Lie Scuttles Santa Ana’s Choice for Fire Chief

Gary Schmitz, a Northern California firefighter who was chosen last month as Santa Ana’s new fire chief, was withdrawn from consideration Monday when it was discovered that he had lied on his application, City Manager David N. Ream confirmed.

Schmitz, chief of the South County Fire Protection Authority in San Carlos, San Mateo County, stated on his application that he had a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University, but a check by the recruiting firm Ralph Andersen & Associates revealed that he is not a college graduate, Ream said.

“We have broken off our discussions with Gary Schmitz,” Ream said, admitting that the situation is embarrassing. “It was a mutual decision.”

Reached by telephone at his home in San Carlos, Schmitz admitted that he lied on his application. He said that he had attended a number of universities, including San Diego State, and had accumulated 140 units of credit, including 27 toward a master’s degree in public administration, but he does not have a degree.

Apologizes for Action

“I felt I had equivalent requirements (to a bachelor’s degree), and I put that down,” Schmitz said. “That was a misrepresentation.” He apologized for any embarrassment his actions may have caused Santa Ana, the South County Fire Protection Authority and his family.

“I spent half my life as a fireman,” he said. “I’m embarrassed by what I did.” He described the Santa Ana post as “one of the 10 best jobs in the state.”

Schmitz, 44, has been chief of the South County Fire Protection Authority in the Northern California community of San Carlos for seven years. He has 22 years of experience as a firefighter and administrator.

Asked if he still has his job in Northen California, Schmitz replied: “Currently I do. Tomorrow, that may be different.” Despite the Dec. 19 announcement of his selection in Santa Ana, Schmitz had not submitted his resignation from the South County Fire Protection Authority, which serves the cities of San Carlos and Belmont.

San Carlos’ mayor, Victor Stoltz, said city officials are meeting this morning “to discuss the situation.” He said he did not know whether Schmitz had claimed to have a college degree when he was appointed fire chief there. That information, he said, would come out at the meeting.

Santa Ana City Manager Ream said a decision will be made within the next few weeks about whether to choose a new chief from the three other finalists or begin the lengthy recruiting process again. He would not name the other candidates. However, a source in the Fire Department said one of the candidates is Bud Carter, a deputy chief in the Long Beach Fire Department.

The job pays $73,000 a year.

Schmitz had been scheduled to take over the 280-member Santa Ana Fire Department from acting Chief Ernest Hoeft on Feb. 2.

The position has been vacant since last January, when then-City Manager Robert C. Bobb placed Fire Chief William J. Reimer on administrative leave. Reimer later was offered a position as an assistant to the city manager but turned it down.

Reimer did not have a college degree, and that requirement was imposed by the city in the search for his replacement.