Nearly a month after a tense, hour-long Hall of Justice hearing to decide the fate of a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department sergeant accused of spreading “rumors and/or gossip,” the agency this week decided to demote the woman despite her claims that she was trying to report misconduct.
The punishment for Rosa Gonzalez, now a congresswoman, came after she shared copies of a 2021 complaint she wrote alleging that department officials had discriminated against women, a person with possible autism and another whistleblower like her.
As The Times previously reportedGonzalez initially laid out her allegations in a 2022 lawsuit accusing department officials of transferring her to a less desirable position immediately after she filed her complaint.
The data shows that downgrades are not common and your case has sparked controversy within the department's ranks. This week, Gonzalez told The Times that he plans to appeal to the Los Angeles County Civil Service Commission.
“My actions in 2021 were in good faith,” he said. “The investigation against me was a complete fraud based on reporting LASD leadership on illegal labor practices and corruption.”
She presented her case as evidence of the need for greater oversight of the department and said punishing her now for conduct that occurred three years ago is prohibited by police discipline statutes of limitations.
The Sheriff's Department offered no comment on this week's decision, but previously told The Times that it investigates all allegations of misconduct and has policies in place to “protect individuals from all forms of discrimination, harassment, retaliation and inappropriate conduct.”
Gonzalez also sued the department in 2015, alleging that an alleged gang of officers known as the Banditos operated out of the East LA sheriff’s station and had created a culture of misogyny there. She said she had been the victim of sexual harassment and gender discrimination, and that Banditos members had withheld backup on dangerous calls.
When she filed a complaint about it, she alleged that the department retaliated by transferring her to a less desirable station. The county denied her allegations, but in 2019 settled the case for a million dollars.
In 2021, Gonzalez, who was then a sergeant, was assigned to the Office of Personnel Management, which handles hiring, promotions and transfers. While there, she said she noticed troubling practices.
In one case, as she later alleged in her 2022 lawsuit, agency leaders forced a woman to transfer because they said she was “not young.” They also allegedly hired one applicant because he was attractive and male and then refused to hire another applicant because he was “possibly autistic,” the suit says.
Gonzalez accused the bureau's leaders of committing timecard fraud, misusing donated money and conspiring to allow a rising lieutenant to cheat on a promotion exam.
In October 2021, she filed a lengthy complaint accusing agency leaders of illegal hiring practices, retaliation, and several other issues. After consulting with her union representative, Gonzalez sent copies of the complaint to the alleged victims she had named in it.
Several weeks later, Gonzalez learned that the department’s Internal Affairs Office was investigating her. In early 2022, she filed her lawsuit accusing the department of retaliating against her for raising her concerns.
Capt. Yvonne O'Brien, who was in charge of the personnel office at the time, declined to comment, citing pending litigation. Former Sgt. Carmen Arballo, who was O'Brien's No. 2 at the time and has since retired, said the department found the allegations Gonzalez raised in her complaint to be unfounded.
Earlier this year, the department sent Gonzalez a letter announcing its intention to demote her because she had “spread rumors and/or gossip” when she shared her complaint that contained “personal information” and “factors unrelated to unfair hiring practices.” She was accused of violating some of the same equity policies — those prohibiting harassment based on sex, age and disabilities — that she had originally accused her superiors of violating.
Gonzalez fought back and argued her case at last month’s hearing. This week, the department informed her of the outcome in a five-page letter, and Gonzalez said she has since been reassigned to work the night shift at the sheriff’s station in Cerritos.
For Vince Miller, the attorney representing Gonzalez in his pending 2022 lawsuit, it's a troubling development.
“This is going to send a chilling message” to other whistleblowers, she told The Times. “Part of the reason they are doing this to her is because they know how respected she is and I think this is a message to all whistleblowers that this is what is going to happen if they speak out.”
