People on list between Jan. 1, 2022 and Sept. 26, 2024, include city manager, former mayor and many retirees
24 didn’t last a year, 14 more didn’t last two years, 13 others lasted three years or less
LOD BANOS, CA — Following the complaint by Los Banos District 4 Councilwoman Deborah Lewis at the council meeting on Oct. 2, 2024, about staff turnover, in an apparent effort to discredit City Manager Josh Pinheiro, a request was submitted to City Clerk / Human Resources Director Lucy Mallonee for the list of the City employees who have left in recent years.
During that meeting, as previously reported, Lewis said, “Our city has continued losing employees. We lost our Chief Brizzee over a year ago, our Fire Chief, our Public Works Director. We lost our Finance Director, Sonia. We also lost Kim Tomas to the County, who was our second in command, and also the City Treasurer.” But she did not provide any context or details as to why they left the City’s employ.
Assistant City Clerk/HR Analyst Sara Blevins emailed the list to the Enterprise and said, “The only information we are able to provide is the employee’s job title, their hire date, their separation date, and their years of service.” The list shows a total of 90 City employees who have left for one reason or another. Those reasons could include retirement, accepting a higher or better-paying position with another agency, because they didn’t make it past probation, such as new recruits in the police department, they moved out of town, were only working a part-time position, or they were terminated. Following is an analysis of the 90 positions.
One thing to note is many government employees who reach retirement eligibility will leave one agency for a position with another to earn an additional pension or retirement. Other city employees hold temporary positions paid for by grants or other funding.
Pinheiro was hired as city manager the first time on a 5-0 vote October 4, 2021, and because he was terminated June 15, 2022, – on a 3-2 vote – he’s even on the list. Of the total, the list provided shows 17 city employees left in 2022 during Pinheiro’s first stint in the City’s top employee position. Before he was rehired Feb. 15, 2023, another 21 City employees left during his eight-month absence. Finally, since Pinheiro’s return, an additional 52 City employees have left.
Most who left did not answer to or work with the city manager.
17 Departures in 2022 During First Time Pinheiro Was City Manager
Among the 17 employees who left in 2022 during Pinheiro’s first role as city manager, four didn’t make it a year, four others didn’t last for two years and three only made it three years or less.
Of the other six other employees, the list includes Fire Chief Mason Hurley who retired on May 8, 2022, Police Commander Jason Headen who left Feb. 15, 2022, to be the Chief of Police in Turlock, a Supervisor retired after 23 years, two months on the job and a Recreation Coordinator II who retired
after 22 years, two months with the City.
The Accounting Clerk 1 who left after just three years was Alyssa Grijalva, who filed a complaint with a long letter addressed to Pinheiro about how she was mistreated by her two female superiors.
21 Departures During Pinheiro’s Absence
The list also includes a Council Member, referring to former Mayor Tom Faria, who resigned in Sept. 2022 before his term was over, after Pinheiro was terminated.
Other top City staff members who left during Pinheiro’s absence were Finance Director Sonia Williams who left on July 5, 2022, after 12 years, eight months as a City employee and the Human Resources Technician 1 left just four days later on July 9, after eight years, two months with the City. That followed a third-party outside investigation of Williams and Assistant City Clerk / Human Resources Analyst Jana Sousa, who left on Aug. 19, 2022, after 32 years, three months, and other City employees. The two ladies avoided participating in the investigation. The report came back later that fall and substantiated the accusations made by Grijalva who spoke out publicly about it during the council meeting on July 6, 2022. (See 31:30 mark of video)
During her Public Forum comments that night she said she had resigned earlier in the year and that the Finance Department had a “toxic environment”, had “toxic upper level employees…such as the Accounting and Budget Supervisor (who also served as the elected City Treasurer), Finance Director, Human Resources Director and Assistant City Clerk / HR Analyst” and during the previous “three years a total of 10 employees had left the department.” Grijalva also praised Pinheiro and said it was Williams who was firing employees “left and right.”
Before the investigation, Williams, Sousa and City Clerk / Human Resources Director Lucy Mallonee filed a complaint with the City Council against Pinheiro. It was because of the investigation authorized by Pinheiro that led to his termination by the council majority of Faria, District 4 Councilwoman Deborah Lewis and then-District 2 Councilman Refugio LLamas.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Sousa left to be Principal Human Relations Analyst for the City of Turlock, a position that lasted just three months, and since March 2023 has worked as the Human Resources Director for the City of Atwater.
Another long-time staff member, the Administrative Coordinator, left on August 19, 2022, after 32 years, three months, which is clearly another retirement.
52 Departures Since Pinheiro’s Return
Of the 52 employees who have separated from employment with the City since Pinheiro was rehired in 2023, 20 worked for the City less than a year, 10 for less than two years and one lasted just two years and two months. Of the other 21 employees, nine retired from their positions with the City.
The leaders included Police Chief Gary Brizzee who retired Nov. 17, 2023 after 21 years, one month with the City, Finance Manager Kim Tomas, who retired on Jan. 19, 2024, after 16 years, three months with the City and Public Works Director / City Engineer Soknirom Than, who left on Nov. 3, 2023, after only one year, eight months with the City, having been hired to be the City Manager for the City of Gustine.
In addition, the list includes a Police Officer who retired on Nov. 30, 2023, after 28 years, 11 months; a Public Works Foreman who also retired on Nov. 30 2023, after 17 years and four months; a Police Sergeant who left on Dec. 1, 2023, after 25 years, 10 months; another Public Works Foreman who also retired on Dec. 1, 2023, after 25 years, three months; another Police Officer retired on Aug. 1, 2024, after 23 years, eight months with the City; and finally, an Accountant 1 left on Sept. 26, 2024, after 12 years, eight months with the City.
Much of the turnover in staff is common with large organizations. Plus, it’s not unusual for employees in any organization to leave when a new boss is hired because they either don’t agree with the new direction offered or the style of leadership. It’s no different with the City of Los Banos.
