Trumpized

Oxnard's Elected City Treasurer Phillip Molina
photo courtesy of Citizens Journal

 VS

Blogger's opinion: 

Sometimes it's hard to differentiate between Oxnard City Hall and the tactics being employed by Washington DC politicians today. Examples are muzzling, smearing, degrading, discrediting, distracting, and other wise harassing anyone who dares to disseminate information to the public - information the City wants to keep secret from the taxpayers.

So what’s next for our City Treasurer Phil Molina - the "#MeToo" gambit? The present harassment  of Molina by the City Manager could not take place without tacit, if not overt, Mayoral and City Council approval.

                                                  Phillip Molina’s complaint                                                                      

Why is your elected City Treasurer prevented from using his official city email?
Inbox
   
phillip molina

Mayor, Council members, Friend, and local newspaper:

Elected officials are sent emails using Bcc as directed by the City Attorney to avoid violating the Brown Act.

Many of you have asked me to continue to provide financial transparency to what Oxnard is doing. Others have simply said keep it up.  Quite of few of you are city managers, and city employees as well as members of the public.

Thank you for your support.

Now, you've also asked what started this food fight and what it the possible outcome.  Well it is a bit involved but to my knowledge these are the facts:
1. In 2018 the city claimed two women filed an harassment (not sexual) claim against me.  The two women I rarely spoke to and usually only to say Good Morning and Good Evening. So it was not surprise after months waiting, many staff including me being interrogated by a professional investigator, the city has produced nothing.  My Attorney submitted a formal request after waiting over 18 months for a conclusion, and the city Attorney, Stephen Fischer, has not even had the professional courtesy to respond, let alone provide any future date for a conclusion. This though the law requires to quick resolution to such complaints.
2. In July of this year (2019) I, like all city employees,  was required to attend a class on harassment. In that class it was brought to my attention that when a manager or supervisor is excluded from staff meetings, meetings that provide direction, education, support and information necessary to conduct business, that is automatically classified as harassment, and retaliation by Federal law. (see attached item) Because I had been ordered by the City Manager, Alexander Nguyen to stop coming to the SLT (Senior Leadership Training meetings) , and because I was the only manager directed to stop coming, I filed an harassment and retaliation complaint against the City Manager (see attached). Alexander and I  met during the time my complaint was active.
3. Shortly after filing my complaint in August 16th, the City HR Director sent me a response on September 10, 2019 stating my complaint was without merit.
4. On September 10th, yes the same day I received response to my complaint, the City informed me two other city women filed an harassment complaint (not sexual) against me. These two women I have met and spoke to less than 3 times in the years I have been with the city.
5. I wrote an email to the City Attorney asking for his legal opinion on why I am not allowed to agendize the list of checks the city issues every week as required by State law. (see attached.)
6. Because I sent emails, which you have been offered, that included the women who filed the last complaint, my official City email address was terminated. But those same 2 women continue to send me emails, memos and notes.
7. I am ordered to not communicate with either woman who filed the complaint against me, yet I continue to receive communication from the women.

Now anyone reading this email knows that the City has control on who can send and receive specific emails.  The city has stopped my private emails from going to certain city staff. So the clear and simple question is, if the City did not want me to keep the 2 women informed about business they needed to know, the city could have put a rejected tag on each of these two women's email address to reject my city email. Instead the City Manager chose to terminate my 'official city email.

This is retaliation, suppression of free speech, and an attempt to put absolute control over what your elected City Treasurer can provide to you.

Respectfully,
Phillip Molina
Your Elected City Treasurer,
Working for the public to keep your city liquid assets safe, secure and earning interest for the City.

lady justice for Molina

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Andrew Covner <acovner@normandowler.com>
Date: Thu, Sep 12, 2019 at 12:14 PM
Subject: Complaint Investigation
To: Steve Naveau <steve.naveau@oxnard.org>
Cc: Phil Molina <molinpc@gmail.com>, <aescareno@aalrr.com>

Mr. Naveau,

On January 11, 2019, Mr. Molina was interviewed by attorney Abraham Escareno of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, hired by the City of Oxnard to investigate harassment complaints allegedly made by City employees.  See attached.  To date, neither Mr. Molina or this office has been informed of the outcome or status of the investigation.  Please confirm in writing that the investigation has been completed and the matter has been closed based on insufficient evidence to support a finding of harassment by Mr. Molina.  If the matter is still pending, please provide an update.

