| Photo by Igro Rinaldi on Unsplash
Part XI of “Proactive People Must Protect Own Neighborhood” Series
It is about time that voters in a small city like West Covina, California, finally wake up and defeat members of an alleged clique of power grabbers who apparently controlled, and still control, the City Council for more than two decades. The clique also controlled the West Covina mayorship, as the position rotates among the five elected members of the City Council.
The controlling vested interests work with suppliers and vendors like a garbage-collecting firm, which has a 25-year contract with a “GIGO” (Garbage In, Garbage Out) “evergreen clause” that automatically renews it every year with a guaranteed increase in the garbage-collection rates paid by households and businesses to the contractor.
The GIGO contract with Athens Services is just the tip of a proverbial iceberg of corruption floating in the West Covina City Hall. Thank God for sending Fredrick Sykes, who was elected the first Black-American member of the West Covina City Council in the 2011 election. After the election, Fred Sykes received a $1,000 check by mail from Athens Services as its supposed help to the newly elected councilmember in paying off campaign debts. Mr. Sykes promptly mailed the check back to the sender. And then cast the only vote against a City Council resolution approving the onerous 25-year contract with Athens Services. It came with the now-infamous “evergreen clause”. Of course, the clique worked hard against then City Mayor Sykes’ reelection bid in 2015. He was defeated by 52 votes in a city-wide election.
It is time now for all present and former officials of the City of West Covina, and employees of Athens Services and other suppliers and vendors, to come out in the open. And emulate, or at least follow in the footsteps of Fredrick Sykes and his campaign for good, honest, legal, and morally correct city governance.
Whistleblower protection laws are federal and state statutes designed to protect workers from employer retaliation—such as firing, demotion, or harassment—when they report illegal activity, waste, fraud, abuse, or public-safety risks. These laws encourage ethical reporting by ensuring safe channels and legal remedies for individuals who expose wrongdoing.
“Whistleblower protection laws are federal and state statutes designed to protect workers from employer retaliation—such as firing, demotion, or harassment—when they report illegal activity, waste, fraud, abuse, or public-safety risks. These laws encourage ethical reporting by ensuring safe channels and legal remedies for individuals who expose wrongdoing.”
A key federal law is the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) of 1989. It shields federal civil service employees and applicants from adverse personnel actions for disclosing government illegality, gross waste, or safety hazards.
There is also the California Whistleblower Protection Act (Gov. Code § 8547 et seq.) that protects state government employees and members of the public who report improper governmental activities, waste, fraud, or abuse of authority to the California State Auditor.
For private-sector and general workers, California Labor Code § 1102.5 is the primary statute that prohibits workplace retaliation. It covers reporting violations of state or federal laws, local ordinances, or safety rules to internal supervisors, management, or external government and law-enforcement agencies.
If some of the whistleblowers profited from the business deals between the City and suppliers or contractors like Athens Services, they must also turn in as state witnesses. Yes, to avoid being co-defendants in a possibly RICO federal case, as discussed earlier in this series. They can also turn in the amounts they received from Athens Services and other vendors and suppliers, too.
Quo vadis, West Covina’s whistleblowers and potential state witnesses? Will you be as gutsy and brave as Frederick Sykes? Or would you rather act like “cowards of the county,” oops, City, as described in Kenny Rogers’ song?
