People in Los Angeles may have heard of City Councilman Jose Huizar. What they may not have heard is that on June 7 of this year, his former deputy chief of staff filed a workplace discrimination case against him and the city of Los Angeles. The Department of Fair Employment and Housing confirmed the existence of the suit just recently.
According to the woman’s allegations, she was harassed, retaliated against and discriminated against because she wouldn’t engage in sexual activities with her boss. She claims she was subjected to sexual harassment such as “hostile work environment” and “quid pro quo,” according to the complaint. She further alleges that any aspirations she had of a political career were sabotaged, and she was denied a promotion, forced to transfer and then forced to quit her job.
The woman began working for the Los Angeles City Councilman in 2006. Between March of that year and Jan. 2012, her salary had more than doubled. She now has another position working for the city’s sanitation bureau as a principal project coordinator. She began that job nearly four months ago, presumably shortly after she left her post with Councilman Huizar.
Every employee in our city and our state has the right to work in an environment free from workplace discrimination. Companies may want to make sure that their discrimination and harassment policies and procedures are up to date and comply with current law. Employees should feel comfortable that they can report inappropriate behavior without fear of reprisal simply because they made a complaint.
Source: Source: Los Angeles Times, “Councilman Jose Huizar hit by employee discrimination complaint,” David Zahniser, Aug. 12, 2013