Mayor John Howe said negotiations leading up to the separation were held for almost four months, starting in October—before the election that removed former Vice-Mayor Tim Risch from office and gave birth to rumors that LaSala was next—when the city hired Bonnie K. Gibson, from the law firm Hanson Bridgett, Marcus, Vlahos & Rudy, LLP as a special consultant.

The city released the agreement to the press on Feb. 13, containing details of the settlement that include more than $200,000 in payments to LaSala and the ending of all claims the two parties had against one another.

The settlement amounts to more than $15,000 more than a full year of LaSala's city manager's salary. The terms included half of his $183,451 annual pay with benefits plus $85,438 in unused, paid leave time. And for canceling his contract the city is paying him an additional $22,675. And because this is a separation agreement, LaSala will keep his retirement benefits.

As part of the agreement LaSala—under supervision of the mayor—was allowed to go to his former office and review any personal email he received while on administrative leave, print out a copy of his electronic address book and remove his personal items.

LaSala turned over his city-owned phone, gas card, Palm Pilot and car and was also given just under a year to refinance or retire a city loan that helped with the purchase of a Sunnyvale home.

The agreement also explicitly states that both the city council and LaSala will refrain from making any comments that "reasonably cast [the other] in a negative light wher it is foreseeable that the persons whom such comment is made will disseminate his comments to or publish them in the media."

It was generally believed LaSala would leave his position after the results of the November election. The three council members who supported LaSala were termed out of office and the fourth, Tim Risch, was voted out.

But most expected he would remain in office for 90 days after the election, which was spelled out in his contract as a grace period so newly elected council members could make up their own minds about his performance.

The language of the agreement reflects the controversy around LaSala's administrative leave and the allegations that were whispered throughout the community.

Many think efforts by the Public Safety Officer's Association to remove Risch was a part of an effort to get rid of LaSala because of his budget recommendations to cut public safety positions.

All along, council members have said they cannot talk about LaSala's situation because it's a personnel matter protected by law, and the separation agreement cements that silence.