Oxnard—In his Tuesday report to the City Council, City Manager Alex Nguyen wished everyone a Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
“The first St. Patrick’s Day took place on March 17, 1737,” he said.
He was commenting on a whistleblower complaint, and he noted that everyone has the right to speak.
“At the microphone, you can express your opinion, and you can make your allegations, you can raise your questions, anything you want,” he said. “Remember that no one is accountable for what they say there.”
On the City side, he said not long ago, elected officials were held accountable for what they said, and now they’re not.
“Here, with all the City Staff and City Clerk, we are held accountable for what we say,” he said. “From that perspective, words matter even more to us.”
When things are said that “bashes Staff,” he will speak up and clarify the record.
“That has happened, and that will always happen,” he said. “Any decent City Manager will do that.”
Nguyen played a tape, which said during the January 27, Finance and Governance Committee report about the Whistleblower Program, Council Member Aaron Starr alleged that City Employees had committed theft of wages.
“Instead…
