Terminated SJ assistant fire chief alleges he was called 'dinosaur,' subjected to discrimination and retaliation

""A former high-ranking San Jose fire official is accusing the city and Chief Robert Sapien of unlawful termination, discrimination and retaliation, alleging it as part of a calculated effort to oust him from his job weeks before becoming eligible for retirement benefits. Assistant Chief James Williams, 57, filed a government claim against the city - the first step before he can officially file a lawsuit - with his attorney indicating that if a resolution is not reached on lost wages, retirement benefits, emotional distress, and punitive damages, litigation will follow.""

""The city of San Jose and its leadership made a deliberate decision to end the career of a highly qualified and respected Black fire executive just weeks before his retirement eligibility," said attorney Jamon Hicks of Los Angeles-based Douglas / Hicks Law. "This case is about accountability and about ensuring that public servants who dedicate their lives to protecting our communities are treated with the dignity and fairness they've earned.""

"Williams has spent the vast majority of his 38-year career in the Bay Area, beginning with his hiring as a firefighter by the Menlo Park Fire District in 1987, followed by his move to the Oakland Fire Department in 1990 where he was hired to a similar position. After spending decades in the East Bay rising the ranks from firefighter to deputy chief, Williams became the first Black chief of the Oxnard Fire Department."

Assistant Chief James Williams, 57, filed a government claim alleging unlawful termination, discrimination and retaliation by the City of San Jose and Chief Robert Sapien. Williams says the actions were a calculated effort to remove him weeks before he became eligible for retirement benefits. His attorney seeks lost wages, retirement benefits, emotional distress and punitive damages and warns that litigation will follow if a resolution is not reached. Williams lost his job on July 27 after more than four years with the department and eight weeks before retirement eligibility. Williams spent 38 years in Bay Area fire service, including leadership roles and a prior separation settlement.

Read at The Mercury News