The city of Marysville faces more than $150,000 in Cal/OSHA citations related to the death Officer Osmar Rodartewho was killed in the line of duty earlier this year.
“Cal/OSHA may think they are doing the right thing, but I think they are wrong,” said Marysville Mayor Chris Branscum.
It has been six months since tragedy struck at Kestrel Court Rodarte was killed during a drug trafficking raid.
After an exchange of gunfire, both Officer Rodarte and drug dealer Rick Oliver were killed.
But now the city of Marysville is facing 13 fines from Cal/OSHA.
“It's tragic to see this happen again under these circumstances. We'll deal with it, we'll fight it,” Branscum said.
Among the citations, Cal/OSHA said the city failed to adequately train Rodarte, who was given a new assignment while executing a search warrant.
“I know the city does proper training, and I'm sure the county does, and I have confidence in what our district attorney, Mr. Clint Curry, ever says, and you were there,” the mayor said.
Last month CBS13 was there The district attorney presented his investigation implicated in the fatal shooting and believes the officer's actions during the raid were justified.
“He did what he was trained to do,” Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry said.
Curry also specifically addressed Rodarte's bulletproof vest, which is among Cal/OSHA's citations alleging the city failed to provide properly fitting body armor. Curry said what he wore was standard.
“Basically it stops at the belly button, and that's what all vests do, plate carriers and regular vests. And you can see why in this picture alone, because he's sitting. If he had a longer vest, you wouldn't be able to sit down without either the vest sticking up over your ears or, in this case, the plate being shoved down your throat as you squat or sit,” Curry said.
“He was hit in exactly the worst place, and that's the tragedy. An inch or so and he's still with us,” Branscum said.
The Yuba County Sheriff's Office, which was also involved in the March raid, calls these allegations a “dangerous precedent for unfocused oversight of a government agency that has little to no knowledge of public safety and law enforcement.”
The city of Marysville plans to appeal.
“We didn’t abandon Osmar,” said Branscum.
CBS13 reached out to Cal/OSHA, but they did not respond in time for this article.