A former Encinitas Community Center employee told the Parks and Recreation Commission on May 20 that he was terminated and said he believes the action was based on false accusations and “a toxic environment.”

Alex Parsa, who identified himself as an Encinitas resident and former center employee, said he started at the community center in November 2022 and said he was terminated after an incident he dated to Jan. 22, 2024. “I was ostracized from our Encinitas Community Center, a place I've used for five years, based on what I believe are false pretenses and a toxic environment created by a certain individual in management,” Parsa said.

Parsa told the commission he asked a coworker about that coworker’s relationship with another employee; he said the coworker later complained to management and that his contract was terminated “the next day by Margaret Hamer.” Parsa said he was “never given an explanation or opportunity to share my side of the story despite reaching out to management as well as HR officials for the city.” He also made allegations about the manager’s prior actions at other community centers.

The commission received Parsa’s remarks as part of the public comment period; commissioners did not take formal action on the matter during the meeting. Chair Ross Ritter thanked Parsa for his comments and moved on to the agenda.

The allegations reported by Parsa were presented to the commission as his account. The commission did not provide an on-the-record response during the meeting, and the city’s HR or the Recreation Services office did not make statements on the record at the meeting about Parsa’s claims.