Employee fired by city for golfing on the job also let go by two city utilities

GOLFING CITY WORKER.jpeg

News 4 San Antonio
by Jaie Avila / News 4 San Antonio
Thu, August 10th 2023, 8:00 PM CDT

The News 4 I-Team uncovers more about a city employee fired for playing golf while on the job. Employment records show he was also fired by a city-owned utility after similar allegations.

That didn't prevent him from getting hired this year by a third city entity.

Five days after our story exposed those on-the-clock golf outings, the employee was hired by CPS Energy, despite having been fired by both SAWS and the city's Public Works Department.

Back in May we talked to Thomas Rivera after he was fired as a Utility Coordinator with Public Works. Investigators with the city's Office of Municipal Integrity obtained golf course records showing Rivera golfing a dozen times when he should have been working.

They also found a Facebook post from one of his friends placing him at the golf course during a work day.

However, Rivera denied the allegations, saying his friends used his name and phone number to get discounts on golf games and he wasn't with them.

“In order to get the discount for the Alamo Golf Trails club you just have to say your phone number, that's it. They don't ask for an ID, they don't ask for nothing," Rivera told News 4 in May.

“I have a job to do, I do my job," Rivera said.

The city didn't buy it and Rivera was terminated as a result of the investigation.

Later we requested work records from Rivera’s previous employer: the San Antonio Water System.

They show he was fired in 2013 for a series of problems including taking his saws truck to his home for long periods during the workday.

Despite those two firings, Rivera was hired by CPS Energy this past May, just five days after our story about the golf trips.

It wasn't until after News 4 submitted an open records request to CPS Energy about Rivera in July that a vice president sent an email saying her department "recently discovered that Mr. Rivera's previous work history does not demonstrate our core values and has reputational risks to CPS Energy and our community." and requesting they "release Mr. Rivera from employment as soon as possible."

Neither the City of San Antonio nor CPS Energy would agree to an interview about what safeguards they use to prevent problem employees from being rehired at city departments and utilities.

Both sent News 4 statements:

“CPS Energy does not contact former employers of candidates. Most employers provide only neutral verification of employment, meaning they do not share information about individuals’ reasons for separation from their organizations.”

The city said it verifies dates of employment with previous employers.

“We contact previous employers with whom the candidate garnered the experience necessary for the job . . . In this instance, the employment dates verified by SAWS was consistent with the information provided by the employee.”

Rivera was still in his six month probationary period when he was let go from CPS Energy last month. He did not respond to requests for comment.