The Orange County District Attorney’s office will have its human resources department folded into the county’s administration after a closely watched civil lawsuit brought concerns public and ended with a jury awarding $3 million to a former prosecutor.
The OC Board of Supervisors finalized the merger at its meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
The reorganization follows a jury, in June, finding for the former prosecutor, who said District Attorney Todd Spitzer forced her out of her job after she tried to protect lower-level colleagues who had been sexually harassed by another DA supervisor.
After the jury verdict, Spitzer hired a law firm to evaluate the structure of his HR department and provide guidance on building a “culture of trust” when reporting workplace misconduct. The trial referenced a series of controversies during and before Spitzer’s tenure as DA.
Still, the supervisors directed county staff to look at moving the office’s HR department to be under the county’s umbrella, “in light of some litigation and some other cases,” so “people feel free to make any complaints that they might have.”
“This is an important revision and I thank the district attorney for working with us on this,” Chair and Fourth District Supervisor Doug Chafee said Tuesday. Spitzer was at the meeting, but wasn’t called to speak on the item, and no other member of the board discussed it further.
Spitzer supported the merger, saying his “goal has always been to ensure that our employees feel safe and that they have confidence in the process.”
“As part of our joint announcement with the county’s HR director yesterday, we reemphasized that all employees who are in a supervisory role, whether they have that formal title or not, are required to report alleged misconduct to County EEO,” he said in a statement. “Misconduct can only be addressed when we are informed of it, and it is imperative that every employee serving in a managerial role takes that responsibility incredibly seriously.”
There are currently eight positions in the district attorney’s HR department that will be moved over effective Tuesday.
Spitzer reiterated in his statement that the HR structure in place was one he inherited. The law firm his office hired to evaluate the current structure agreed with the board’s conclusion that “centralizing HR efforts within the county is a best practice.”
“Our office is one of the last departments not to be under central HR,” Spitzer said, “and this will improve, undoubtedly, improve efficiency as well as continue to ensure employees have confidence in the process if any allegation of misconduct is alleged.”
The Sheriff’s Department and the Public Defender’s Office still have their own HR departments.