Walnut Creek Human Resources Director Sally Rice Resigns

(Ed. note: This story originally said that Sally Rice and three other employees were placed on leave without pay; in fact, all four were placed on leave with pay. Walnut Creek Patch regrets the error).

Sally Rice, one of four embattled city administrators who was reinstated in June after spending three months' leave with pay, has turned in her resignation, effective Aug. 2, according to the Contra Costa Times. 

Rice, three other department heads and a manager were all placed administrative leave wtih pay while their handling of an employee's inappropriate contact with a minor was being investigated. All four were cleared by an in-house investigation, but an outside report was critical of Rice's handling of the matter. 

"Rice did not present as a witness who was attempting to tell the whole truth to assist with this investigation," the report concluded. "The results Rice recalled with some specificity tended to be those which benefitted her." 

The report was also critical of City Manager Ken Nordhoff's forthrightness during the investigation. 

At issue was an episode in 2012 in which a part-time employee of the Lesher Center allegedly sent inappropriate text messages to a young girl. That former employee, Jason Pedroza, was fired, and is facing criminal charges for inappropriate contact with two other underage girls. Pedroza has pleaded not guilty to the charges. 

"It is probably not a surprise to anyone, given the state of affairs over the last 3½ months," Rice wrote in a letter to city employees on Friday. "I will state with conviction that I did not do anything wrong and I told the truth, but sometimes other factors come into play that I cannot control."