CalWORKS Official Under Investigation

An Oxnard School District trustee who runs a local CalWORKS center has been placed on paid leave while the county investigates complaints about his job performance.

Ray Gonzales, 41, has been on paid leave from the La Colonia center for about two weeks pending the completion of an investigation, said Barbara Journet, the county’s human resources director.

Journet would not discuss the nature of the allegations against Gonzales, or any specifics of the case, citing confidentiality rules. The investigation is expected to be completed by the end of the week.

“It doesn’t make any sense to me,” Gonzales said in a brief telephone interview, declining to elaborate on the allegations. “I don’t know what to tell you. There’s no way I can respond.”

Gonzales’ lawyer, Diana G. Hancock, an employment-law specialist, also declined comment.

Gonzales was hired by the county in May 1998 and supervises a staff of about 25 people in the county’s CalWORKS office in Oxnard, Journet said. The office provides job training and counseling for welfare recipients.

Meanwhile, Gonzales’ position as trustee with the school district is not affected by the investigation, according to Richard Duarte, superintendent of the Oxnard School District.

It is unclear whether the personnel investigation is in any way connected to Gonzales’ problems at home. Earlier this year, Gonzales was charged with a misdemeanor count of spousal battery after an incident in which his wife’s arm was cut by glass and another incident in which police were called to the couple’s Oxnard home after a fight. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge, and a jury trial is set for Sept. 13.

Last month, Nicole Gonzales told The Times she lied to the police when she told them her husband had pushed her into a broken window causing a puncture wound that sent her to the hospital in February. Deputy Dist. Atty. Wendy Macfarlane said she would go forward with the case because there was strong evidence.

Ray Gonzales told The Times that he never harmed his wife, who filed for divorce in late April, according to court records.

About a week earlier, police were called to Gonzales’ house after a friend told authorities Gonzales was distraught over his wife leaving him, according to court records. Police seized two weapons from the house.

A hearing to determine whether Gonzales can reclaim his guns is set for Oct. 5 in Ventura County Superior Court.