SANTA FE SPRINGS : City Rejects Claim by Former Worker

The city has rejected a claim made by a former city worker who said he was forced out of his job after helping an employee union organize a political action committee to campaign against incumbent council members.

City Council members rejected a claim filed April 6 by former maintenance worker Carlos Porras. Porras, who left his job in November, sought $1.75 million. He said top officials made demeaning comments and harassed him. He now works with a private, nonprofit environmental organization.

Porras, who joined the public works department in 1976, was a director of the Santa Fe Springs City Employees Assn., which represents city workers. The association opposed two incumbents, Ronald S. Kernes and Al Fuentes, in last month’s City Council election. Kernes won another term, but Fuentes lost his seat.

City Atty. Steven N. Skolnik said Porras, 46, was disciplined for reasons unrelated to his position on the union board. Skolnik said Porras lost a day’s pay on one occasion, and then was demoted as a result of his performance on the job. Skolnik would not elaborate.