“We have reached a mutual agreement between Gerardo Ramos and the Tulare Public Cemetery. Both parties are happy with the final result,” said board president Xavier Avila.
On the advice of County Council, Avila was not at liberty to give further details on the settlement. The Valley Voice tried to reach out to Ramos but his phone is disconnected.
Background
Before either quitting or being fired in September of 2017,Ramos was a 30-year employee of the Tulare Public Cemetery as the assistant groundskeeper. At the regular Tulare Cemetery Board meeting on May 29, Ramos aired his grievances during public comment. He requested an investigation into his last pay check and the lack of compensation for vacation, sick and overtime pay.
According to Ramos, Cemetery Board Director Vicki Gilson wrote him a final pay check for two cents and requested that he come by the office and pick it up.
He also asked the board to investigate why he was fired and why a medical condition, of which not even his family knew, was made public.
After Ramos finished his statement during public comment at the May 29 meeting Avila responded, saying Ramos lied about living at the cemetery.
Avila said that Ramos “lived there for a very long time.” He said there were DirecTV bills, food in the fridge, furniture, trash, and witnesses dating back to 2009 who said Ramos lived at the cemetery.
“You unjustly enriched yourself at the cemetery’s expense,” said Avila.
Settlement
The Tulare Cemetery Board discussed Ramos’ case in closed session after the May 29 meeting but did not report out.
A closed session on the June 26 Tulare Cemetery agenda states, “Conference with Legal Counsel – Anticipated Litigation. Significant Exposure to Litigation (Gov. Code, sec. 54956.9(d)(2)) Number of potential cases: 1, Issue with former employee Gerardo Ramos.”
Presumably an agreement was signed by both parties that put an end to a threatened suit by Ramos a week later..
There are several witnesses to the fact that Ramos quit his job and that his medical condition had been discussed publicly, and allegedly by Ramos, as the reason he had mistakenly buried clients in the wrong grave. Because of this it is assumed that the final settlement did not involve these issues but only concerned his final paycheck. .
Without using the usual legal jargon of lawyers, Avila seemed sincere when he stated that both sides were happy with the agreement. Given that, a compromise was presumably struck between the fact that the cemetery board felt they owed him nothing and that Ramos believed he was owed sick, vacation and overtime pay.
The final amount of the settlement was confidential.
IM GLAD THEY SETTLED GERARDO DESRVED IT .XAVIER AVILA WAS AN ASS.HIM AND HIS CREW DIDNT LIKE BEING TOLD THE TRUTH GERARDO ASKED THEM REPEAT EDLY FOR HELP OT WAS TO MUCH WORK FOR 1 PERSON AND IT WAS .WE BURIED MY SON THERE MY HUSBAND WHILE VISITING MY SON THERE AT NORTH TULARE CEM..HAD TO HELP GERARDO BURY SEVERAL PPLE BECAUSE HE NEEDED HELP.AND THEY PLAYED A DEAF EAR TO HIS PLEAS..BUT WEN THEY UNJUSTLY FIRE HIM..THEY HIRE NEW PPLE AND ITS NPT 1 PERSON ITS SEVERAL.NOW WHY COULDNT THEY GIVE GERARDO THAT HELP? .WHEN I BROUGHT THAT UP AT BOARD MEETING ALL OF THEM ON THE BOARD GOT OFFENDED CAUSE THE TRUTH HURTS..THEY WERE SO OFFENDED 1 OLD LADY WANTED TO CALL THE COPS.THAN THEY BLOCKED US OFF THE CEMENTARY PG BECAUSE THEY DONT WANT PPLE TO KNOW HOW THEY RUN OUR CEMENTARYS….EACH & EVERYONE OF YOU .STICK UP FOR YOUR LOVED ONES GRAVES.WEN YU FEEL SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT THERE INCOME IS PD FOR BY OUR TAX $$$$.JUST LIKE I TOLD GERARDO DONT LET YOURSELF HIT IT ON FULL FORCE WILL BAVK YOU UP IN COURT WERE WITNESSES TO THE NEGLIGENT BEHAVIOR….WOOOOw im AM 1 HAPPY PERSON TO READ THIS TOTALLY AGREE
