Californian mayor sues own city for race and age discrimination
A California Democrat mayor is suing her own city for more than $7 million alleging race and age discrimination – but still wants to be reelected.
Deborah Robertson, who is black, claims the city of Rialto didn’t provide her with a special security door in case of an active shooter, despite giving one to a “white” colleague.
The 73-year-old also says the authorities gave her the wrong kind of pension and failed to arrange ergonomic furniture following a 2019 car crash, and that the city’s police department looked her up on their database without a good crime-fighting reason.
If successful, her three claims, filed last year, would amount to $7,482,000 – or 3.3 per cent of the city’s annual budget – $6 million of which would be in relation to the alleged police snooping.
Ms Robertson, a Democrat, has been mayor of the city, in San Bernardino county, which is 56 miles east of Los Angeles and has a population of 100,000, since 2012.
‘Lost sight of direction of city’
Rival councilman Rafael Trujillo, who is running against her in November’s election, claimed the cases have become a distraction.
“It’s shocking, because if you’re not the fiduciarily responsible representative, then who is there for the taxpayer?” he told the Daily Mail.
“She’s so embroiled in all these lawsuits, she’s lost sight of the direction of the city.”
Mr Trujillo was the colleague provided with a security door before Ms Robertson but, as fellow Republican councilman Ed Scott pointed out, is Latino and not white, as Ms Robertson suggested.
Mr Scott said the city did provide Ms Robertson with ergonomic furniture and a security door but delays were caused by the pandemic and an office move.
“I don’t think it was a fair analogy on her part that she was being singled out,” he said.
Mr Scott was himself targeted by city police, winning $500,000 after his details were looked up for no good reason on a database.
But he said he was targeted because of his anti-union stance and Ms Robertson’s claim did not make sense because she is pro-union.
Rialto will go to the polls on Nov 8, with Ms Robertson, who before being mayor served as a council member from 2000, running for a fourth consecutive term.
Ms Robertson has been approached for comment.
