A former Los Angeles Police Department captain is taking his fight from Parker Center to the courthouse, asking a judge to wipe out his firing and restore his salary and benefits after three decades in uniform.
Alejandro Vargas filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court on May 12 seeking reinstatement to his former rank or, failing that, back pay and benefits. The filing argues that the department cut him loose without giving him the pre-disciplinary process the Constitution requires and that he was terminated after an Internal Affairs investigation concluded he made false statements about a relationship with a civilian employee. His legal team contends the department’s notices and probe did not afford him a meaningful Skelly hearing before the termination went through.
According to the petition, a Board of Rights panel ultimately sustained only a single allegation: that Vargas made untrue statements about an association with a police dispatcher. Other counts were either dismissed or found to be time-barred, as reported by MyNewsLA. Vargas’ lawyers argue Internal Affairs labeled the case broadly as “detrimental workplace behavior” and did not spell out that he was being investigated for an intimate relationship with a subordinate, a gap they say allowed the department to treat his denials as a separate dishonesty offense.
Vargas is a 30-year LAPD veteran whose résumé includes patrol and command assignments and a stint as commanding officer of the LAPD Communications Division, according to the Mid-Valley Community Police Council. That track record in senior posts has turned his discipline case into a buzzy topic in department circles, where officers are watching to see how far the courts will go in second-guessing high-level personnel decisions. Public biographical notes have also highlighted his prior leadership of Special Operations and the Central and Olympic patrol divisions, along with his mentoring work.
The petition further claims the Internal Affairs notice was “vague and generic” and that Vargas was not afforded a constitutionally adequate Skelly hearing before he was fired. “A false-statement allegation carries uniquely grave consequences for a peace officer and frequently becomes the driving basis for termination,” the filing states, according to MyNewsLA.
What A Skelly Hearing Means
Under California law, public employees who face serious discipline must receive written notice of the proposed action, a statement of the charges, access to the evidence that supports those charges, and a real chance to respond before the hammer falls. Those protections stem from the California Supreme Court’s Skelly decision, which holds that stripping someone of a government job without that process violates due process.
If a court later finds that those pre-disciplinary rights were not honored, it can order remedies such as reinstatement or back pay until the employee receives a proper hearing, a principle set out in the state high court’s opinion. For a detailed breakdown, see the California Supreme Court’s decision in Skelly v. State Personnel Board.
Why This Fight Matters Locally
Hoodline has previously followed the Vargas saga, including the internal inquiry and Board of Rights proceedings that led up to this new court move; see coverage of the alleged affair with a dispatcher for background on how the case first surfaced. That earlier reporting, which noted initial accounts in the Los Angeles Times, underscored how high-profile discipline battles inside LAPD can ripple through city politics and neighborhood stations alike.
Vargas is asking the court to throw out the termination and order either his return to duty or payment of back wages and benefits. As the petition moves through Los Angeles Superior Court, a judge will decide whether the department followed the rules or has to unwind its decision.
