Portantino seeks to expand safeguards for whistleblowers

Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) has authored a bill that would expand protections from workplace retaliation to legislative workers who blow the whistle on government fraud and abuse.

Legislative staffers were exempted from previous measures barring retaliation against whistleblowers in the governor’s office, according to Portantino.

“This is another self-serving protection that the Legislature enacted that needs to be repealed,” he said in a statement. “Workers should know that when they do the right thing they won’t have to face the threat of retaliation.”

Under Portantino’s measure, AB 1378, those in the Assembly and state Senate who retaliate against a whistleblower could face fines of up to $10,000 and a year in county jail.

Portantino called foul last year, claiming Assembly leaders were punishing him with smaller offices and the threat of reduced staff resources for being the only one among his Democratic colleagues to vote against the state budget in June.

-- Bill Kisliuk, Times Community News

Twitter: @bkisliuk