public works reviews and complaints

I have had to replace my windshield on my vehicle TWICE now due to the construction they are doing on HWY 99. I don't see why they have scraped the southbound side of the highway when they are working/repaving the northbound side. Because of flying dbris kicked up by other vehicles, my windshield has been cracked/broken TWICE now. I find this very disturbing let alone financially burdening. I would like information on how to sue Yuba City/ Sutter County for damages that I have had to pay for because of their negligence on the construction and sweeping of that particular part of the highway. Citizens should not have to be burdened with replacing windshields because public works scraped one side of the highway that they aren't even working on.

Walter Hernandez
2819 Gaynor ave.
Richmond CA. 94804

I started with the city of Richmond as a carpenter on February 26, 2007. Rafael Vaca a carpenter from the city of Richmond hooks me up. When Richie Evangelista hired me. I was told that I would be taking a carpenters civil test within six months. Based on the funds that were going to be opening from the person that was going to be retiring, so within six months, I was going to be taking a carpenter’s test, a physical test, and a study test and I agreed. No problem I` been a carpenter for ten years and went to Pleasanton highly skill Carpenter training center. The six months came by and I finally took the written test, and I was confident that I had passed, beings that I went through school with As and Bs. The test consisted of many things that I had already known by experience and thru schooling.

It was brought to my attention 3 days after I had taken the test that I had failed. This was said to me, through a co-worker in the carpenter shop Rafael Vaca, and told me not to say anything because then the supervisor Richie Evangelista would get in a lot of trouble. At that time I didn’t say much because I wanted to keep the position, and at this time, something didn’t seem right to me, but I had to go along with what people at work were telling me. I asked my super visor, if I could see the bubble sheet the answers to my test after finding out that I had failed the test and he told me no, that he could not give me that information, I excused myself and I told my co-workers that my supervisor had said that he could not provide that information, so I went to talk to the director which is my supervisor’s boss Jader Bermudez and he told me that he knew within two days that I had failed. Now if I took a test, shouldn’t I be the first to know before my co-workers or anyone else by means of some sort of documentation in writing? Considering that, supposedly, it has to go to Sacramento in a sealed, confidential envelope to be graded and within a couple of weeks; my co-worker whom had already gone through the testing process told me. It took three weeks to receive a letter stating that I had failed the test, but it took my shop two days per my director for them to find out, I believed him, I told my self, why would he lie to me? The director liked me, so he granted me three more months that was in October, through the holidays it is hard to find a carpenter’s job so he wanted me to stay until the end of December. This gave me some time to find out more details on how I could find out more details about my test and how to approach human resources, when suddenly I remembered that the physical part of the test was coming up at the shop. I saw the same lady that gave me the written test her name is Maria Blue, and I asked her kindly, after the physical test there at the shop, If I could see my answers to my written test, my bubble sheet and she denied it to me and said it was in Sacramento. At this point, I felt like something was not right, as if I was being lied to or set up. I went to talk to Maria’s boss his name is Andy Russo and he had just came back from vacation, I asked him politely “Mr. Russo, “how is it that the carpenter’s shop know the results to my written test within two days of taking it?, “How many questions were there supposed to be on my test? In addition, if I could see my answer sheets my (bubble sheet). He said God Dam it! I’m tired of this he said he said, if there is anyone who needs to say anything about anyone’s test, bring him forward.” At this point I felt like he wasn’t feeling comfortable with the questions that I was asking him, In which I thought were legitimate, I didn’t want to make him upset so at that point I excused myself and I stepped out of his office. Later that same day, I was on my way back to the shop, still employed and when I got the shop my director called me upstairs and told me “Walter, I’m going to have to terminate you because you have been accusing and threatening to human resources.” I did not do that, so I guess Andy Russo called him and told him that I was there threatening or accusing him, and I did not.

I was fired October 22, 2007. I spoke to the city union and spoke to James Walker he’s the shop steward and he told me that he was going to try his best to find out about my test although he knew I was no longer and employee, that he might have a difficult time, but he believed me because he would see me everyday and he knew that I was not a threatening person. He tried to get the test information for me and the denied it to him and told him to stop wasting his time on me because he is no longer and employee. When James Walker told me this, I was very disappointed and very sad. I started having a lot of stress and sleepless nights, I told myself, what a golden opportunity I had, and I failed although deep inside of me, I knew that I hadn’t . I didn’t understand why I couldn’t see my test, proof, my answers to confirm that I indeed failed or didn’t fail the test, at least that would’ve put closure to my feelings and suspicion.
The little money that I had, I had to spend on a lawyer Andrew Shalaby took my case and the only thing I was asking for through my lawyer was to see my test and answer sheet. My lawyer wrote them a letter requesting to see my test and answers and they replied within a week with seven restraining orders to keep away from human resources and the carpenter’s shop because I was threatening people including brandishing a gun! Which I do not even own. So now, these people case caused a lot of damage to my life and my family. I could not seek a job without a minute going by thinking that I was set up, I felt used, told what to do and what not to do and forced to believe that I had failed, that I was ignorant from not passing a simple test. It was very hard to look for a job, especially being that it was the holidays, and everything had slowed down, no work, people on vacation, I tried every day, and this was all wearing heavy on me. I became very depressed because I could not supply for my family, and to my family, I could not pass a simple test. I began to dough myself; my depression grew more to the point where I did not even want to get out of bed. It came to my attention, while we were in the process of going to court that two pages were missing from my test booklet by a supposed investigation. This is between my supervisor, my co-worker, and human resources I know these are the people involved in my set up because My supervisor was getting ready to retire, and found out through someone in the human resources office, that My supervisor is finishing up a house in Hawaii with city money, there are receipts that show that it took two credit cards to close a transaction of lumber he has purchased and shipped to Hawaii so his golden retirement can happen. Since I found out about this unintentionally, I did not want anything to do with it; I just wanted to support my family and finally take my five-year-old daughter to Disney Land. I feel like they felt like I knew too much of what was going on, all the crookedness and for this reason; there was fraud with my test.

Everything I have said in this letter is true and correct and I have documentation, proof if you need it, I have documents, letters, appointments, addresses, names and phone numbers, witnesses, but yet during the times I have gone through court, they still would not give in and I have gained a restraining order for a person that I’m not, to this day, this has traumatized me. I do not know if my wife believes me, or thinks that I am crazy. I have also gotten a bullet hole on my van on my front fender. I like in Richmond, and I am a taxpayer and knowing that my money is going to evil people that misuse it really bothers me. Any person not on their right mind might really might try to do all things the city is saying I might do that are threatening, but I chose to leave it to god and try to move forward. I finally found a job about two months ago with Dome Construction, but as you can imagine, we have gotten behind with all our bills. I am still going through the court process.

Sincerely,

Walter Hernandez