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Former Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner Cathy Neville is appealing a judge’s ruling that upheld the county’s decision to fire her for alleged misconduct in office.
Neville filed a notice in Sonoma County Superior Court this week signaling her intent to contest Judge Patrick Broderick’s ruling in May.
The judge sided with county attorneys who argued that supervisors had the authority to fire Neville on March 22. Neville contended that only the state could take that action.
County Supervisor Efren Carrillo, acting on behalf of the entire five-member board, fired Neville after she allegedly created a toxic work environment for employees, lied in a county-led investigation and failed to show leadership on high-profile agricultural initiatives.
Neville subsequently sued the county, contending that supervisors acted illegally in retribution for her politically unpopular decision to fire Amy Cooper, the county’s former director of Animal Care and Control. Cooper has since been rehired.
“We believe that Judge Broderick’s decision was thoughtful and carefully reasoned and will be upheld on appeal,” County Counsel Bruce Goldstein said Friday.
— Derek Moore
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For her position, DUI only could have been enough. Perhaps she can find works as a tackling dummy at the CHP Academy.
@ Sandy,
As a former drunk living in this county, I would have no trouble telling Ms. Neville what I wrote directly to her face.
I say such things to my fellow drunks regularly, as I had them said to my face when I decided I didn’t want to live that way anymore.
I have no desire to further injure her, she seems to be doing a grand job of that all by herself.
My only wish is that she join the small minority of drunks that have found a better way to live.
Nine out of ten of us die from this condition, but only after we have ruined our lives and the lives of the people who love us.
This sobriety protected by Smith & Wilson.
As a woman living in this County I have found this whole episode of destroying this woman’s reputation publicly disgusting. Not one single person that has condemned this woman on this anonymous site and said these dreadful things in the last 10+ months would actually say these awful things to her face.
I do not know her, but I am sickened by how we as a society think it’s okay now to hide behind the use of anonymous sites and social media to make hideous comments about other people that we as mature respectful adults would never say to their face.
Whatever Cathy Neville did or didn’t do, Sonoma County and it’s citizens should be embarrassed and ashamed of the treatment it has given this woman.
Hey Bill guess you dont know that public employees pay taxes too, and not all County workers earn $100k per year, definately not the ones you see that are doing the services for the public. THey make very little so please at very least be respectful some of them dont make more than 40k per year, get no overtime, no profit sharing, stock options and dont complain because they love what they do and the people they serve. You also dont realize that private sector employees have or had pensions at least those who have or had unions. Big business has been spreading propoganda about gov employees for years and attempting to bust unions to force people to get the services that are provided by the local governments for little or no cost now from private sector companies follow the money.
Just to put things into perspective, Bob Deis was the CAO who hired Neville. Hid things from the BOS. Not good.
And that says it all. I hear he’s having trouble with the unions in Stockton. I find it hard to believe any city hired him. But I don’t get a say.
I think we all know how this is going to play out. There is no feasible way that she could work in her former position in a productive way with this much negativity, press and hostility directed towards her. Furthermore… with all of the attention she has brought upon herself, would ANY employer hire her? Fat chance.
Cathy who?
@bill – you’re joking, right? I’m sure that far more private than public employers are subjected to legal action over wrongful termination, sexual harassment etc. These cases just don’t hit the newspaper and are usually quietly settled by via a large sum of cash being bestowed upon the complainer, as that’s cheaper than fighting a case like that.
The big difference I see here is not that Neville is a public employee, but is suing for her job back and not financial damages.
I agree, not a dime.
Sonoma county has a program called con-rep for habitual offenders, she seems like a likely client for rehabilitation and judicial oversight. Quite a hole she has dug for herself.
Dui and Resisting arrest and I think I read that she threatened the officer with her position? And she thinks it’s because she fired the Pound Director? Are you kidding? I have never had a job where that would be survivable.
@Sunshine said “… you might find work as a cashier somewhere…”
That was an insult
to cashiers everywhere
:D
My aching head! I swore to myself that I wouldn’t comment!
Should this woman have been fired? Yes, for the DUI episode alone – not the DUI itself, but the resisting.
Should complaining employees be listened to? Yes, especially if there’s more than one. Sadly, there is not an established process in SC government for complaints about management. It’s like they never conceived that this situation would arise. So it becomes a sneaky political process. Funny, they had no problem firing the underlings.
@Robert. Sorry. The BOS hasn’t been leftist, or even left-leaning since the 1978 recall. Look it up.
The problem is that “outlying” departments are supposed to fend for themselves. The problem with that is that management is not monitored and staff voices are not heard.
Oh, Cathy? Not a dime.
BigDog – your are wrong. She is the PERFECT example of a public sector employee. “talent” brought in because of HUGE wages. She will be hired no problem because the people above her are twice as incompetent as her. She wins the appeal easy
Glad these high wages and bennies brought in such “talent”
We need to keep wages up, its the only way we can draw in talent like miss Neville in to Sonoma County
This lady has a serious alcohol problem, and poor grooming is a sign of that.
Combativeness and ill-temper go along with the condition.
Her troubles have arisen from her refusal to admit that and seek help.
There is a better life ahead for her when she is ready to be honest with herself.
May that day come soon.
Cathy, get over it! Brush your hair, learn to iron your clothes, and make sure you button up your shirt correctly sometimes. Oh, and when you do show up to meetings (late), please try to know what they are about. Then learn how to work with the people you are managing, and not against.
If you do all this, you might find work as a cashier somewhere. Good luck!
Suing for wrongful termination has become standard practice because the County has historically rolled over to avoid the lengthy, costly legal fight. She is betting on a settlement b/c she is unemployable….any bright HR manager just has to Google her name….. I hope the County holds fast and fights this one—-spend money on services, not this legal extortion.
Yes hire someone to do a job in Sonoma County, But be careful when you clean out the dead wood even when you do your job in Sonoma County you have to please those who are to the left of center.Remember the Trash that came here in the Sixty’s and Seventy’s with their Congress Women who was living off welfare at that time. To those of you who would like her to leave Sonoma County if you fit the picture, we who go back generations whould like you to go. Dodn’t like paying your way enough is enough.
She has to keep fighting… her actions on and off the job have made her virtually unemployable in the public sector.
And heaven help her if she actually had to go find a job in the private sector right now…. good luck with that.
Imagine if private employers were subjected to this expense at the discretion of disgruntled employees?
Yet the taxpayer will foot the bill for this as well as the upcoming battles of pension reform of public employees.
Public employees must realize they are no different than the rest of us and in fact work for us.
Neville was a great hire by the county. Look at all of the money she has generated for attorneys. I wonder who is paying the bills? The poor taxpayers have certainly paid their share of this mistake in salary and benefits while the county figured out what to do.
Neville needs to become another footnote to history and moved to the back page.
Cathy Neville…Get over it, move on and move out of Sonoma County.