SF Sheriff Accused Of Threatening Workers At CA Town Where He Serves As Mayor: Report

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A San Francisco Sheriff's deputy is accused of bullying and threatening city employees in a small Central California town where he is the mayor, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.

An independent investigation found that Michael Clauzel, a lieutenant with the San Francisco Sheriff's Office, overstepped his elected role by bullying, threatening, and micromanaging city workers and other elected officials in Patterson, a town about 50 miles inland from the East Bay, according to the report.

Clauzel did not respond to Patch's request for comment.

Conversations with Clauzel were "emotionally charged," according to the report, as the deputy was often upset, frustrated, and cursed at workers.

"This type of behavior is particularly concerning from someone who makes known he is a law enforcement officer," Shelline Bennett, of the firm Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, wrote in the report outlining the abuse.

Following the report's release, a committee of City Council members agreed Clauzel should face disciplinary proceedings, according to the report.

Clauzel became mayor of Patterson in 2024 and is up for re-election in November.

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.