Former city auditor tells council he was retaliated against after raising alleged corruption; no formal response recorded

Former Ontario city auditor Brad Newman told the City Council during public comment that he has repeatedly brought allegations of corruption to the city's attention and said an anonymous whistleblower report alleging kickbacks was not properly investigated.

"I've brought an allegation of corruption at the City of Ontario to your attention for 9 sessions," Newman said, adding that he believed the city had retaliated against him for auditing processes and that his termination amounted to unlawful retaliation under California law. He told the council he had reviewed an investigative exhibit he described as complete and said public records showed no police report for the alleged incident; he questioned why the police's involvement had been represented differently in prior comments by staff.

Newman asserted the internal audit committee had been told he was ordered to violate professional standards and that his termination followed after he raised concerns. "The city of Ontario has retaliated against the city auditor because I did my job," he said.

The public record in the meeting shows Newman's allegations were raised during public comment; the transcript does not show a city official providing a substantive on-the-record rebuttal or explanation at the time. Earlier in the meeting the city attorney had said the council received updates in closed session but that there was "no reportable action at this time." The transcript does not record any council vote or staff presentation in response to Newman's allegations during the same meeting.

Newman characterized the whistleblower claim as credible and said he expected the city to face legal challenge over his termination, but he did not identify pending litigation documents during the comment. His remarks were presented as allegations; the council took no public action in response during the meeting.