Grand Jury Report Finds Toxic Workplace Culture in Willits City Government
![Willits in the smoke in September of 2020. [Photo by Natalie Sadler]](https://kymkemp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Smoke-in-Willits-in-2020.jpg)
Willits in the smoke from wildfires during September of 2020. [Photo by Natalie Sadler]
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury has released a report titled Healing the Toxic Culture in the City of Willits Workplace. The investigation was launched after a complaint was filed describing a pattern of intimidation, retaliation, and general dysfunction within the city government. While the complaint raised several issues, the Grand Jury narrowed its focus to the workplace environment under the city’s top management.
Interviews with employees, department heads, and members of the City Council painted a troubling picture. According to the report, staff described being belittled, bullied, and targeted if they raised concerns. Several said they feared losing their jobs and reported witnessing angry outbursts and retaliatory behavior by senior leaders. Many of those interviewed shared that the City Manager eliminated the Human Resources Director position—removing a key way to deal with workplace complaints.
The Grand Jury found that the City of Willits failed to follow its own Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual. The report notes that protections against harassment, discrimination, and bullying exist on paper but were not being followed in practice. Employees reported incidents ranging from belittling comments to threats and inappropriate discussions of personal appearance. “It was a normal pattern for top management to belittle, bully and talk badly about anyone they did not like no matter if it was unethical or morally wrong,” the report state that one employee asserted.
With no HR Director in place, and top management often the subject of the complaints, employees were left without recourse, according to the Grand Jury.
The report also found that the Willits City Council failed to meet its oversight responsibilities. According to city policy, the Council is supposed to review the City Manager’s performance annually by April 30, but the Grand Jury found that hadn’t been happening. This lapse in accountability allowed problems to fester and staff morale to suffer.
The report includes several recommendations, including reinstating the Human Resources Director position, ensuring annual performance reviews take place, and creating better oversight of personnel policy compliance.
Information from the Mendocino County Grand Jury:
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Willits tests high in Dysfunction, especially over at Adventist Health…
Mean, cruel folks over there…
Willits is charming, I guess, and now you can skim right through and avoid the whole thing…
I don’t miss those Sunday Afternoon traffic jams in the 100 degree Summer…
“God’s mercy on you swine”
Hunter S. Thompson
Sounds like you haven’t been south in a while, the bypass has been there for years now.
You must be someone from the past. The hospital is amazing space in Willits one never seen before in such a small community.
WAIT. WHAT? Hmmm…toxic, lies, nepotism, classic rug sweeping tactics. Well known forever yet nothing changes for the better, do not learn or grow when called on crappy behavior. Oh that’s right they learned from tada…Mendocino County. Consider, more of the same. Management has cut their teeth on judgey, controlling, out of touch, blind eyed politics since their formation. If it looks ok, it must be okay. Behind the shiny facade the key players smile, paychecks in the bank. Those in power and control rarely, if ever, yeild ther swords with concise purpose. The preferred blind bat swing showing power without connecting.
And now retired Mendocino Sheriff Tom Allman is the mayor of Willits. During his tenure the MCSO was and is corrupt. Ask yourself, why does he want to be the mayor of Willits? He is an obnoxious vindictive person who wants to strong arm our community and will run it into ground.
Sad that such a sweet little town can be so cruel and unfair.
It looks cute. It has a deep DARK underbelly that is really sad to admit . Sitting #3 in state addiction rates. The haves vs the have nots which does suck. If we look at the health of Willits as a whole the divide is clearly evident. With massive budget cuts occurring we are going to be called to support each other more and more. Looking down on folks don’t work. Lift em up, kindness matters most.
When I worked in willits there’s one employee that he said if he had to have another talking to for his behavior and saying I wasn’t doing my job when in fact I was, to the point that I was doing everybody’s job and the district manager knew that and seemed like on my side yet he was still talked to multiple times, still there causing issues even tho I’m not there anymore. I hold high resentment for my higher management where I worked after having my first child, was told I’d get my day shift normal schedule back so I could get used to working and having a new kid for it to last a week and the one employee complaining bc he couldn’t watch football of all things. If I pulled anything that he pulled just while I worked there I’d be fired anywhere else. Accepting counterfeit money, where I worked you had a limit of doing it 3x and your out no excuses yet he’s expected 4-5 just while there. Yet I was wrong for being over worked both at work and at home that when I went part time I got nothing but shit till I left.
Good work grand jury. Fix it Willits. Mayor, Council, be positive, and let’s get off our ass, hold those accountable, and get the correct people in place. Shake it up, fire those that offend the oath, hire those that will honor Willits. Harassment of any kind shouldn’t work here. Make it so. But do it quick, decisive, and fair. Spend the taxpayer money wisely on this. We are watching.
What happens when you were a police officer that was let go due to these corrupt officials and tried to report them but they terminated you instead? Asking for myself and 3 friends?
No police officers were let go due to corrupt officials. Those officers that were let go deserved termination, plain and simple. They thought they did not have to follow the rules and could do whatever they wanted and not face consequences. Each one of them that was let go, and one that resigned before he was let go because the Police Chief at the time gave him a heads up, did not deserve to wear the badge. Did you ever wonder why they were hired in the first place? Because the last two permanent Chiefs (Warnock and Lizarraga) were desperate to fill vacancies so they looked the other way and lied to leadership about the officers background reports. Think about it. An officer who forged his DD214 to reflect he received an honorable discharge when in fact he was dishonorably discharged. He committed felonies while in the military! He should never have been hired by any law enforcement agency. He was also fired from two other police departments for misconduct yet our Chief intentionally lied to leadership about these facts. The lieutenant that was fired for sexual harassment did not pass his psych exam twice!!! The Chief at the time withheld that information His inappropriate behavior was well known throughout the law enforcement community but they were too scared to speak up. And look at the damage he did to our community. Three sergeants terminated for their lack of leadership and misconduct. One of whom was tasked with conducting an IA on a police officer (his friend) who intentionally dragged the so called “investigation” for over 5 months and never completed it. Why you ask, because he wanted to put it off until the officer in question passed probation. Two of those sergeants were let go due to sexual harassment claims that cost the city millions. I could go on and on, but but you get the picture. They can blame others but in reality, they did not protect and serve the community. They were terminated from other cites and just got hired somewhere else. They play the pass the trash game and it happens across the nation.
You deserved it.