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Retaliation, discrimination and a workplace culture driven by fear are among the allegations former and current employees have raised against San Mateo County elections chief candidate Jim Irizarry.
Irizarry — the joint office’s second-in-command of the Assessor-County, Clerk-Recorder and Elections Office (ACRE) — is running for the top job that would oversee elections, property assessments and public records in the June 2 primary.
But a $30,000 separation agreement, a pending lawsuit, employee accounts, union criticism and a management review are raising questions about workplace culture and whether Irizarry represents continuity at an office some workers say needs change.
Irizarry has defended his department, asserting that ACRE is committed to maintaining a “professional, respectful and collaborative work culture grounded in transparency and accountability.”
“We do not agree with that characterization of the workplace environment,” the candidate said of the allegations. “I strive to create a professional environment built on respect, trust, and open communication, where employees are valued and empowered to succeed.”
ACRE oversees elections, marriage and birth certificates, fictitious business filings, election logistics and the assessed value of all taxable property in the county.
On the docket
In May 2025, Alicia Garcia, a former management analyst at ACRE, who is Hispanic, filed a lawsuit against the county, Church, Irizarry and Julieta Fernandez, Church’s executive assistant. Garcia alleged in her complaint that she was subjected to retaliation, racial and disability discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress and a hostile work environment.
Garcia claimed that race and disability were motivating factors in adverse treatment that caused her “severe humiliation and physical and mental distress,” and that she was given inferior assignments, passed over for promotion and excluded from work meetings, lunches and seminars.
Several employees left or resigned, including some Hispanic employees who allegedly experienced similar claims of “hostile treatment,” the complaint asserted.
The lawsuit is pending. Garcia filed a first amended complaint on May 15, and the court has scheduled a case management conference for Nov. 19.
Irizarry said the county disputes the claims made in the complaint
But Garcia’s complaint is one of several accounts from current and former employees who have raised concerns about workplace culture and retaliation under ACRE management, including Church and Irizarry.
Past settlement
Mary Hill, a former elections worker, said she believes she was pushed out in retaliation for her union activity.
Hill worked at the San Mateo County Elections Division for more than six years, first as a volunteer, and later as a full-time elections specialist, according to ACRE’s human resources spokesperson.
“During that time, I witnessed a culture of fear and emotional toxicity,” Hill said.
She said she became an SEIU 521 union steward in late 2021 amid concerns that management had installed cameras in the Elections Division’s office, including in employee areas, but not inside their own offices.
Irizarry said the cameras were installed to protect election materials and noted ballots are not processed inside executive offices.
A $30,000 separation agreement between Hill, who was represented by SEIU Local 521, and the county, represented by Irizarry, characterized Hill’s departure as a resignation effective Sept. 23, 2022.
While the agreement stated it was not an admission of wrongdoing or liability by any party, the county paid Hill as she released a range of claims, including wrongful discharge, retaliation and employment discrimination.
Irizarry said the matter was resolved for “nuisance value” to conserve public resources and said Hill “was separated from her position” for violating the public’s trust by disclosing confidential voter registration information through public tweets. In an April 28 Facebook post on his campaign page, Irizarry called Hill’s claims “completely untrue, defamatory, and reprehensible,” and cited voter privacy laws.
In one June 2022 post on what was then-Twitter, Hill wrote: “If you were wondering if we see any of those weird notes or etc. you write on mailers or whatever including your ballots? Yes. We totally see them. And potentially make copies of them. Hypothetically.”
Hill said at the May 5 Board of Supervisors meeting that she regretted posting those tweets.
A history of trust issues
A 2016 administrative review commissioned by the county described a “trust deficit” between ACRE employees and management, and said the unhealthy work environment may have hampered employee performance.
The Mejorando Group, a government management consulting firm, conducted the review several years after Church began his tenure as head of ACRE in 2011. Irizarry started at ACRE in 2013.
The review also said Church and Irizarry’s decision-making reflected an “analysis paralysis” approach that delayed decisions and left employees feeling disempowered.
Church disputed parts of the review at the time, saying in a memo to employees that it contained “incorrect assumptions, factual errors and inconsistencies.”
Irizarry said the review was “politically driven,” “categorically disputed,” and “proven incorrect.” The department, he said, has received 22 awards and a 4.75 Yelp rating, which “speaks to our commitment to excellence.”
Vacancies and technology
At the County Board of Supervisors Feb. 24 meeting, Mercedes Segura, the chapter chair for SEIU Local 521, offered public comment alleging that workplace morale in the Assessor’s Office had fallen to “historic lows,” citing “chronic mismanagement, failed workforce planning and a lack of accountability at the executive leadership level.”
Segura also said qualified candidates were not being hired, assessment appeals were backlogged and almost 10,000 deeds remained unprocessed.
The office had 39 vacancies out of 167 positions on Oct. 26, according to Effie Milionis Verducci, the county’s director of strategic communications. That figure has fallen to 28 today.
Irizarry told this news organization that Segura’s claims were “spurious” and contained “significant inaccuracies and mischaracterizations regarding the work of this office.”
Employees have also raised concerns about the office’s new software system, known as the Assessor Property Assessment System, or APAS. The system was deployed in 2023 and cost over $45 million, according to the county.
One appraiser, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, said the new technology slowed processing. The old system, she asserted, could process 400 deeds a day, whereas today, it’s up to 150.
Church rejected criticism of ACRE, defending that it’s an “award-winning department,” and that attacks on the office “do a disservice” to the public and employees.
He called the vacancy rate “reasonable and well-within an acceptable range,” and said that his office is extending offers to fill seven full-time positions.
He also disputed criticism of APAS, and said the platform has improved workflows and is “widely recognized across California as one of the most advanced and innovative property assessment systems in use today.” He rejected claims that APAS has caused lost revenue, noting that it has strengthened ACRE’s ability to deliver “timely, accurate and accountable services.”
Virginia Porter, who worked as a county vote center representative for five elections, described the Elections Office as “heavily driven by fear, hierarchy and message control under leadership associated with Mr. Irizarry.” Porter said she mainly dealt with employees reporting to Irizarry, but believed the atmosphere reflected the office’s tone and structure under his leadership.
Union and elected officials split on race
Church, who has led the office since 2011 and is not seeking reelection, has endorsed Irizarry.
While SEIU Local 521 did not comment on Irizarry’s leadership, the union told this news organization it has endorsed Canepa for the open seat because it believes he is committed to addressing the “systemic challenges residents face” and issues that matter most to working families.
Canepa said he was prompted to run for the seat because he believes morale inside ACRE is poor and the office needs new leadership. He described the office’s management as a “dumpster fire that needs to be extinguished” and called the workplace a “very, very toxic atmosphere.”
Irizarry called Canepa’s comment a “political statement” with “no basis in reality,” adding that Canepa has complimented ACRE’s innovation and public service “consistently over the years.”
Church said Irizarry is the only candidate who is a state-certified property tax appraiser and who has administered over 35 elections, closed 13 property tax assessment rolls and expanded voter access to youth, seniors and underrepresented communities.
County Supervisors Jackie Speier, Noelia Corzo and Ray Mueller have endorsed Irizarry.
“Consensus amongst myself and the large majority of current and former elected officials at the County is that Mr. Irizarry is the most qualified candidate to run the office,” Mueller said.
To read more about Irizarry’s and Canepa’s campaigns, click here.
