Sacramento County CEO Nav Gill is retiring, after accusations he created ‘toxic culture’

Sacramento County Executive Navdeep S. Gill said he intends to retire from his position as the top administrator, ending his 13-year career with the county after several employees accused him of harassment and creating a toxic workplace.

Gill emailed Supervisor Sue Frost, who is now serving as chair of the Board of Supervisors, with his decision shortly after 1 p.m. Friday.

“Please accept this memo as my notice to retire from Sacramento County effective February 13, 2021,” the note read. “I appreciate the opportunity to serve the Board and Sacramento County for over 13 years. I wish you and the County all the best for the future.”

Gill was placed on paid administrative leave in November while an outside investigator probed the claims. Ann Edwards, who was head of Sacramento County’s department of human assistance, was named as acting county executive.

At the time, three supervisors said they no longer had confidence in his ability to lead the county. But the supervisors did not have the four votes needed to fire him.

At least 10 high-level employees leveled accusations of harassment or discrimination before the Board of Supervisors agreed to send the matter to Kramer Workplace Investigations. A county spokesperson said late Friday that the probe was “wrapping up” but still incomplete.

The allegations against Gill were spelled out in a two-page letter sent to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. It was signed by Dr. Olivia Kasirye, the county’s public health officer who leads the coronavirus pandemic response, and other women who currently or previously worked for the county.

“Over the years, County Executive Gill has created a toxic culture rife with sexism, intimidation, racism, and a blatant disregard for public health,” the letter begins. “We can no longer stand by and allow Nav Gill to operate with impunity as he has done for years as such behavior only hurts the residents of our beloved county.”

Gill joined the government agency as a deputy county executive and became the top administrator in 2016.

His handling of the coronavirus pandemic response became a major point of controversy over the last year.

Gill made the decision to divert the lion’s share of federal money intended for the COVID-19 response to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office over public health programs. Although intended as an accounting maneuver to quickly spend down the expiring funds, the community perceived it as a case of misaligned priorities. In defense of the maneuver, Gill said the sheriff’s department did not receive additional money and no public health requests for funding were denied.

He was later criticized for a lax attitude around the measures required to contain the spread of COVID-19, presiding over an indoor meeting with top-level managers where many did not wear masks. Ten people who attended were forced to quarantine.

Several public health staff also accused him of intimidation, specifically public health officer Kasirye who recounted a tense encounter from March 2020 when she was considering declaring a public health emergency.

Some employee unions became critical of Gill, particularly his response to the pandemic. On Nov. 4, the Sacramento County Management Association, a union representing some 800 managers, voiced their concerns to the supervisors in a letter. The two-page said a handful of public health supervisors were working extra hours without being paid.

“Frankly, we have no idea how the county executive will portray these discussions when it reports back to you, or if it was planning on not reporting back at all,” wrote Jason Jasmine, a lawyer representing the union. “But we want to make it very clear that at this point, the direction you provided is being undermined. Your employees are being harmed.”

This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 4:31 PM.