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Nearly a year’s worth of legal dispute between the East Bay Regional Park District and its former general manager has reached an apex, with Sabrina Landreth filing a lawsuit this month over her abrupt departure from the public agency late last year.Â
Landreth, formerly city administrator in Oakland and city manager in Emeryville before leading EBRPD for more than four years, accuses the park district and its Board of Directors of whistleblower retaliation, gender-based discrimination and violation of the California Equal Pay Act, among her five causes of action.
“The retaliatory conduct also included subjecting Plaintiff to a pretextual performance review process designed to manufacture false allegations of bad performance, to undermine her accomplishments at the District and her professional experience otherwise,” Landreth’s attorney, P. Bobby Shukla, wrote in a civil complaint filed in Alameda County Superior Court on Sept. 4.
“The course of retaliatory conduct was intentionally designed to create working conditions that were so intolerable that a reasonable person in Plaintiff’s position had no reasonable alternative except to resign,” Shukla said, adding that the objectionable actions included board members pressuring Landreth to engage in unlawful conduct.
EBRPD has not yet responded to the lawsuit in court, but a spokesperson offered a comment on behalf of the district when contacted by the Pleasanton Weekly.
“The Park District Board remains focused on serving the public, protecting the extraordinary parks and open spaces that define the East Bay, and strengthening the Park District for the future,” the district stated. “We have strong confidence in the leadership team guiding the organization and in its ability to carry forward the Park District’s mission, values, and long-term vision.”
“While the claims by the former general manager move through the appropriate process, the Board is confident the matter will be handled responsibly and effectively,” the statement concluded.
The two sides are scheduled for their first court appearance on April 13 at 02:30 p.m. in Department 16 of the René C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland.
Landreth seeks compensatory damages, attorneys fees and costs of the lawsuit, declaratory and injunctive relief ordered by the court, civil penalties, and unpaid wages, interest and liquidated damages.
