demote

Nearly a month after a tense hour-long hearing at the Hall of Justice to decide the fate of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department sergeant accused of spreading “rumors and/or gossip,” the agency decided this week to demote the woman despite her claims she was attempting to call out misconduct.

Earlier this year, the department sent Gonzalez a letter announcing its intent to demote her because she’d “spread rumors and/or gossip” when she shared her grievance containing “personal information” and “factors not related to unfair hiring practices.”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is poised to demote a sergeant, saying she “spread rumors and/or gossip” when she shared copies of a grievance she filed in 2021 accusing higher-ranking department officials of discrimination.

Those claims have come to the fore again as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department considers whether to demote her.

Over the last three calendar years, data show the department only sought to demote five sergeants.