San Bernardino’s H.R. director was arrested on a prostitution charge in March. Supervisors say they just found out.

A San Bernardino County supervisor said he is “extremely disappointed” that board members were not informed of a top county administrator’s arrest earlier this year on a prostitution charge.

Supervisor James Ramos said in a statement issued Monday that “immediately” after he learned Andrew Lamberto, the county’s human resources director, was arrested and convicted of a misdemeanor prostitution charge, he and a fellow supervisor called for a closed-door meeting with the county’s chief executive, scheduled for Nov. 3.

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Lamberto, who has worked in the county’s top human resources position since 2005, was arrested in March in Orange County on suspicion of engaging and agreeing to engage in prostitution, according to court records. Prosecutors say he approached and agreed to hire a woman under the belief that she was a prostitute; further details of the arrest were not immediately available.

He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count in August and avoided jail time by agreeing to complete 10 days of community service, according to records. He was also sentenced to three years’ informal probation.

The criminal proceedings weren’t exactly a secret -- Lamberto’s name was listed on a news release from Sept. 2 issued by the Orange County district attorney’s office.

But a local blog published the news last week. Once the criminal proceedings hit the Internet -- and the inboxes of the county supervisors -- Lamberto and the county went public, issuing a joint statement, a county spokesman said.

“Ordinarily, like all government agencies, the county wouldn’t disclose a personnel issue,” county spokesman David Wert said.

Greg Devereaux, the county’s chief executive, said in a statement that he became aware of Lamberto’s legal troubles about three days after the arrest and that he imposed “significant discipline.”

A county spokesman declined to elaborate on details but said the action includes a “last-chance” agreement in which any public or private misconduct will immediately end Lamberto’s employment.

The board was not told of Lamberto’s disciplinary action out of historical practice, in which disciplinary actions are “handled as purely administrative matters,” Devereaux said.

In the statement, Lamberto apologized for his conduct.

“There is no acceptable excuse for my behavior,” Lamberto said. “Public service is a privilege, and I will continue to work hard to earn the confidence of those I am fortunate enough to serve.”

For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno.

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