Former San Bernardino Finance Director Alleges Threats and Wrongful Termination by City Manager

Former San Bernardino finance director alleges she was threatened and fired by city manager over city hall renovation project

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) — The former finance director of the city of San Bernardino, Barbara Whitehorn, made shocking allegations during a recent city council meeting, claiming she was threatened and ultimately fired by the current city manager after raising concerns about the escalating costs of a project to renovate the old city hall building.

Whitehorn, visibly emotional during her public comment, stated, “I am no longer in the employ of the city of San Bernardino after being threatened today (by the city manager) of having information damaging to my career released into the public domain.”

She went on to detail the alleged threat made by the city manager, saying, “Please do so, Mr. city manager, because you’ll have to fire me before doing that,” to which he responded, “Oh, then I’ll just fire you without cause.”

Whitehorn’s concerns revolve around the costs associated with retrofitting the old city hall building, which has been vacant since late 2016 due to earthquake safety concerns. She claimed that the project’s budget has ballooned from $80 million to approximately $120 million, a figure not disclosed on the public agenda.

City manager Charles Montoya defended the project during a council meeting in January 2024, citing the need to address the building’s safety issues and the increasing costs of leasing alternative office space for city services.

However, Whitehorn’s allegations prompted a response from the city, which stated that her termination was unrelated to the city hall project and disputed some of her claims. The city asserted that the renovation project is still in the design phase, with construction costs yet to be determined.

The city also clarified that Whitehorn was an at-will employee and was terminated for cause related to financial issues not connected to the city hall project.

As the controversy continues to unfold, the discussion of the city hall project was postponed from the council agenda due to time constraints, leaving many questions unanswered about the future of this contentious renovation project in San Bernardino.