San Luis Obispo city attorney’s brother-in-law gets a job without any competition

August 27, 2013
Christine Dietrick

Christine Dietrick

CLARIFICATION: Ted Green is Christine Dietrick’s brother-in-law.

By KAREN VELIE and JOSH FRIEDMAN

San Luis Obispo city officials provided a job to a key employee’s brother-in-law without making the position available to current city employees or the general public.

City Attorney Christine Dietrick’s brother-in-law Ted R. Green needed a job. On July 25, Community Development Director Derek Johnson provided Green a temporary department position of administrative executive assistant at $22.95 an hour or $47,736 a year.

It is unclear if he is qualified for the job as the spaces to provide education levels completed or his last employment position were left blank on his personnel form.

Under California Law, all government positions must be advertised either internally or externally for the general population to apply to eliminate improprieties, such as nepotism. The position was never advertised.

Human Resources Director Monica Irons said that because they converted the position temporarily to a non-permanent post the city is not required to inform city employees or the general public about the job opening.

“I think word-of-mouth and referring people we know to be good responsible people is a pretty common recruitment practice,” Irons said.

The city’s employment opportunity program was negotiated with the employee union SLOCEA. According to the program’s agreement, all employee positions that become available must be advertised internally to allow existing staff to apply. If less than three qualified employees apply and /or if administration feels that there may be more qualified candidates externally the position is then advertised to the general public to ensure that the most qualified candidate is hired.

But, by appointing someone to a position temporarily the city can skirt the requirement that the job be announced internally.

The temporary appointment also lets the city attorney’s brother build up work experience in the position. That experience then can become a factor when a position is advertised as a permanent post. And, because the temporary job is classified as an internal employee position, Green would be among the people notified of the position when it is opened up for applications from city workers.

Would Green’s temporary appointment give him an advantage over other applicants?

“I guess,” Kathy Hamilton, human resources specialist said.

Green’s current position became available when Ryan Betz, who held the position for about six years, applied for and received the public works analyst position. A position several city staffers contend is permanent.

However, Irons contends Betz moved over to finance to fill another temporary position and will at some time in the future return to his old job.

“Ted was hired on a temporary basis for a temporary need, because the person who filled the position in the community development department was loaned to work in finance,” Irons said.

Currently, the position of administrative executive assistant pays $53,560 to $65,780 a year.

Sources within San Luis Obispo city hall said Dietrick is working to have the position reclassified as an administrative analyst. That job carries a salary range of from $60,996 to $76,206 a year, according to the city’s website.

Irons denied the allegation that the job title is being changed.

A few years ago, internal emails revealed that Irons requested that the community development department director hire Dan Doris to fill a vacant code enforcement position.

In the email, Iron says that she ran into Doris at a party she attended with her husband Jamie Irons, mayor of Morro Bay. Irons also said that her husband had work inspected by Doris, a former inspector for Morro Bay.

“I know that Dan has inspected remodels that Jamie (my husband) has done and Jamie has always respected and enjoyed his interactions with Dan,” Irons writes in her email to Tim Girvin, the city’s former chief building official.

Tim Girvin then appointed Doris to the position, again through a word of mouth job notification process, Irons said.

 

 


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This is about as sad as it gets.


I will bet there are plenty Cal Poly grads who would have loved to have had a chance to test and compete for this job, but the sad reality is that they have to realize that this is how the system works in an organization that is unethical.


Its not about your character or your grades or your effort … Its about who you know.


We citizens of SLO need to purge the city of the politicians and executive management people who condone and participate in this crap.


I’ll go out on a limb and say that this job, along with A TON of other jobs are NON-ESSENTIAL.


I bet we could probably get MORE done with a LOT LESS of these corrupt, inept, and expensive people. I sure would like to see it tried.


Let the retaliation begin!


I, for one, cannot wait to see in what way Ms. Dietrick decides to go after Karen & Josh for this story. You know it’s coming…


Ethics seems to be a missing component with this SLO government.


Groups will always protect their own, being family at one level, government at another level, and government unions at a completely different level.


We have the literal interpretation of law and we have the spirit or intent of the law.


It’s natural for individuals to avoid laws to take care of their needs and to protect their own…as natural as avoiding taxes.


…this soup of attorneys and government unions is sick.


Thank you Cal Coast News for uncovering stories like this and writing them for us. Please, PLEASE keep it up. Your approach to journalism gives us Little People a fighting chance and forces the Powerful to check their behavior and look over their shoulder – an indirect result of NEWS being covered and reported the right way.


except for multiple incorrect or missing facts…


OK, I have seen mistakes from CCN before and even pointed out one myself. However, I have also seen a lot of ugly truths come out here that weren’t covered elsewhere until they exposed them — and a few that weren’t covered by other media at all.


So if you know their are “multiple incorrect or missing facts” why not point them out instead of just offering broad generalizations or making ad hominem attacks on those posting. Or are you one of those being exposed and just trying to deflect legitimate criticism?


realitycheck22


So share the missing facts. How about show us the multiple incorrect facts? You can’t, blah, blah, blah. Show us!


chicanery


Well, like they say, it’s about hiring only the best. They leave out the word friends, best friends. There is so much nepotism and cronyism that it has become a massive problem and a deal breaker for the rest of us. We are paying ridiculous money and benefits for nothing but incompetence. Eventually people will figure out that the Mayor and CC need to keep the city manager on a leash and hold the person that they hire into that position accountable. It starts with your CC people. Start calling them and demand change and accountability or vote the trash out.


“It is unclear if he is qualified for the job as the spaces to provide education levels completed or his last employment position were left blank on his personnel form.”


I guess he didn’t need to apply for the position. Where the heck are the checks and balances where our public employees are concerned?


You’re definitely right on this one. I guess there are only checks, and no balances…


it’s Common but wrong. My kid needs a job. where is the position? I’m asking. (don’t post it, that would be uncommon)


How on earth can you possibly defend this blatant corruption. “word of mouth” is common? Who’s mouth to who’s ears?


A conflict of interest (COI) occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in another.

The presence of a conflict of interest is independent from the execution of impropriety. Therefore, a conflict of interest can be discovered and voluntarily defused before any corruption occurs. A widely used definition is: “A conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgement or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest.”[1] Primary interest refers to the principal goals of the profession or activity, such as the protection of clients, the health of patients, the integrity of research, and the duties of public office. Secondary interest includes not only financial gain but also such motives as the desire for professional advancement and the wish to do favors for family and friends, but conflict of interest rules usually focus on financial relationships because they are relatively more objective, fungible, and quantifiable. The secondary interests are not treated as wrong in themselves, but become objectionable when they are believed to have greater weight than the primary interests. The conflict in a conflict of interest exists whether or not a particular individual is actually influenced by the secondary interest. It exists if the circumstances are reasonably believed (on the basis of past experience and objective evidence) to create a risk that decisions may be unduly influenced by secondary interests.


So what’s new in SLO?


Seriously… do the shenanigans ever end around here?


No, because like that FBI agent said several years ago, this is the most corrupt county in the nation.


Actually it was the late Howard Jarvis who said that. And he was right and thirty years later he is still right!!


That FBI agent said it too. It’s interesting to know that Jarvis also knew what goes on around here.


I don’t think it’s any worse or any better than any other community. We just have a true watchdog news source now, willing to lift the cover on things like this.


lift the cover the way that tabloids keep exposing elvis for still being alive


Your name is so ironic.


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