Chenoweth v. Office of City Clerk

DRAPEAU, J.

Troy D. Chenoweth was an employee of the city of Los Angeles for more than 18 years. His last position in the city’s service was assistant chief, license and sales tax division, office of the city clerk.

Mr. Chenoweth became convinced' that certain of his associates in the city clerk’s office were guilty of corrupt misconduct in the administration of the law, and in the collection of license, use, and sales taxes. So he wrote several letters to the mayor of the city, making these charges.

The mayor decided to hold a hearing to investigate the charges, and notified Mr. Chenoweth to be present and substantiate them. (City Charter, § 63[2] ; Stats. 1925, p. 1054.) But at the hearing when the mayor called upon Mr. Chenoweth to be sworn and to state the facts upon which his charges were based, he refused to be sworn, or to make any statement.

His chief, the city clerk, who was also present at the mayor’s hearing, directed Mr. Chenoweth to be sworn, and to state the facts upon which he based his charges. Mr. Chenoweth still refused.

The mayor continued the hearing for two days, when Mr. Chenoweth was again directed to be sworn and to state his

[500]

charges. This time he gave as a reason for his continued refusal that he had advised the grand jury of his charges, and would talk to that body only.

The city clerk then discharged Mr. Chenoweth for insubordination, conduct harmful to the city’s service, and refusal, failure, and neglect to perform the duties of his position.

Mr. Chenoweth applied to the board of civil service commissioners of the city for reinstatement. The board held an extensive hearing, and voted to sustain Mr. Chenoweth’s discharge.

Mr. Chenoweth then petitioned the superior court for a writ of mandate, directing the city to reinstate him in his former position, and to pay him his salary for the time he had been excluded from it. He appeals to this court from the judgment denying his petition.

At the threshold of consideration of this case, this court is met with an incomplete record. No reporter’s transcript of the hearing in the superior court has been furnished. The general rule is that matters not shown by the record will not be considered on appeal. (3 Cal.Jur.2d 782.) And in the absence of a reporter’s transcript a reviewing court is confined to a determination whether the pleadings state a cause of action, whether the findings are within the issues, whether the judgment is supported by the findings, and whether reversible error appears upon the face of the record.