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BA Air Quality Management District Employees Fired For Exposing Destruction of Records

by Labor Video Project
Two employees Michael Bachmann and Sarah Steele of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District charged that they were fired after they blew the whistle on the agency's managers who were ordering legal and agency documents destroyed.
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BA Air Quality Management District Employees Fired For Exposing Destruction of Records — The Health Of the Bay Area Is At Stake Say Whistleblowers

Two Bay Area Air Quality Management District employees — Michael Bachmann, who was a manager of records at the agency, and Sarah Steele, a contract employee who was also working on retention of documents — charged at a press an Oakland press conference on February 22, 2017 that they had been bullied, retaliated against and fired for exposing the illegal destruction of agency documents that are required to be maintained for a record of the violations of air pollution by corporations. They said that they had tried to stop the destruction of the documents but that the agency's top managers has been engaged in destroying citations, compliance records and settlement agreements for air pollution control violations by major companies like Chevron, Shell, Tosco, Pacific Steel Casting and many other companies.

Bunger, Legal Counsel Bill Guy and Director of Enforcement Wayne Kino according to the the complaint ordered Sarah Steele to return the documents from the file cabinet to an unsecured room in the old headquarters, according to the claim.

Bachmann and Steele both said they were concerned with protecting the health of people in the bay area and the disposal of documents was not only a violation of the law and policies but put the health of the bay area was being put in jeopardy.

Attorneys for Steele and Bachmann also released a set of records from 1990-91 involving Tosco refinery, which is now owned by Tesoro, that were saved by the pair. It shows a list of penalties against Tosco, including a $1,000 penalty reduced to $750 that involved an “excessive visible emission” at the acid plant. Major bay area polluters have been able to significantly reduce their fines of there is no record of previous violations and this organized destruction of documents was allowing these companies to limit their liability for violating air quality control standards over many decades.

Attorney J. Gary Gwilliam also said that these documents were required for court cases and settlement agreements and this made them protected documents that must not be destroyed.

According to one of their attorneys Alison Carp, the board members of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District are politicians from throughout the bay area and some were aware of these serious problems over the past two years. She also said they are in discussion with government agencies for possible investigation and prosecution for criminal destruction of legal government documents. The California Attorney General Becerra is responsible for investigating and prosecuting officials who violate the law at independent agencies such as the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Production of Labor Video Project
http://www.laborvideo.org
§Tosco Concord Refinery Fire Documents Were Being Destroyed
by Labor Video Project
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The deadly explosion at the Tosco Concord refinery fire in 1999 were being destroyed according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District whistleblowers. These companies were using the absence of documents of their record of air quality violations to significantly cut their fines.
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Lawyers for the two whistleblowers charged that the agency hired SF lawyer Emily Prescott who did a biased investigation clearing the agency managers of any wrongdoing and also blaming the workers for causing problems for the agency.
§Tosco Documents That They Were Trying To Destroy
by Labor Video Project
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The documents of violation of air quality standards of Tosco were being destroyed by managers of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District so these companies would limit their liability for illegal activity
§Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board
by Labor Video Project
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Bay area politicians are the governing board of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. They include
Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board Of Director
http://www.baaqmd.gov/about-the-air-district/board-of-directors
Board of Directors

The Air District’s Board of Directors is made up of 24 locally elected representatives from 9 Bay Area counties. Each county’s population determines the number of representatives on the Board, as follows:

• Marin and Napa: 1 representative each

• Solano and Sonoma: 2 representatives each

• San Francisco and San Mateo: 3 representatives each

• Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara: 4 representatives each
The Board has 8 standing committees that assist the District in its mission to improve air quality, protect public health and global climate.

Rules and regulations are adopted by a majority of the Board, with public hearings required before rules are changed or adopted.
Questions or comments to the Board may be sent to the Clerk of the Boards. To ensure your message is presented at the next Board meeting, be sure to send it 24 hours before the meeting starts.

Members

• CHAIR
Vice Mayor Liz Kniss
City of Palo Alto

• VICE CHAIR
Vice Mayor David E. Hudson
City of San Ramon

• SECRETARY
Supervisor Katie Rice
County of Marin
Council Member Abe-Koga
City of Mountain View
Vice Mayor Teresa Barrett
City of Petaluma
Supervisor David J. Canepa
San Mateo County
Supervisor Cindy Chavez
Santa Clara County
Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter
City of San Leandro
Supervisor John Gioia
Contra Costa County
Supervisor Carole Groom
San Mateo County
Supervisor Scott Haggerty
Alameda County
Council Member Rebecca Kaplan
City of Oakland
Vice Mayor Doug Kim
City of Belmont
Mayor Edwin M. Lee
City and County of San Francisco
Supervisor Nate Miley
Alameda County
Supervisor Karen Mitchoff
Contra Costa County
Supervisor Hillary Ronen
City and County of San Francisco
Council Member Mark Ross
City of Martinez
Mayor Pete Sanchez
City of Suisun City
Supervisor Jeff Sheehy
City and County of San Francisco
Council Member Rod Sinks
City of Cupertino
Supervisor Jim Spering
Solano County
Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht
Napa County
Supervisor
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