This story was updated to reflect an invoice by invoice accounting on 20250202 at 12:24 p.m.
For the first time since Chamise Cubbison, the former auditor-controller and treasurer-tax collector, was charged with criminal misappropriation of funds—along with Paula Kennedy, the payroll manager she supervised—the public has had a chance to learn details about the evidence against Cubbison and Kennedy
Followers of the case have learned there was bad blood between the auditor’s office and the district attorney’s office and that the CEO’s office and others lacked confidence in how county payroll was managed. What they haven’t been able to determine is how much it has cost taxpayers to bring criminal charges against the former auditor and payroll manager versus addressing payroll problems in a different way.
Speculation about the cost frequently arises in discussions about the case. In mid-January, KZYX News submitted a public records request so the public could begin to account for the expenses.
The KZYX News request:
"Please provide billing and payroll records that document hours recorded or submitted by members of the District Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, and outside counsel related to the suspension of Chamise Cubbison, the criminal charges against her, and the civil suit she has brought against the city. Please include any available billing records for departments, such as IT, that have supported these efforts. We also request the same records regarding the suspension of Paula Kennedy."
The county did not respond to the request for billing and payroll records, which would have included payroll codes and actual hours worked by those involved in the investigation, case preparation, and legal proceedings. Instead, officials denied a different request for invoices, which KZYX News had not made.
"The District Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, and IT do not have public records responsive to your request. These offices do not invoice any person or entity for time spent on criminal matters, the suspension of Chamise Cubbison, or the defense of any civil suit brought by Ms. Cubbison," the county stated.
However, the county did release records of billing from Perry, Johnson, Anderson, Miller & Moskowitz, showing $22,070.31 in fees and costs paid since January 2024 and through December 20, 2024 for special prosecutor Traci Carrillo, who was contracted by District Attorney David Eyster to prosecute Cubbison and Kennedy.
The county also released billing records from Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, showing $97,172.73 in legal fees incurred from October 2023 through October 31, 2024 to defend Mendocino County and the Board of Supervisors in pending civil litigation filed by Cubbison.
As previously reported, the preliminary hearing has been continued until Feb. 24. KZYX News will continue to update the cost tally.
You can view the invoices in the discussion section of the Mendo Local Discord channel where we'll be posting primary documents related to our reporting on this and other stories. (https://discord.gg/z9qSWTZn)