A claim alleging 13 years of sexual harassment and gender discrimination has been filed by a Riverside County Office of Education employee against county school board member Bruce Dennis.
Sandra Martinez Ortiz, a 20-year employee of the county schools office, and her attorneys alleged during a Wednesday, June 19, news conference that Dennis has sexually harassed Ortiz, discriminated against her based on gender, and retaliated against her for addressing his behavior and denying his business expenses.
“We aren’t referring to bad moments, as we all have,” Ortiz said at the event in downtown Riverside. “…This case is about 13 years of the same harassing behavior.”
Ortiz, an administrative assistant to the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, alleged that Dennis bullied her for not approving business expenses that she felt were inappropriate or didn’t follow the Riverside County Board of Education’s bylaws.
Dennis, the board member for Trustee Area 4, on Wednesday denied the allegations and said that they stem from a personal issue between himself and Ortiz.
“There was no harassment,” said Dennis, who represents the Hemet, Menifee Union, Nuview Union, Perris and Perris Union and Romoland school districts. “This is a personality difference between her and I.”
He said there was no physical contact between himself and Ortiz and that they argued over expenses, which he said are ultimately up to the board president to decide upon.
“I think she is mad at me because we did argue about expenses,” Dennis said. “And the board president decides on those expenses. Her role is to process the paperwork, not to determine if business expenses are appropriate.”
At the board’s Tuesday, June 4, meeting, Dennis was removed from his position as vice president after remarks from Ortiz, said Kim Cousins, the board member for Trustee Area 1.
The board’s decision followed the results of an outside investigation, which found Ortiz’s allegations to be credible, Cousins said.
Ortiz alleged that Dennis would follow women, not just her, around the office and invade their personal space, making inappropriate comments about their appearance and would bump into her or elbow her for attention.
“If I can smell his breath, he is too close,” Ortiz said.
A claim is a precursor to a possible lawsuit and, if it is denied by an agency, a person can file a lawsuit.
The claim also names Dennis, school board President Ray “Coach” Curtis and the Riverside County Board of Education. The claim alleges that Curtis retaliated against Ortiz and told her to “remove herself” from the situation after she complained about Dennis and his behavior towards her, Ortiz said.
“He (Curtis) told others I was having mental health issues and he tried to paint it as if I was responsible for all of this,” Ortiz said.
Curtis, the board president, could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
“The Riverside County Office of Education takes all matters involving Title IX complaints and sexual harassment seriously,” a statement from the office issued by spokesperson Craig Petinak said.
An investigation began when a complaint was received in April 2024 alleging misconduct by Dennis, the statement said, and the board followed up immediately and acted within the scope of the board.
“The Riverside County Office of Education is committed to providing a work environment free of unlawful harassment and discrimination to ensure that employees can successfully carry out the mission of the organization,” according to the statement.
An investigation by an outside law firm commissioned by the board was completed May 30. The 55-page investigation names 18 witnesses who back Ortiz’s claims, said Denisse Gastélum, an attorney representing Ortiz.
Previous superintendents “turned a blind eye,” Gastélum said. “We are happy to say this investigation came back corroborating every single alleged harassment.”
Dennis, who served from 1995 to 2008 on the Nuview school board, said the investigation was triggered after he forwarded an email from Ortiz to the office of county Superintendent Edwin Gomez.
“In the email, she alleged that I yelled at her in the April board meeting, after the board meeting had finished, and that I had bullied her and lied about her to other board members,” Dennis said.
Ortiz said she came forward previously and was met with an unreceptive environment.
“The other times I complained, the environment was supportive of him or, for political reasons, it was accepted,” Ortiz said.
Another of Ortiz’s attorneys said she hopes the case will be resolved.
“Today we are filing the government claim, where it goes from there, we hope they come to the table to discuss a resolution,” attorney Toni Jaramilla said. “We are not going away.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct errors. Sandra Martinez Ortiz has worked for the Riverside County Office of Education for 20 years. Denisse Gastélum, an attorney for Ortiz, said that previous superintendents “turned a blind eye” to Ortiz’s complaints.
