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By DEREK MOORE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
A state appeals court has ruled that Sonoma County had the authority to fire former Agricultural Commissioner Cathy Neville last year.
Cathy Neville in 2010 (PD FILE, 2010)
County supervisors dismissed Neville after she allegedly created a toxic work environment, lied in a county-led investigation and failed to show leadership.
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.
The 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco sided with county attorneys who argued that supervisors had the authority to fire Neville last March. Neville contended that only the state could take that action.
Neville was paid an annual salary of $153,413, plus $80,102 in benefits. She is seeking reinstatement to her job plus back pay and attorney’s fees.
Stephen Murphy, Neville’s San Francisco-based employment law attorney, said Tuesday that she will appeal the decision to the California Supreme Court.
“If this decision is allowed to stand, it exposes (agricultural) commissioners to political influence on the local level, which is the reason why the Legislature many years ago made the decision to take the power to terminate out of the hands of the board of supervisors,” Murphy said.
But county counsel Bruce Goldstein said the appeals court “understood the need” for Neville’s conduct to be addressed by her employer on issues of “local concern.”
Neville declined comment Tuesday.
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It’s true!!! The County has plenty of low-down Supervisors/Managers!! They know how to lie,cheat,and scam the system! Many of us have worked for County and they do create ‘toxic’ work environments!
If you complain to the Union,EEO,and Human Resources, they usually side with the Bullies!! We have lost plenty of good employees, all due to ‘jealous bully’ Managers/Supervisors!!
But what goes around,comes around! You will reap what you sow!
The only thing I can say, is to document,document,and document! Their actions and words against you! Then hire
you a good lawyer OUT of Sonoma County. Make sure you KEEP your log@ home, just use small notes and put them somewhere safe or call your own phone and leave messages to document later.
There are som Lawyers that will only get paid, after you win your case!! Too much back scratching and deep pockets!
Stay encouraged and don’t give up the fight!!
Lovebug
Neville NEVER ever… NEVER…EVER… NEVER… was a UNION employee……
She was a department HEAD…..not a lowly mail room clerk or office assistant or even a secretary.
MANAGERS AND DEPARTMENT HEADS are NOT…never have been & are NOT …and still ARE NOT …UNION MEMBERS.
again Managers & Dept. Heads are NOT UNION EMPLOYEES……..but you can see from this EXAMPLE of NEVILLE it took hell freezing OVER to get rid or her.
The public has NO idea the HELL this woman did to the employees & ethic violations.
Bet the PUBLIC does not want to know about all the OTHER COUNTY DEPARTMENT HEAD and manager losers……..
Do you – you do not want to know about them – those manager & dept. heads that make 6 figure incomes that have been FIRED and sued over MISCONDUCT at other counties before coming to OUR Sonoma County.
The public only knows of 2: Neville and Bob Deis (county got rid of him but different story).
So, ask yourself do you really want to know the truth about managers & dept. heads or not?
The bad & ugly?
We county employees have written letters to the editors for more than a decade now…………
OUR LETTERS never get published.
Lowly county clerical worker
@skippy
“Don’t drink and drive.”
Yes, but if you do, and if you are pulled over by the CHP, do not turn what could have been a routine DUI into a rodeo–not if you want to remain a County department head.
@zuma
“Once again we have courts making rules, laws and regulations!”
Zuma, go the the building at the corner of 3rd and E Streets–you know, across from the pub. It’s a library. Ask the lady behind the desk to see “the California statutes.” They are really big books and there are a lot of them. It may surprise you to learn that these are just some of the laws that the courts interpret.
Mocking,
Your comment about the Union being behind this is very disturbing, but probably true. The Union seems to have a strangle hold on our County and it’s politics. This reminds me of another time when another Union was out of control. Google the name Jimmy Hoffa and that Union. This is what this Union is beginning to act like. They are acting as if this Union is above the law. This Union acts as if they control this County and it’s Government. We won’t read it in this newspaper when something awful happens is
done by this Union (SEIU). If I was a betting person, it’s just a question of time before this Union takes its to a whole new level of illegal activities in this County.
The bird thinks we all should thank SEIU for doing such a wonderful job of managing the county in its firing practices.
Isn’t this the same union, SEIU, that brought totally bankrupting pension plan benefits to the county? Isn’t this the same SEIU that pulls the strings of the bored of stupervisors and put them in office with their political contributions, election efforts and votes?
No, bird has flown into the wrong nest as all birds who lead the union flock tend to do. Feathering their own nest at taxpayers expense.
Richard James Emory-you can thank Bob Deis for her hiring and you can thank SEIU members for getting rid of both him and Neville. Amy Cooper is back and doing a great job as a manager. Rank and file workers like good managers who do competent work for the public and don’t attack their workers without reason. Rank and file union members are good for something-getting rid of abusive managers at least in these two cases along with the former CAO.
Remember, managers aren’t union. Frontline, rank and file workers are union and they work for you (and they know it). The public needs to support them not attack them. Help them make changes at the top for a better functioning county government.
What a LOSER.
Who vetted Neville in the first place? Her good friend the county manager?
Neville is a perfect example of a government employee. Can’t be fired, can’t be criticized, cannot be suspended, why because she works for the public and only the public can judge her.
The unaswered question is, why shouldn’t the county ag commissioner be subject to political influence at the local level? She was working for the government and the board of supervisors after all, not General Motors.
Its government employees like Neville who give government employees the bad name they so richly deserve when they are fired and claim discrimiation or unfair treatment. These employees are the most protected given more rights that any other employee group in our society.
Its too bad Neville is costing the taxpayers a ton of money in attorney fees to keep her little fantasy going. Hopefully the county will bill her for all costs.
Once again we have courts making rules, laws and regulations!
This woman was not let go because of her drinking and driving. She was let go because of her work record and because of the toxic environment she created in the AG department. The drinking and driving and firing of Amy Cooper only called attention to her own poor work performance.
There are more at the top in the county who need to go. The BOS knows there are too many managers but they are reluctant to make them cull themselves. They, again are handing over the job to the very same managers who protected themselves last time. Instead, it looks like they are going after the rank and file workers who have already lost plenty since 2008. It’s shameful that those at the top are not “sharing” in the pain. The public should call them on it. CULL FROM THE TOP FIRST THIS TIME
Lay off 20 managers and save the 5M the BOS say needs to come from the rank and file.
Don’t drink and drive.