officers’ Association, and as acknowledged in the petition, was to “make a non-binding 

recommendation to the City Council who shall be responsible for a final decision on the 

matter.” Krause’s argument that the arbitrator’s credibility determinations must be 

binding on the City is directly at odds with the express terms of the memorandum of 

understanding, which establish the arbitrator’s findings are advisory only. 

 

 

4

 Krause does not argue that even if these findings were supported by substantial 

evidence, they would not constitute violations of the cited policy sections of the manual.
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In any event, it was the province of the trial court, in reviewing the City’s 

decision by exercising its independent judgment, to itself reweigh the evidence and make 

its own determination as to the credibility of witnesses. (Barber v. Long Beach Civil 

Service Com. (1996) 45 Cal.App.4th 652, 658 [“[A]n exercise of independent judgment 

does permit (indeed, it requires) the trial court to reweigh the evidence by examining the 

credibility of witnesses. As we explained 20 years ago, in exercising its independent 

judgment ‘the trial court has the power and responsibility to weigh the evidence at the 

administrative hearing and to make its own determination of the credibility of 

witnesses.’”]; see Fukuda v. City of Angels, supra, 20 Cal.4th at p. 819.) Krause does not 

argue the trial court misunderstood or misapplied the applicable standard of review in this 

case. We find no error.

B.

Substantial Evidence Showed Krause Grabbed and Pushed Avila.

The trial court found Krause grabbed and shoved Avila. Multiple 

witnesses, including members of Krause’s group, testified that Krause grabbed and 

shoved Avila, causing her to stumble back several steps. 

Omar Ayala, who was part of Krause’s group and a fellow police officer, 

testified, “Peter did grab her in the shoulders area and pushed her off and told her to ‘Get 

off me,’ something to that effect.” Ayala saw Avila stumble several steps from the push. 

Daniel Flynn, also a fellow police officer, testified that he saw Krause push Avila to 

prevent her from striking him. Hill testified Krause grabbed and pushed Avila. Lilley 

testified that “it was definitely an aggressive push” and the man who pushed Avila said 

something to the affect of “I’m not afraid to hit a bitch.” (Lilley did not identify the man 

who pushed Avila.) 

The grabbing and shoving of Avila was a significant event as the evidence 

showed it triggered the brawl. Lilley testified that until Krause shoved Avila, nobody had 

been harmed, there had been no fighting, and “all of the physical altercations started at 
12

that point.” Hill testified that after Avila had been pushed, “then that is when it kind of 

started from there.” Substantial evidence supported this finding.

C.

Substantial Evidence Showed Krause Assaulted Carpenter.

Balga testified that he saw Krause “throwing a right hand, a vicious right 

hand, going straight down like that onto [Carpenter’s] head,” as Carpenter lay 

unconscious on the ground in the parking lot. Balga stated that Krause “rain[ed] down 

that one last blow” which, Balga said, looked “like an absolutely brutal blow.” In 

addition, Ayala testified that during the internal affairs investigation, he told an 

investigator that Krause had admitted to him that he “had started punching someone.” 

Fong, who responded to the fight, testified Alexander (who did not testify 

at the arbitration hearing) told him she saw Krause punch Carpenter knocking him to the 

ground and saw Krause punch and kick Carpenter when he was on the ground. Hill told 

Fong that Krause kicked or punched Carpenter while on the ground more than five times. 

Ayache, who also did not testify at the arbitration hearing, told Detective Scott Winks of 

the Huntington Beach Police Department that she saw Krause kicking Carpenter while he 

lay on the ground. 

Krause argues Alexander’s and Ayache’s statements to law enforcement 

should not have been considered because they did not testify at the arbitration hearing 

and were not subject to cross-examination. The trial court responded to this argument in 

its minute order denying the petition, by stating: “The Westminster Personnel Policy

Manual and Westminster Municipal Code specifically permit the arbitrator to make 

findings of fact supported by hearsay evidence in that they state that ‘technical rules 

which are employed to exclude evidence in criminal and civil court trials shall not be 

applied’ and that the Board is to consider ‘all evidence presented to it.’” Article X of the 

Westminster Personnel Policy Manual contains the above language quoted by the trial 
13

court and is included in the administrative record. Krause does not address these 

applicable evidentiary rules in his appellate briefs. We find no error.

III.

KRAUSE’S RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS WAS NOT VIOLATED.

In his opening brief, Krause argues: “As part of the Final Notice of 

Disciplinary Action the Department cites vari[ou]s policy violations allegedly committed 

by KRAUSE. Included in the Notice of Final Disciplinary Action, Waller specifically 

mentions four other events not associated with the incident occurring on 17 July 2009. 

These four events were not a part of the Notice of Intent dated 8 March 20[10] or were 

those four events discussed during the Skelly with Waller on 31 March 20[10]. [¶] One 

of the four items not previously disclosed in the Notice of Intent was the existence of 

another administrative investigation alleging KRAUSE engaged in similar conduct, that 

is being removed from a club for attempting to engage in a fight. . . . Although a Skelly 

hearing was conducted, it failed to provide all of the safeguards enumerated in Skelly,

supra. The department utilizing other material not previously disclosed and depriving 

KRAUSE with an opportunity to respond to those new allegations violated those due 

process safeguards. [¶] It is clear from the language used by Waller that at least some of 

the four events not previously disclosed were part of basis for the level of discipline 

imposed.” 

Again, the trial court addressed Krause’s argument in its minute order 

denying the petition, stating, “the administrative record shows that Admin Case 09-037 

was not used [as] a basis for any discipline imposed on the petitioner. The Notice of 

Intent did not mention Admin Case 09-037. At the arbitration hearing, the Chief testified 

that Admin Case 09-037 was listed in the Final Notice, but was not relied upon to make 

any of the determinations in this case. The Chief testified that the Denny’s incident alone 

was sufficient for termination.” Krause does not address the trial court’s reasoning. In 
14

any event, the record establishes Krause had ample opportunity at the arbitration hearing 

to respond to any of the “new allegations,” which was not relied upon to uphold the 

decision to terminate his employment. Krause has failed to demonstrate any violation of 

his right to due process.

DISPOSITION

The judgment is affirmed. Respondent shall recover costs on appeal.

FYBEL, J.

WE CONCUR:

BEDSWORTH, ACTING P. J.

THOMPSON, J.