Residents Accuse Oxnard Manager of Racial Bias

Scores of angry Oxnard residents are demanding that City Manager Thomas Frutchey rethink his decision to pass over public utilities Director Ben Wong for promotion, claiming the longtime employee is a victim of racial bias.

Wong, whose position is being restructured in a long-planned downsizing of city services, was told earlier this month that he is no longer in the running for one of two new jobs created to oversee the city’s public services.

More than 170 people applied for the positions--co-directors of public services--that will share supervision of the public works, community development and development services departments.

Wong was among eight finalists, but he was passed over when the list was whittled to four. Frutchey said Wednesday that he would name the two new co-directors within a week.

But dozens of residents crowded the Oxnard City Council chambers late Tuesday to complain that Wong, who is Filipino, is the victim of racial discrimination. He is one of a handful of minorities among the city’s top managers.

Waving placards that read “Frutchey: Racist,” “Stop Discriminating Against Asian-Americans” and “Give Frutchey the F-Word--Fire Him,” residents called on council members to order a reassessment of the process undertaken to fill the positions.

“It’s a disservice to the city of Oxnard and a slap in the face to anyone of an ethnic background that wants to work in public service,” said Oxnard resident Gil Estrada. “His qualifications are beyond question.”

The Filipino American Council, the local group that spearheaded the demonstration, sent Frutchey a letter Jan. 8 complaining that Wong was not among the four finalists. The group has since registered a complaint with the local NAACP and called for an independent investigation.

But Frutchey, who has final authority to hire and fire employees, maintained that Wong is simply not the best person for either job.

In a letter responding to the Filipino American Council, Frutchey said that Wong is “a valued city employee” and that he would help him find another job with the city.

“However, . . . Mr. Wong’s skills and abilities do not provide the best match with the requirements of the public services director positions,” the letter states.

Wong himself stopped short of saying he was denied the promotion for racial reasons. “That’s always a possibility, but I don’t know for sure,” he said.

Frutchey told Wong that he would be out of a job once the two positions were filled, Wong said.

“I understand now he’s willing to discuss some arrangement for continued employment with the city,” said Wong, a 20-year city employee. “But that statement was not made directly to me.”

Frutchey said Wednesday that the offer to help find Wong another city government job still stands.

“I’ve given him the opportunity to structure something that will work to the city’s advantage and meet his needs,” Frutchey said.

Mayor Manuel Lopez said he would not comment specifically on the complaints until after he has read a report due from Frutchey. But he said the racial discrimination allegations concern him.

“There’s certainly a need for having (affirmative action) goals and seeing that our work force is representative of our community,” Lopez said.

“When you have a city made up of 55% Hispanic residents and you don’t have that many Hispanics on the work force, that’s cause for concern,” the mayor said. “And that applies to any race.”

Frutchey noted that the city’s police chief is an African-American, its housing director is a Latino and its finance director is a woman.

Times staff writer Miguel Bustillo contributed to this report.