The former spokesperson for Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price is suing the embattled DA for discrimination.
Patti Lee alleges Price and the county east of San Francisco fired her for being Asian Americans and for accusing her office of deleting or altering public records, reported Oaklandside.
Price is facing a recall in November from those who believe she is not tough enough on crime.
In her lawsuit, Lee says Price chose “to hide, delete and change the records” requested by reporters under the California Public Records Act about the barring of a reporter from a news conference.
She also said she faced a “clear anti-Asian sentiment” working in the office and said that Price once told her “that her enemies were ‘the media and the Asians.’”
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Price’s current spokesperson told KRON4 that “The District Attorney’s office cannot comment on litigation on personnel matters.”
In a statement released by her lawyers, Lee who worked years as a television reporter said “I have to speak out. I have been a serious and dedicated journalist for more than two decades. I believe in transparency and the public’s right to know. This case is about more than just one individual; it’s about maintaining the integrity and transparency of our public institutions.”
On November 29, Emilie Raguso of The Berkeley Scanner came to cover a news conference when employees from the DA’s office refused to allow her in and escorted her away. Reporters from other outlets expressed concerns that she had been blacklisted for writing negative stories about Price and filed California Public Records Act (CPRA) requests to gain more information.
“Reporters, press freedom groups, and First Amendment organizations were understandably troubled by this cartoonish violation of the First Amendment, content-based restriction of reporting, and the arbitrary exclusion of a reporter,” the lawsuit alleged.
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