A former health services director with the County of Lake’s Health Services Department is suing the County, alleging he was fired in September of 2023 after a “no-confidence” letter was written and signed by employees in his department. Jonathan Portney, 37, said he was terminated for complaining about racial discrimination and harassment, illegal conduct in the workplace, including but not limited to actions taken by local fire chiefs to influence the awarding of a government contract, the need for investigation into an unreported death in the jail, and the county board of supervisors violations of the Brown Act regarding public meetings. Portney’s suit filed on the 15th of last month states that he suffered the adverse employment actions and that his race was a motivating factor for the adverse employment actions against him. The next scheduled action in the civil suit filed by Portney is a case management conference scheduled for the 28th.