An Orange County jury has awarded $2.9 million to Rita Ramirez, a former Santa Ana police administrator, finding she was the victim of unlawful retaliation from then-Police Chief David Valentin stemming from her refusal to take sides in an intra-departmental brawl between Valentin and the Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA) leadership.
Takeaways: Vindication for Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua and the SAPOA, long-time critics of Valentin’s leadership — Jury verdict runs contrary to Valentin’s narrative portraying himself as a victim — Black-eye for Supervisor Vince Sarmiento, a Valentin champion.
Ramirez found herself caught in the middle of a conflict between Valentin and then-SAPOA President Gerry Serrano, who was waging an unsuccessful effort to adjust his pension in his favor.
READ: The Public Policy Issue Behind The Serrano-Santa Ana Acrimony
Ramirez steadfastly refused to take sides in the fight, despite intense pressure from Valentin and his allies to “pick a camp.”
According to her lawsuit, Ramirez was visited in her office by Command Staff to demand she side with either Valentin’s faction or Serrano’s, or she would wind up at the “bottom of the food chain.”
“These ‘camps’ had been the subject of much discussion throughout the department and Ramirez felt as though she had just been delivered a message from the ‘gang leader’ (i.e. Valentin) via his more senior gang members,” the lawsuit alleges.
“Ramirez wanted no involvement whatsoever with this situation and explained to them that, while she worked for Valentin, she was a City employee and would not be forced into choosing a ‘camp,’” the lawsuit says.
Ramirez’s neutrality made her a target for retaliation. Her job duties were stripped from her. She said during one interaction with Valentin, he dismissively said to her, “You’re still here?”
The jury also unanimously determined Ramirez was also subjected to retaliation for speaking up about the ill-treatment of women in police department, and held that the city failed correct misconduct by current and former SAPD top leadership.
Vindication For Amezcua And SAPOA
The verdict can be seen as vindication for Mayor Amezcua and the SAPOA, who were vilified for their criticisms of Chief Valentin.
“Years ago, we raised concerns about the toxic work environment created under former Chief Valentin, and Mayor Amezcua appropriately confronted those issues upon taking office,” said SAPOA President John Kachirisky in a statement.
Kachirisky called former Santa Ana Mayor and current Supervisor Vince Sarmiento to account for Valentin’s legacy: “Much of that environment developed during the tenure of former Mayor Vicente Sarmiento and his leadership team, who should be the ones answering the difficult questions raised at the time.”
“Since the departure of former Chief Valentin, we have seen significant improvements in our working relationship with the current Chief and his leadership team. We look forward to moving ahead collaboratively to strengthen trust, accountability, and professionalism within the Santa Ana Police Department,” said Kachirisky.
Valentin had a positive relationship with police department rank-and-file during his early tenure as chief, after taking over from Chief Carlos Rojas in2017. Rojas had been pushed out by then-Mayor Pulido and his council allies.
However, that relationship soon soured, culminating in a 2021 vote of “no confidence” by the SAPOA membership.
Verdict A Black-Eye For Vince Sarmiento
The verdict is a black-eye for Supervisor Vince Sarmiento, a key Valentin ally. The retaliation to which the Valentin regime subjected Ramirez occurred on Sarmiento’s watch while he was mayor of Santa Ana.
“He is an ethical person with a lot of integrity, but [also] leadership skills,” Sarmiento said in a video congratulating Valentin on his retirement in 2023.
