San Bernardino, CA – Two female employees, who worked for the City of San Bernardino, resigned last week after being subjected to continuous sexual harassment and hostile behavior by Mayor John Valdivia. They also claimed the Mayor has failed to report contributions and utilized city time and resources to raise campaign funds, amongst other illegal financial transactions.
The allegations, which have been substantiated by numerous text messages, digital evidence, and witness accounts, were documented by the victims and reported to city administration, to no avail.
“He would talk about his sexual escapades and desires in front of me and others,” states Karen Cervantes, who was employed with the City of San Bernardino as the Assistant to the Mayor. “After reporting the Mayor’s inappropriate behavior and being told that because he was an elected official nothing would be done, I knew I had no choice but to take legal action and resign from my position.”
The claims come only a few months after a complaint was formally filed against Mayor Valdivia by former City Manager Andrea Miller for harassment, discrimination, and whistleblower retaliation, amongst other allegations. Miller states she was terminated in May of 2019 after exposing the Mayor’s misconduct.
Mirna Cisneros, who was employed with the City of San Bernardino as a Senior Customer Service Representative under the Mayor states, “I was subjected to countless inappropriate acts of harassment. He also offered me his credit card, said he would buy me whatever I wanted, and that his wife didn’t have to know.”
“This case is reminiscent of the Bell scandal based on the scale of the misconduct and corruption by Mayor Valdivia,” states Attorney Tristan Pelayes, who is representing the two victims. “His abuse of power has cost my clients their jobs and impacted their mental and physical health, not to mention the disservice to those who put their trust in him as a community leader.”
Based on the evidence, there is a belief that there may be other victims who have yet to come forward. If you have been a victim of or witness to these allegations, please contact the Law Offices of Pelayes & Yu at 844.998.1033 or info@pelayes-yu.com.
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