Dear Community Members,

We urgently ask for your support by signing the petition below in solidarity with the unionized staff at Rainbow Community Center — the only 2SLGBTQIA+ Community Center in Contra Costa County.

Rainbow provides vital services, advocacy, and a safe space for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and families across the region. The strength and integrity of this organization are essential to the wellbeing of our community.

On June 2, union staff delivered a letter to leadership outlining urgent concerns and requesting action by June 5. These requests were denied. The letter included below, details serious ethical, legal, and organizational violations that have harmed staff, broken trust, and put Rainbow at significant financial and legal risk.

Please stand with us to protect the services Rainbow provides and people who make Rainbow’s mission possible.

For questions, please contact SaveRainbowCommunityCenter@gmail.com 

We, the union staff at Rainbow Community Center of Contra Costa County, are submitting this formal statement of Vote of No Confidence and Motion to Censure against Jonathan Lee, current member of the Board of Directors. The union staff voted unanimously for this Vote of No Confidence. 

This action is brought forward in response to a series of serious ethical, legal, and organizational violations that have directly harmed staff, undermined trust within the organization, and placed Rainbow at significant financial and legal risk.

Violation of Federal Labor Law
During his tenure as Interim Executive Director and as a Board Member, Jonathan Lee engaged in actions intended to dismantle and undermine the staff union. These actions are violations of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), specifically: 

 Section 7, which protects employees’ rights to unionize and engage in collective bargaining, and

• Section 8(a)(1), which prohibits employers from interfering with, restraining, or coercing employees in the exercise of union rights and bargaining. 

Such behavior not only violates federal law, but also Rainbow’s stated values of equity, inclusion, and respect for workers' rights.

Violation of State Law
During his tenure as a Board Member, Jonathan Lee engaged in retaliation against the Co-Executive Director Cori Johnson, after Cori Johnson acted as a “whistleblower” on May 23, 2025, and disclosed information to the Board and Staff about concerns that Johnathan Lee was violating Board regulations and federal law. Jonathan Lee retaliated against Cori Johnson that same day, by calling an emergency Board meeting to terminate Cori Johnson, as well as instructing the Co-Executive Director Jorge
Chamorro to call the police and report Cori Johnson for an alleged admin issue.

Retaliation against an employee who engages in whistleblower activity is a legal violation of California Labor Code Section 1102.5, and is detailed as a legal and organizational violation in Rainbow’s Employee Handbook under
“Whistleblower Protections on page 33,” specifically:

• Labor Code 1102.5, (b) An employer, or any person acting on behalf of the employer, shall not retaliate against an employee for disclosing information... to a person with authority over the employee or another employee who has the authority to investigate, discover, or correct the violation or noncompliance... if the employee has reasonable cause to believe that the information discloses a violation of state or federal statute, or a violation of or noncompliance with a local, state, or federal rule or regulation, regardless of whether disclosing the information is part of the employee’s job duties.
• Rainbow Employee Handbook, page 33 (in compliance with state law), An employee is protected from retaliation when the employee has reasonable cause to believe that the information discloses a violation of state or federal statute, or a violation or noncompliance with a local, state, or federal rule or regulation. In other words, there does not need to be an actual violation of the law; the employee is protected if the
  employee had reasonable cause to believe that the info disclosed was a violation of the law.

Jonathan Lee’s retaliatory actions are also violations under additional state laws, including the Whistleblower Retaliation protections in California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), wrongful termination in violation of public policy (CACI No.2430), and intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED).

Jonathan Lee’s actions place Rainbow at significant risk for legal and financial liability and harm the organization’s workers.