Well honey, I am that old lady. You did not offend me, you just showed me how ignorant you and your group of troublemakers were. But if you think the extortion Mr. Ramos was pulling got him a big payday then you are totally wrong. Try to find him now. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lol LINDA YOU WERE OFFENDED AND ACTED LIKE AN SCANDELOUS OLD LADY .TRYING TO PUT HER 2 CENTS IN BECAUSE YOU ALL COULDNT HANDLE THE TRUTH..YU ALL RUN THAT CEMENTARY LIKE A JOKE..AND YU KNOW IT..AND MY GROUP OF TROUBLE MAKERS WERE ALL THERE BECAUSE THEY ALL DISAGREED WITH THE WAY CEMENTARY WAS BEING RUNNED AND AS SOON AS I STARTED TELLING YU ALL WHAT YU DIDNT WANNA HEAR..BECAUSE IT EMBARRESED YOUR ASSES XAVIER AVILA DECIDES SESSION IS CLOSED AND DONT WANT NO MORE COMMENTS HOW CONVIENENT..HE COULDNT HANDLE THE HEAT HIS FACIAL EXPRESSIONS SAID IT ALL SO DID YOURS CALL THE POLICE.YA RIGHT !!!! ON WHAT BASIS? ITS FREEDOM OF SPEECH.I DIDNT THREATEN YOU .ITS MY LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH TOTALLY LEGAL .IM SURPRISED YOU ALL HAVE A JOB AND YOUR ALL SO SELF CENTERED BIGOTS .YOU ALL SCRATCH EACHOTHERS ASSES.NOT GIVING A SHIT ABOUT ANYBODY BUT YOU ALL GETTING PD.BY OUR TAX $$. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES
Again shows how stupid you people are.All but 2 on the board are volunteers. And again you have no clue what you are again ranting about. Ignorant and uneducated. Reason people were upset was because of the disruption of a county sanctioned meeting, had nothing to do with Ramos or his attempted extortion of the cemetery. The man with him was NOT an attorney. Another lie.
But your screaming and yelling did not get him his due. That just showed your ignorance. He did not make his fortune from his fraud. As far as following into and supporting him in court, was not going to happen. Only court he was ever going to see was in the media and that got an extremely small settlement!!! Try and find your friend now. He left the area. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lol OLD HAG YOUR RUDINESS IN YOUR COMMENTS PROVES YOUR IGNORANCE .WHY WOULD CEMENTARY SETTLE IF THEY HAD NOTHING TO HIDE😉LOL.AND TALKING ABOUT UNEDUCATED .EDUCATED ENOUGH TO KNOW MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.AND YU THAT ARE SUPPOSE TO BE THE SMART COOKIE DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY ARE.LOL.BUT. I CAN TELL YU 1 THING YU ALL OFFERED A SETTLEMANT AND YES GERARDO TOOK IT. AND YES HE WAS COMFTORABLE ENOUGH WITH IT .REASON WE CANT FIND HIM BUT WE DO KNOW HES IN CSNCUN DRINKING PINA COLADAS ON BEACH EL CONSUELO.THANKS TO YOUR IGNORANT ASSES..THOUGHT YU GUYS COUKD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE WORKER BUT ✌WRONG YU WERE.THANKS FOR SETTLING IT WAS THE RIGHT FAIR THING TO DO.🙏
Speaking if ignorant:
1. The site you were blocked from was NOT a cemetery site. The cemetery has no Facebook page nor a website. That site was a private group of volunteers for the Cemetery. You were warned several times along with your friends about content and language so you were deleted. Common practice.
2. Xavier called for cl8sed session because that is where private concerns are dealt with by a board of directors. Also common practice. The County Council (attorney, in case you don’t know what that is) was sitting right at that meeting and telling Mr. Avila to take the matter to cl8sed session. Attend other board meetings in town and learn how things are done.
3. Before you go spouting off, think about what you are saying. You appear to be pretty uneducated. That is exactly why the uproar over your behavior during the meeting. Attorney stating clear the room and me asking if the police should be involved. Again, uneducated.
4. Yes Ramos is in Mexico that is why the Valley Voice can not reach him. But he won’t be partying too much with his large settlement 🤣🤣🤣🤣
5. The man with him was not an attorney.
6. The attorney he had been communicating with is his relative from Mexico giving him free advice but can not practice law in California.
