A former public information officer for Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price has sued Price and the county, alleging that Price’s agency fired her for speaking out against the altering or deleting of public records and because she is Asian American.
Patricia “Patti” Lee, a former television journalist turned communications professional, filed a complaint Wednesday in Alameda County Superior Court, alleging retaliation, racial discrimination, wrongful termination, and unpaid wages, among other claims.
Price’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In her time working for the DA’s office, Lee claimed she “experienced a clear anti-Asian sentiment,” including racist remarks from supervisors and Price herself. On one occasion, Price told Lee “that her enemies were ‘the media and the Asians,'” Lee alleged.
Lee claims she came into further conflict with the agency following a press event on Nov. 29 when the agency barred Emilie Raguso, a journalist who runs The Berkeley Scanner, from entering the event.
Raguso said at the time it was an example of “government overstepping,” and open government advocates accused Price of violating the First Amendment and threatening press freedoms.
Lee knew that there was “preexisting animosity” toward Raguso from the District Attorney’s Office, according to her complaint. “Meanwhile, other members of the media were welcomed into the press conference without any scrutiny of their credentials or qualifications.” Lee’s complaint characterized the incident as a “cartoonish violation of the First Amendment, content-based restriction of reporting and the arbitrary exclusion of a reporter.”
In the days that followed, media outlets around the Bay Area, including Berkeleyside and The Berkeley Scanner, filed requests for records related to the incident with the District Attorney’s Office.
According to Lee’s complaint, Price “attempted to mitigate the poor media exposure” that had ensued by issuing a statement saying Raguso would be allowed into future press events.
As Lee gathered information to respond to the records requests she claims “it became evident that instead of producing responsive records to (California Public Records Act) requests, the Alameda County District Attorney chose instead to hide, delete and change the records.”
Lee said she raised concerns with an assistant district attorney and refused to sign off on the agency’s responses to the record requests “because she believed them to be misleading and untruthful,” according to her complaint. On Dec. 12, Lee was fired and given 8 minutes to clear out her office, as well as a termination notice “which gave no explanation whatsoever as to why she was terminated,” according to her lawsuit.
Lee said she “had to speak out” via a prepared statement from her attorneys, Los Angeles-based Roxborough, Pomerance, Nye & Adreani LLP. “I have been a serious and dedicated journalist for more than two decades. I believe in transparency and the right to know. This case is about more than just one individual; it’s about maintaining the integrity and transparency of our public institutions.”
