Berkeley Ex-Police Watchdog Alleges Retaliation

Hansel Aguilar, Berkeley’s former director of police accountability, sued the city and Mayor Adena Ishii on May 16 in Alameda County Superior Court, alleging he was fired in retaliation for trying to investigate police misconduct and enforce the city charter’s oversight rules. Courthouse News reported that Aguilar’s complaint describes a years-long conflict with City Hall and the Berkeley Police Department over records access, subpoenas and staffing. The lawsuit follows a February 9 closed-session City Council vote to dismiss him from the civilian oversight post he had held since October 2022. Berkeley’s oversight system was created by voters in 2020 and is supposed to operate independently of the city manager. ### Who is making the retaliation claim, and what does he say happened? Hansel Aguilar filed the complaint against the City of Berkeley and Ishii, saying city officials retaliated against him “by improperly terminating his employment,” according to the suit as described by Courthouse News. Aguilar says the retaliation stemmed from his efforts to carry out the job Berkeley voters created — overseeing misconduct complaints, supporting the Police Accountability Board and pressing the police department to produce records. Courthouse News reported that Aguilar says the city never put in place the performance measures required under his employment agreement during his first months on the job. He says he repeatedly sought evaluations and was told a consultant would be retained, but none was. ### What was the fight with the police department about? An April 2023 memorandum from Aguilar to a councilmember, as summarized by Courthouse News, said the Berkeley Police Department was failing to share records within charter-mandated timelines and that the delays were affecting active investigations. Courthouse News reported that then-acting Police Chief Jennifer Louis responded in writing by accusing Aguilar of “repeated fabrications and stretching of facts” and acting “intentionally to discredit the integrity of the department.” A June 2025 complaint about officers’ conduct during an encampment sweep became another flashpoint. Courthouse News said Aguilar’s office received allegations that officers violated department policy on public recording of law enforcement and infringed on a civilian’s constitutional rights. After what Aguilar said was only partial compliance with a July 2025 records request, he issued an administrative subpoena in August, triggering a legal dispute that was still unresolved when he was fired. ### How did Berkeley remove him from the job? The Berkeley City Council voted 8-0 in a closed session on February 9 to remove Aguilar, with Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani absent, Berkeleyside reported. Mayor Adena Ishii confirmed the dismissal that night, and the action was set to take effect one month after Aguilar received notice. Berkeleyside reported that Aguilar said after the vote that his removal, combined with a city hiring freeze, police resistance to turning over records and resignations from the Police Accountability Board, raised “serious questions” about Berkeley’s commitment to independent accountability. Josh Cayetano, chair of the Police Accountability Board, told Berkeleyside he was “surprised and disappointed” and called Aguilar “a committed and strong advocate” for oversight. ### What is Berkeley’s police oversight system supposed to do? Berkeley voters approved Measure II in November 2020, creating the Police Accountability Board and the Office of the Director of Police Accountability, according to the city’s police accountability page. The city says the board and director provide civilian oversight of the Berkeley Police Department, investigate public complaints and review police policies, practices and procedures. The city’s website says the director and the board report to the mayor and City Council and are independent of the city manager. Aguilar’s lawsuit centers on whether that independence was protected in practice. ### Why had tensions already been building before the lawsuit? Berkeleyside reported in February that several original members of the Police Accountability Board had resigned in frustration, saying their work had been stymied by police leadership, the city administration and the council. The outlet also reported that Aguilar had drawn criticism from council members and had separately sued Police Chief Jen Louis over access to department records. A November 2025 Berkeleyside report said Berkeley’s civilian oversight system had been running into repeated conflict, including disputes over whether police records would be turned over without subpoenas. Those disputes provide the backdrop for Aguilar’s claim that City Hall retaliated against him for doing the work the charter required. Berkeley’s next public steps are likely to appear on Alameda County court records and on the city’s Police Accountability Board and City Council agenda pages, where meetings, reports and future oversight actions are posted.