7. Continue with your ranting because I am totally enjoying you showing the world just how ignorant you are. 🤣
While the cemetery does not have a Facebook website the Caring Cause website does post about cemetery matters. If you comment on their website anything that might be considered negative you are not only eventually blocked but publicly chastised by Linda, the group’s webmaster who also appears to have taken on the role of being the cemetery public spokesperson. If you show up at a cemetery board meeting and rise to pose a question or to speak out in disagreement with the board you can feel the hostility of certain people. Listen to the videos that Linda posts and you can overhear some pretty snide remarks being made, especially toward a couple of sitting board members that they do not support. While the vast majority of those who have joined Caring Cause are wonderful people who are mainly about supporting all good things for Tulare’s cemeteries there are a few of them who can get extremely protective and feisty at times when they hear or read anything that goes against their grain. The lady who started the Caring Cause website is probably a caring and lovely person but I think she is making a mistake in letting Linda be the group’s self-appointed spokesperson. Perhaps encouraging someone who has a little more finesse in dealing with others would be in the group’s best interest. Linda seems fond of saying she would be very happy to step away from being the webmaster for Caring Cause but counts on no one stepping up to volunteer taking on that particular job thus ensuring that she continues to do and say whatever she pleases, which is what she thrives on.
With all due respect Mrs linda.IIf you replay the video of the Board meeting..Mrs Lara never used profanity when directing her issues at Mr Avila.She spoke very well You all just got offended at being told exactly whatvyou all didnt want to hear.The truth of the matter is you all are usto nobody getting involved.And heres pple that showed up laid. It out on the table for you guys.And you all got but hurt .Hey in reality The truth hurts.use it to better your selves.Now that there is pple checking up on your work.You all wanna run the show on your terms but you gotta answer to the pple you supposedly work for but you want them to stay quiet.And the pg you blocked anyone who wasnt in agreemant with you all in your issues Than why have a pg no one can opionate on..I saw Mrs laras comments as well as yours and Mr Avilas. Never did Mrs lara sound crazy You sound racist Mrs linda an old woman with a chip on her shoulder.And wen someone to you all your truths you blocked alot of us of the pg.Your wrong. But instead start crocheting do something useful .cementaries are. Not for you.I need a scarf for the winter if you get around to it.hook me up with a scarf.Ill pay for it.
Yep, someone disagrees and they’re racists!!! Wow!!
This is exactly the kind of postings on the site that got you people blocked. Now the general public can see.
I am not self appointed to anything. Nor am I racist. So with your innuendo, language, lack of knowledge, etc. Tell me who the racists are. 😂😂😂
Oh and since none if the instant messages I received from you people are visible. Please understand I did turn them over to the police departments.
Never called you a racist and was never blocked. This site is Valley Voice not Caring Cause. Actions do speak the loudest and since your loud voice seems to be the main voice (albeit most times the only voice) coming from Caring Cause it is not a stretch to assume that you could indeed view yourself as their “self-appointed” spokesperson. Unfortunately for Caring Cause you are someone who takes great delight in publicly chiding and degrading those whose opinions differ from yours. The words and tonality you use does tend to aggravate and anger those who you are directing your comments to, just as you intended. One can easily conclude that you are not a very good role model for Caring Cause because you so obviously lack the ability to “show” caring and sensitivity toward others. Since I do not instant message you can feel free to turn over this post to any police department you wish. Last I heard Americans still have the right to free speech, which I am exercising today.
EXACTLY WHAT I DID LINDA EXERCISE MY FREEDOM OF SPEECH.I GAVE MY OPINION AND YOU DIDNT LIKE IT .AND YES YOU BLOCKED ME YOURSELF..IF YOU WERENT IN CHARGE OF THE PG.YOU WOULDNT HAVE SAID IF YOU ALL DONT STOP COMMENTING IM GOING TO BLOCK YOU.AND SURE ENOUGH YOU DID!!!!! SO YES YOU ARE IN CHARGE YET AGAIN NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS.YOU DONT LIKE PUBLIC CONFRONTATION BECAUSE YU GET CAUGHT UP IN YOUR LIES.AND NEVER FID ANYONE THREATEN YOU.SO POLICE CANT DO ANYTHING TO ANYONE AGAIN STOP WASTING A PUBLIC SERVANTS TIME .ON YOUR PETTY COMPLAINTS