Laid-off Petaluma official kills self

Apparently distraught over receiving a layoff notice one week ago, Petaluma's chief building official killed himself at home early Tuesday.

Cliff Kendall, 55, was to lose the middle-management job he'd held for more than eight years on Oct. 1, said his wife, Patricia Kendall.

He had grown anxious over the prospect of unemployment and shot himself at about 10 a.m. inside his westside house, just blocks from City Hall, his wife said.

"He was afraid we'd lose our home, and we probably will because I can't afford to keep it," said Patricia Kendall, who is on disability with a back injury. "He was extremely upset about it and hurt."

Kendall had an adult son and daughter from a previous marriage and a stepdaughter.

Word that the affable head of building inspections had taken his own life rocked City Hall.

Grief counselors were dispatched to meet with his co-workers. The Community Development Department was closed for the afternoon.

"We send our deepest condolences to his family," Mayor Pam Torliatt said. "This is a tragedy, and we are certainly going to share in their pain."

Kendall was among 12 of 23 members of his department whose positions were cut to help close a multimillion budget shortfall caused, in part, by slumping tax revenues and a building downturn.

With a recommendation from Community Development Director Mike Moore, the City Council approved the layoffs Sept. 15 for a savings of about $1.1 million.

At the time, a number of architects and builders urged the council to reconsider, some singling out the work Kendall had done developing the city's green building policies.

"No decision to lay anyone off was ever taken lightly," said Councilman David Rabbitt, a local architect who knew Kendall professionally and voted for the layoffs. "I don't think they ever will be in the future."

City Manager John Brown said each Community Development employee received advance notice that they were going to lose their jobs.

Private talks between Moore and the employees revealed no behavioral cues that suggested any were suicidal, Brown said.

"We're pretty sensitive to what's going on," Brown said.

He said the cuts were necessary to balance the budget. More layoffs in other departments could be coming in the next few months, he said.

"When expenses are ahead of revenues, you have very few choices," Brown said. "Downsizing has to be done. There's a balance that has to be struck. It can't be ignored."

Cliff Kendall was raised in Florida and held building inspection positions in Auburn and Salt Lake City before coming to Petaluma, where he was paid about $80,000 a year, his wife said.

He had never talked of ending his life and was basically happy, she said, noting the last time the couple had an argument of any kind was in December.

But Kendall became suddenly depressed over the layoff, she said. He had been losing sleep and was pale when he complained Tuesday morning that he wasn't feeling well, she said.

About 10 minutes later, his wife said she thought she heard something fall in an upstairs room. She ran to Kendall's office and found him lying in a pool of blood.

He had killed himself with a rifle given to him by a friend, she said. Police said he did not leave a suicide note, she said.

Patricia Kendall said she thinks he wouldn't have killed himself if he hadn't been laid off "but no one can say that for sure."

"The layoff pushed him over the edge," his wife said. "It's Petaluma's loss, let me tell you. They lost a good man."You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 762-7297 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.