Committee member urges investigation after whistleblower alleges city employee took vehicle home during work hours

A committee member asked whether Oxnard City still enforces a ban on teleworking and urged colleagues to consider investigating a whistleblower allegation that a city employee routinely took a city vehicle home and was not working during daytime hours.

The member cited a prior presentation and said recruitment difficulties had been linked to the city's telework stance. "Is that still our policy?" the member asked. They then described a separate whistleblower complaint, saying they had been given time-stamped photographs showing the employee at home during the workday and that the complainant reported the incident had been closed previously with no apparent action.

"There's basically it was closed and nothing happened and apparently still this person is going home in the middle of the workday," the committee member said, arguing the conduct constituted fiscal harm. "So to me that is a theft. It is fiscal because we're paying somebody and they're not actually doing the job."

The member said they advised the whistleblower to file a report through the hotline and noted the whistleblower would be willing to "testify, with a sworn declaration" and provide the photographic evidence. The member suggested the issue could be taken into closed session to discuss personnel matters and asked for direction from colleagues.

No formal motion, vote, or department response was recorded in the transcript. The discussion, as presented by the committee member, focused on whether the telework policy remains in effect and what investigative or personnel steps the council or staff should take next.