Former California State Parks employee seeks $4 million in lawsuit

A former California State Parks employee is seeking roughly $4 million in a lawsuit alleging the agency discriminated against him for his Mexican heritage, prevented him from moving up in the ranks and failed to accommodate a disability, describing the case as a wake-up call for entrenched racism among some top brass.

Angel Alba, a former maintenance supervisor and worker at several state parks in Malibu, filed the suit in 2018 in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the agency and his former boss, Lynette Brody, after more than a decade of contentious workplace issues, according to court documents.

Closing arguments for the roughly four-week trial concluded Monday, and the jury is expected to begin deliberations today.

“It was demoralizing,” Alba, 48, said this month. “There’s a group of individuals in the department who perpetuate this culture of discrimination, and this is in the L.A. area, [which] is the most diverse area of the state … yet this is happening.”

Brody, he alleged, called him an “arrogant Mexican,” among other disparaging remarks.

Asked by a Times reporter about Alba’s claims, Brody said, “I believe they’re very exaggerated.” She was superintendent of California State Parks’ Malibu sector when she retired in 2016.

“It’s so after-the-fact; I’ve been retired for almost 8 years,” she said during a break in the trial last week. “For him to seek me out specifically is pretty difficult.”

Angel Alba at a California State Parks training center.

(Courtesy of Angel Alba)

The dispute dates to around 2007, when Alba filed a complaint alleging racial discrimination and retaliation, as well as sexual harassment of his wife, according to Alba and the civil suit. An investigation substantiated most of his allegations, documents show, finding that his then-supervisor (who was not Brody) made a disparaging comment about Latinos. But the hostile treatment continued, Alba and his family allege.

According to the complaint, Alba was denied promotions several times despite being qualified.

According to court proceedings, Alba suffered several back injuries dating to 2006 and in 2021 developed anxiety so severe that a mental health professional advised him not return to work for several weeks. He alleges that his disability was not accommodated, and his attorney said Alba was asked to perform work he should not have been doing with his condition.

During closing arguments, Michelle Logan-Stern of the California Department of Justice, who is defending State Parks and Brody, laid out a counter-narrative in which Alba came up short at work and tried to undermine his bosses. She told the jury they had to decide if managers took the actions they did “because of his disability? Or was it because of his race? Or was it because of his conduct?”

According to Logan-Stern’s argument, Alba attributed discriminatory language to Brody only after he got into “serious trouble” at a July 2015 meeting. According to Logan-Stern, who cited witness testimony, Alba reacted to Brody announcing workplace changes at the meeting with expletives and told her, “I will make you pay.”

Alba’s version of the incident, according to court documents, is that Brody decided to maliciously move him to a new work location without warning, stripping him of the projects he was handling.

“They would laugh at him, belittle him in meetings,” Michael Anderson, Alba’s attorney, said during closing arguments, adding that they called the July 2015 meeting “for the purpose of basically denigrating him in front of his superiors.”

Angel Alba in a California State Parks uniform. He alleges he was the subject of discrimination, harassment and retaliation in part tied to his Mexican heritage.

(Ruth Alba)

Following the incident, Anderson said, Alba went to the emergency room, believing he was having a heart attack. He was diagnosed with a severe anxiety attack, according to the attorney.

About three years ago, Alba resigned from State Parks, leaving housing that had been provided by the state along the coast.

The move disrupted his daughter’s education and led to Alba and his wife living in separate homes.

Alba now works at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, where, he said, the culture is better.

A spokesperson for California State Parks said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

Anderson asked the jury to award Alba no less than $300,000 for each of the 12 years he was subjected to the alleged discrimination, harassment and retaliation, amounting to $3.6 million. Additionally, he asked for lost income of nearly $319,000, based partially on what he would have made if he’d been elevated to higher-paying positions, and roughly $19,000 to cover periods of medical leave.