A former San Diego County assistant chief administrative officer who alleges he faced discrimination and was demoted has sued the county.
In the lawsuit, Michael Vu accuses officials, including two members of the Board of Supervisors at the time, of punishing him for failing to agree to an “illegal backroom deal.”
He alleges that though a plan was in place for him to succeed his retiring boss, CAO Helen Robbins-Meyer, current Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer and former Supervisor Nora Vargas – both named as defendants in the lawsuit – intervened to disrupt those plans.
Vu claims Vargas declined to support Vu because she said the new CAO should be a person of color. When a “shocked” Robbins-Meyer said Vu was Asian, Vargas allegedly said, “That doesn’t count, they have opportunities and education. We need a Hispanic or Black.”
Vu also alleges Lawson-Remer “refused” to back him becoming CAO, but said she would offer support if he made another county official, Paul Worlie, the assistant CAO. He alleges this offer was made to both him and Robbins-Meyer, but both rejected it.
Afterwards, Vu claims he was demoted with “a substantial cut in pay,” leading him to resign last October.
Vu filed a legal claim in October detailing many of the same allegations. Both Vargas and Lawson-Remer denied the claims.
Lawson-Remer said in a statement at the time, “This is not the first disgruntled employee who has filed a lawsuit when they did not get hired for a job.”
Vargas said, “I unequivocally deny making any statements that promote or condone discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or national origin … The allegations made against me are not only false but totally contradict my values and record of public service.”
Along with the discrimination and retaliation allegations in his legal claim, Vu’s lawsuit adds a defamation claim.
After the legal claim was reported by local news outlets, Vu alleges he was defamed by the responses to his allegations, which painted him as “dishonest and disgruntled.” He alleges their statements harmed his reputation and made him appear “unfit to practice his profession as a trusted high-level county executive and manager.”
Prior to assuming the assistant CAO job in 2021, Vu served as the county’s registrar of voters. The county ultimately named Ebony Shelton chief administrative officer late last spring.
At the time Shelton, a long-time county employee, was hired, Vargas’ office praised her as a “proud Afro-Latina of Black and Salvadoran ancestry, (who) understands the impacts of history on Black and Latino communities.”
Vargas left office in January, despite having won re-election, citing public safety concerns. A runoff in the special election to fill her seat is set for July 1.
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