Thank you.

Andrew H. Covner, Esq.



Bloggers note - to date this request had not been responded  to, the question is WHY? perhaps related to Phil"s coming reelection?

"separating the wheat from the chaff"

gun control

     My position on gun control.

 But first lets cut through the political hype and hysteria.

Fact: there were 39,773 reported gun deaths in 2018.
Fact: 14,611 of those were deaths by gun violence.
Fact: 992 were death by police shootings.
Fact: 23,854 of those were suicides by gun. Nearly two-thirds of all gun deaths in the U.S. are suicides
Fact: number of mass shootings (as defined by FBI) - shootings 323, dead 387  and 1274 injured.
Fact: rifles account for about 4% of all gun deaths in 2018.
Fact: there are already two  existing federal background check laws on the books, the Brady act (Pub.L. 103–159, 107 Stat. 1536,  enacted  OCT. 22,  1968  and PUBLIC  LAW 90-618 - November 30, 1993)
November 30, 1993)
As a rational for licensing guns, references are made and compared to motor vehicle licensing, hardly a “poster boy” for gun control Safety.  so lets take a look.
Fact: estimates of traffic deaths in the U.S. topped 40,000 last year. 4.5 million people were seriously injured. Licensing vehicles hasn’t  stopped the carnage on our highways and licensing guns will not stop gun violence, but it will provide a convenient tax base for the politicians to exploit when they need more funds to squander.
Licensing guns could also be perceived as a precursor to gun confiscation, (which has already surfaced) playing right into the NRA’s narrative.

More deaths from licensed vehicles then unlicensed guns

Yes - ban all assault weapons and assault weapon magazines - ban all other magazines over 8-10 round capacity - instigate a voluntary buyback program for assault weapons with a FAIR market values for gun purchases. Estimated number assault weapons in private hands - 10 million or more, average value of an assault weapon in good condition - $500 to $600. The government would need to appropriate over 5 billion dollars for the buyback program.

Yes to background checks with emphasis on persons association with hate and anti-government groups as defined by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
We already have background check laws, they only need to be expanded to include gun shows and etc.

Yes to “red flag” legislation  provided (I want to be quite clear on this) the legislation contains strong language to protect against individual and governmental abuse of the law. Very easy to use the law as a tool of revenge or intimidation.

In reality, the most affective action to take would be to form a task force similar to the one currently used to protect our country against  foreign terrorist, to closely monitor activities of all hate and anti-government groups as well as “lone wolfs” threats.

I hope I’ve not lest the impression that I’m anti-gun control, nothing could be further from the truth. I believe that something must be done to address and curb the slaughter, but it must be done in a sane and sensible manner  and peoples rights must be respected in the process.

If not handled in an sensible and judicious manner, by congress, this issue has the potential to turn millions of law abiding gun owners into instant criminals. 

"separating the wheat from the chaff"

a teeny weeny change

Can a minuscule event in our world’s environment have massive future consequences?

According to the UK Independent, some 9,000 years ago the earth shifted its tilt ever so slightly, from 24.14 degrees off vertical to its present 23.45 degrees, just a 0.69 degree difference.

The results of that tiny little shift in the earth’s tilt resulted in the birth of the Sahara desert, covering some  3.5 million square miles. Prior to the shift the region was a vibrant and lush grasslands.

So yes, small incremental changes can and do have large impacts on our environment.

When you hear that the oceans warmed a fraction, the average global temperate rose a tiny bit, or the oceans’ CO2 levels climbed a bit, be aware that there will be impacts looming in our future.

Do not let yourself be fooled or conned by the nay sayers.
It’s said with some truth that “you are either part of the solution or you are part of the problem.” Please be part of the solution.

What the region must have look like 9,000 years ago.

"separating the wheat from the chaff"