California City’s 3-Year Quest To Fire Woman Over Alleged Theft Of $2.99 Protein Bar Fails

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The city of Ontario was certain that police records specialist Gricelda Perez had pilfered a $2.99 protein bar from a convenience store in 2018, and officials set out to fire her.

But Perez denied ever taking the RXBar. A search of her car and purse turned up the wrapper from the string cheese she had purchased, as well as the receipt, but no protein bar or wrapper. A grainy video of the alleged theft, which received Zapruder-like scrutiny, was judged “inconclusive,” even by the expert paid by the city to examine it. And an independent arbitrator, after a three-day hearing, found that there was no cause to fire Perez and ordered the city to reinstate her with back pay.

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Nevertheless, the City Council, after listening to testimony, voted in a closed session in 2020 to uphold Perez’s dismissal.

But now, a San Bernardino County Superior Court judge, after weighing the evidence, found that the theft had not been proved and ordered the City Council in a tentative ruling issued Dec. 20 to abide by the arbitrator’s decision.

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