Civil Service Board upholds disqualification of Wendy Guerrero from customer-service recruitment

The Sacramento Civil Service Board on March 16 voted to adopt the director’s findings and uphold the disqualification of Wendy Guerrero from the Customer Service Specialist (Revenue Services) recruitment.

The decision came after Guerrero, who appealed the disqualification in person, told the board she received notice her application had been accepted and then later marked denied. “I submitted my letters to appeal the decision that my application was revoked,” Guerrero said during the hearing. She told the board she had received an earlier acceptance notice and then a later denial and described confusion arising from previous application errors.

Staff told the board that Guerrero passed the examination portion of the recruitment but was later screened out for not meeting the classification’s minimum qualifications as shown in the application. “The appellant was disqualified for their minimum qualifications,” a staff member said. Staff further explained that a screening question about CalPERS retired–annuitant status and the requirement to document duties in the work-experience section contributed to the disqualification; staff said titles or an attached resume alone cannot substitute for the required, enumerated work-experience entries.

Board members questioned Guerrero and staff about the timeline and documentation. One staff member clarified that the CalPERS retired–annuitant question can trigger a denial when answered affirmatively and said the department processes a large volume of applications, which requires consistent application of the stated criteria. Guerrero said an earlier application had been marked in error as retired and that she had corrected the record for that prior filing, but that the retirement flag and other omissions contributed to confusion in this recruitment.

Commissioner Meola moved to waive formal hearing rules and adopt the director’s findings; Commissioner Byrd seconded. The motion passed with three votes in favor and two abstentions (Commissioner Alina Monique Gonzales So to and Commissioner Stein). The board clerk recorded the outcome as adoption of the director’s decision to disqualify Guerrero.

The board noted that Guerrero remains eligible to apply for future recruitments; staff said she may reapply at any time. The hearing record and the board’s order adopting the director’s findings will be reflected in the minutes.