I am writing to you as an employee of the City of Hollister. Mr.
Robert Ornelas is my direct supervisor. I have worked for Hollister
Recreation for almost 18 months and have had the opportunity to get
to know Mr. Ornelas through many different aspects of my job.
I am writing to you as an employee of the City of Hollister. Mr. Robert Ornelas is my direct supervisor. I have worked for Hollister Recreation for almost 18 months and have had the opportunity to get to know Mr. Ornelas through many different aspects of my job.
After reading the articles that have been published about Mr. Ornelas, I believe that it is time to speak up for myself and other staff members who work directly for Mr. Ornelas. We want to say that the allegations that have been made against him are, to our knowledge, completely false. When you analyze what is really going on here, you will find that one plaintiff has already had her claims dismissed by the state, three other plaintiffs (past and present temporary employees) are complaining about “management practices” such as preferential treatment.
The claims made by the director of the Rainbow Theater are ludicrous, given what staff has seen over this past year.
What everyone knows but has not appeared in print is that these people who are suing the city are all very close personal friends. The Rainbow Theater director, Jeanette Miller, actually recommended two of the plaintiffs (temporary employees) Jerrisue Wasson and Stephanie Beltran, for their jobs with the department. Is this a conspiracy or just a misguided attempt to make money off the City of Hollister?
The Robert Ornelas that we know is a very well respected member of our community. He has done a lot of great things for the City of Hollister, the Hollister Recreation Division, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Hollister Chamber of Commerce. He is the Junior Olympic Commissioner for the Amateur Softball Association and helps with the Hollister Heat Softball organization. There are many other organizations and services that Mr. Ornelas is involved in throughout Hollister, but somehow that has been pushed aside in the rush to judgment.
I would like to state for the record that as the Interim Recreation Program Coordinator for the City of Hollister, neither I nor my immediate staff has ever felt uncomfortable, harassed or victimized by Mr. Ornelas in any way. I have never witnessed him acting inappropriately or threatening anyone’s job security.
Mr. Ornelas has always been professional, respectful, courteous and kind to those around him. He puts his heart and soul into his job. His expectations of his staff are those of a professional manager who wants things done competently, accurately and in a timely manner.
I have never been, nor will I ever be worried about the “safety” of my three children in the presence of Mr. Ornelas. I would hope that at this time, you might consider what his children, his family, his coworkers, his staff and the community that supports him are all going through by having to read these one sided articles in the press.
Many of us in the department support Mr. Ornelas and will continue to do so. I believe that the truth will come out through the legal system and I have no doubt that in the end, Mr. Ornelas will be vindicated.
Brandi Grissom,
Interim Program Coordinator,
Hollister Recreation Division
