El Monte Fire, Police Depts. Show Job Bias, Suit Claims

The San Gabriel Valley city of El Monte, where Latinos make up 72% of the population, was sued Friday by the U.S. Justice Department for alleged discriminatory hiring and recruiting practices in the city’s Police and Fire departments.

The lawsuit, filed late Friday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, accused the two departments of pursuing and continuing “policies and practices that have discriminated against Latinos, blacks and Asians” in violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

El Monte city officials declined to comment, referring inquiries to City Atty. David Gondek, who could not be reached.

The Police Department was accused of failing to recruit and hire blacks on the same basis as Anglos. It also was accused of failing or refusing to provide special assignments to Latino employees within the department on the same basis as Anglo employees.

The lawsuit also charges that the department failed to take remedial steps when faced with evidence of discrimination against Latinos and blacks.

The Fire Department was accused of failing to recruit or hire African-Americans and Asian-Americans on the same basis as Anglos for firefighters’ positions. It was also accused of failing to take appropriate actions when instances of discriminatory employment practices and policies were uncovered against blacks and Asian-Americans, the lawsuit said.

The five-page lawsuit, filed by the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, did not provide specific instances of discrimination within the 114-officer Police Department or the 120-member Fire Department.

The city’s population of 106,000 is overwhelmingly composed of ethnic minorities. Anglos make up only 16% of the population; 11% of the residents are Asian-American and 1% of the residents are black.

In addition to the city and the two departments, Police Chief Wayne C. Clayton and Fire Chief Leslie George were named in their official capacities as defendants.