Correspondence - CS Item No. 3 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 "I am very disheartened by the press release you forwarded on behalf of the City. Much of the 2 information being released by the City over the last two months is completely false,and I would like to know who authored this memorandum.The individual did not sign their name to it,and they are 3 quoting several senior City officials;to include the Chief of Police,City Manager and the Mayor. 4 I am very concerned by the continual dismissal of the Chiefs conduct by the City Manager, City 5 Attorney and Mayor.Their quotes in several articles posted in the Voice of OC and the OC Register discredit and discourage the members of our Department who have filed grievances,complaints and 6 ` even lawsuits against the Chief. The fact that these senior City officials have made it a point to 7 conflate the issue of the Chief s unprofessional and illegal conduct with Sergeant Serrano's alleged pension dispute shows me and other members of the Department that they are complicit in his 8 actions. Ms. Ridge's comment regarding the membership voting no confidence is, `hardly an overwhelming display of opposition for Chief Valentin,' is one of the most demoralizing things I 9 have read in quite some time. 10 The POA Vote of No Confidence has nothing to do with Gerry Serrano and everything to do with 11 the conduct of Chief David Valentin.The fact that every member had the right to a confidential vote, 12 and 54%of the membership saying they have no confidence in Chief Valentin clearly shows this to be true.In other words,nearly two hundred members felt strongly enough that Chief Valentin is unfit 13 to lead our Department; and City management dismissed our concerns without taking any time to consider the substance of our collective grievance. This is evidenced in the fact that you sent a 14 . response on behalf of the City a mere hour and twenty-seven minutes after the release of the POA 15 memo. 15 You yourself are a witness to the Chiefs conduct, as you were present in roll call with Chief 17 Valentin the day he berated me in front of twenty Department members for simply asking a question in an open forum that he provided.He spoke in a disparaging manner about my military training and 18 service,as well as my concern for the safety,well-being and concerns of junior patrol Officers.You 19. as a manager did nothing to intercede while he created a hostile work environment for me and everyone present.And to my knowledge,you have done nothing to correct the false narratives being 20 pushed out by the City's senior management. 21 As you may or may not be aware,I reported this incident to the City Manager through my attorney, 22 Corey Glave. The City has refused to take my complaint seriously,and based on the results of the Vote of No Confidence, many share in my dismay over the way City Officials are handling our 23 grievances.Who will do their part in holding this Chief accountable for his actions?Who will hold 24 Sergeant Oscar Lizardi accountable? He has been identified by Department personnel as someone who has intimidated sworn employees on behalf of Chief Valentin. Sergeant Lizardi and his unit 25 have a challenge coin with their motto on it: "Oderint Dum Metuant." This translates in Latin to, "Let them hate, so long as they fear."I pose this question to you, who exactly is supposed to fear 26 MET? Is it the citizens of the community of Santa Ana,or the members of the Department?Photos 27 of the coin are attached to this email for reference. 111 28 111 15 CARI)XNAL v.MY OF SANTA ANA CAsgNO. CVMP.nuvr