SACRAMENTO, Calif — In a letter to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, local officials and other organizations are demanding the termination of CEO Nav Gill for allegedly prioritizing "internal politics over community."
"We understand that the culture Navdeep Gill has created is embedded within County departments and will take time to change," the letter reads. "However, the first step in changing such a culture is to remove the person at the top who has set the standard."
The authors of the letter accuse Gill of showing a pattern of abuse targeted at women, especially women of color. The county saw many women leaders resign due to this behavior, the letter claims.
Some of the allegations include disparaging people of color and using racial slurs during department head meetings and bullying staff for wearing face masks.
The letter accuses Gill of deferring budget matters to Sheriff Scott Jones even though the board of supervisors is his boss. The authors also point to about 85% of the Coronavirus Relief Fund was given to law enforcement, while public health was denied funding.
Gill is also attacked to show disinterest in how climate change impacts Sacramento County residents, specifically disadvantaged communities.
According to the letter, Sacramento County does not have a community climate action plan despite adopting an operations plan in 2012. The authors argue this is problematic, especially after the county experienced record-setting heat waves in August.
Critics said Gill did not provide safety accommodations or basic humane health such as housing, bathrooms, handwashing facilities, and shows for homeless people before the pandemic.
The authors argue Gill made a point to not accept meetings with local governments and other organizational leaders. The letter points to meetings with Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, the City of Sacramento, SMUD, and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments without the presence of Gill.
Gill released a statement to ABC10 regarding the allegations.
"I categorically deny any allegations of wrongdoing and cannot comment further as it is a personnel matter," Gill said.
To read the full letter and those who signed it, click here.