Violation of Rainbow’s Mission, Vision, and Core Values
During his tenure as a Board Member, on May 23, 2025, Jonathan Lee instructed Co-Executive Director Jorge Chamorro to report Co-Executive Director Cori Johnson to Concord Police, after Cori Johnson adjusted Jonathan Lee’s Google Admin access to a level appropriate for a Board Member. Jonathan’s instructions to contact the police included criminalizing language and resulted in a literal police report against Rainbow’s only Black staff member, Cori Johnson. Jonathan Lee’s hasty decision to report a
Black staff member to the police over an admin issue, and to specifically leverage the police - an institution that historically (and currently) disproportionately uses violence against Black and Brown queer people - is not only irrational, but reckless, cruel and trauma-inducing, and put a staff member’s life, livelihood, and mental health at risk. This harmful behavior demonstrates a gross abuse of power, and is an act of anti-Black racism, misogyny, and violence, and a waste of community resources. This a severe
violation of Rainbow’s mission, vision, and core values, specifically:

• Rainbow Community Center’s Vision Statement, to advocate for “racial justice, safety and liberation for all through healing centered engagement.” 

Toxic and Harmful Workplace Conduct
Jonathan Lee’s leadership and conduct have resulted in:

• The creation of a hostile and toxic work environment through confrontational, threatening, and manipulative communications.
• Legal and ethical violations that place Rainbow at significant financial and legal risk.
• The retaliatory termination of a Co-Executive Director in response to whistleblowing.
• A gross abuse of power and an act of anti-Black racism, misogyny and violence that endangered a staff member’s life, livelihood, and mental health.
• “Union-busting” behavior that violates the National Labor Relations Act, repeated violations of the union contract by failure to bargain over changes in working conditions, and unfair labor practices that the union is pursuing with the NLRB.
• Potential abuse of Google Admin access and unethical meddling in staff operations. Jonathan’s demand to have continual access and control over admin privileges related to Rainbow’s operations raises ethical and potentially legal concerns regarding conflicts of interest, confidentiality, HIPAA compliance, and Board overreach into staff operations. The Board’s primary role is governance and oversight, not day-to-day management; mixing these roles can create conflicts of interest and blur lines of accountability. Normally, Rainbow Executive Directors have ultimate admin power, and Board members are not privileged to this information on a day-to-day basis.
• A significant decrease in staff morale. Staff have reported that Jonathan Lee’s hostile behavior and the termination of Co-Executive Director Cori Johnson has created an unsafe and distressing work environment. In addition, staff have reported that they want to focus on their work tasks and serving clients and community members but are now forced to manage the fallout of Jonathan Lee’s actions.This behavior is unacceptable for anyone in a position of power within an organization dedicated to social justice and community care for marginalized 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

Staff Requests Immediate Action
Based on the above, the staff of Rainbow hereby request:

• The immediate removal of Jonathan Lee from the Rainbow Board of Directors. We request that the Board move to motion a vote to remove Jonathan Lee from the Board of Directors. In addition, we request that the Board investigate Jonathan Lee regarding aforementioned legal and ethical violations.
• A formal motion and vote by the Board to censure Jonathan Lee for violations of state and federal law, and community standards.
• Reinstate Cori Johnson’s employment as Co-Executive Director immediately, before June 7, 2025. Reinstating Cori Johnson as Co-Executive Director immediately will remedy the violation of Whistleblower Protections in state law, so that the Board is no longer exposed to liability for these violations and will prevent the organization from being sued under California Employment Law (Labor Code section 1102.5). In addition, reinstating Cori Johnson’s position before Rainbow’s main Pride in the Plaza event on June 7, 2025, will:

1. Prevent further public and potential media exposure of Rainbow’s violation of state and federal laws. News is already spreading in the community about Cori Johnson’s termination, and community members and organizational partners will inquire about what happened to Cori Johnson when they do not see her in her Co-ED role at Rainbow’s main Pride event,
2. Prevent the destruction of organizational partnerships that Cori Johnson has helped to build, and
3. Prevent the erosion of trust among Rainbow partners and community members regarding the Board’s governance. which could lead to Rainbow losing contracts, partnerships, and funding.

We are asking the Board to respond to these requests for immediate action by June 6, 2025.

In conclusion, Rainbow is a space meant to foster dignity, equity, and community empowerment. Jonathan Lee’s continued presence on the Board directly undermines these values harms the staff and jeopardizes the organization’s mission, legal standing, and community trust. It is the Board’s responsibility to act decisively in the best interest of Rainbow and its people, and we appreciate your attention to these urgent matters. We also appreciate your service to Rainbow Community Center and our 2SLGBTQIA+ community.