Base Bias Investigator Says He’s a Victim

John Hatcher, a Port Hueneme Navy base worker who investigates discrimination claims, has himself alleged that he is being discriminated against on the basis of his race and age.

Hatcher said the job he has held for 15 years in the base’s Equal Employment Opportunity office is being eliminated and he has been offered a lower-ranking position in the housing office.

Hatcher, who describes himself as 60-plus years old, is black and is the longtime president of the Ventura County chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People.

“This isn’t the first time they’ve tried to move me out of there,” he said. “Because of institutional racism, African-Americans are normally targets for reduction in forces.”

The current RIF--military jargon for layoffs--is the first to hit the base since the 1970s, said base spokeswoman Linda Wadley. About 28 people will lose jobs because of the base’s budget shortfall, which stood at $3.25 million in January, she said. She declined to discuss Hatcher’s claims, citing confidentiality and privacy concerns.

Samuel Hart, Hatcher’s Woodland Hills-based attorney, said the Navy is trying to jettison an employee who makes waves.

“It appears to me this whole effort is an attempt to get rid of Mr. Hatcher and get him out of government services,” he said. “He’s one of the few voices there on the base that sticks up for individual employees opposed to joining the management steamroller.”

Hatcher filed an earlier complaint contending that he was denied a promotion to a higher pay grade, Hart said. The complaint was denied about three weeks ago, he said.