Status uncertain for 2 put on leave

Orange County officials intensified this week an investigation into a contract to renovate the county treasurer’s building, with two architectural project managers put on leave while an allegedly falsified document is checked out.

County Treasurer Chriss Street, himself the subject of several investigations, initially asked for the renovations and also signed off on the document, but he has said the Resources and Development Management Department handled the $18,000 contract and he merely signed what was presented to him.

The document in question is a June 22 memo written by Clark Shen, a resources department manager, and signed by Antonio “Epoy” Pascual, an architecture and engineering project manager, and two other employees. Pascual and Shen were placed on paid leave this week.

In a Friday letter to county supervisors, Orange County Employees Assn. General Manager Nick Berardino criticized the decision to take those employees off the job while taking no action against Street, whom Berardino described as “the source of the controversy.” The association represents county workers, including Pascual. The association does not represent managers like Shen.

Officials have said Street is under investigation by the Orange County District Attorney for the architectural contract granted to Irvine firm Ware Malcomb and a property-tax adjustment made for Samsung Korean Church in La Habra.

He is reportedly also being investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, the FBI and federal prosecutors, and he is involved in private lawsuits over a corporate bankruptcy trust he once managed.

County Supervisor John Moorlach, a past supporter of Street, and his chief of staff Mario Mainero began questioning the June 22 memo in late August, and Moorlach pushed to have supervisors strip Street of control over county investments; but the board chose Tuesday to postpone the issue until October, after hearing that the investment pool is healthy.

As an elected official, Street can’t be put on leave.

“How do you strip them of their duties while you investigate this, while Mr. Street is allowed to stay and not be stripped of his duties?” Berardino said. “The big guys skate, the little guys get put out.”

Street’s office declined to comment Friday.