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Former county employee and representative urge board to let Miguel Figueroa speak before termination
Summary
A representative and Miguel Figueroa addressed the Board during public-comment to request an opportunity for Figueroa to speak before a termination motion scheduled later the same day; county counsel and the board did not grant an immediate public hearing and the board then went into closed session.
During the closed-session public-comment portion of the April 15 meeting, a legal representative and Miguel Figueroa himself urged the Board of Supervisors to allow Figueroa to address the board before a motion to terminate his employment appeared on the afternoon calendar.
Ernest Ching, speaking on behalf of Miguel Figueroa, said Figueroa had been placed on administrative leave without an explanation and asked the board to postpone the termination motion to allow Figueroa to speak. “I think it's important for due process that Mr. Figueroa have an opportunity to come before the board to speak,” Ching said.
Miguel Figueroa addressed the board and said he had worked with “three iterations of the County of Imperial Board of Supervisors,” thanked staff he saw at the meeting and repeated a request that counsel allow him to give a statement to the board in the proper setting. He said repeated requests to county counsel to arrange a board appearance had not produced a hearing date. Figueroa described his tenure and said he and his team had worked “to be good stewards and follow what's right and do what's best for our community.”
Board response and next steps: County counsel noted the matter was before the board and left the decision to the board about whether to allow Figueroa to speak. The board subsequently convened into closed session. Later, the board’s publicly reported closed-session summary noted that direction was given on personnel matters and other items and that “no reportable action taken.” The public comments are part of the closed-session public-comment record; no formal public hearing on the termination occurred during the open session that followed.
Context and limits: Commenters asserted they had requested a chance for Figueroa to speak but said their requests had not resulted in a formal board appearance. The transcript does not record any formal postponement of the termination motion; the day’s agenda moved into closed session where personnel matters were discussed.
