San Francisco has more than 34,000 employees, and sometimes some of them get fired. In most cases, the workers are under union contracts, and termination requires some sort of cause, some sort of warning system, and some sort of due process: Your boss can’t just call you into their office one day and say you’re no longer needed.
But a small percentage or those workers are called “exempt,” which means they can be fired at will. The exempt workers tend to be political (supes aides) or people in senior positions (who don’t have contracts).
One of those workers is named Richard Whipple, and he played a huge role in supporting immigrants in the city as the deputy director of the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs. He was fired in mid-November (as reported in the Bay Area Reporter)–without cause, without comment, without any visible reason.
Whipple told me he was called to his supervisor’s office, told his services were no longer needed, and escorted out of the building. His email was cut off so he couldn’t contact the people he’d worked with for more than a decade.
The City Administrator’s Office won’t comment on a personnel matter, which I get. But I have spoken to a lot of people who worked with Whipple, and they all had the same comment:
This is really weird.
It’s also a serious problem when the city is scrambling to respond to Trump’s attacks on immigrants.
“To lose someone who has played such a big role in immigrant rights at a time like this is very disturbing,” former supervisor and state Democratic Party Vice Chair David Campos, who came to the US as an immigrant, told me.
More than 500 people involved in the immigrant rights movement have signed a petition that states:
On Monday, November 17, 2025,Rich was abruptly informed by the City Administrator’s Office of Human Resources that “his services were no longer required,” without cause, explanation, or due process. As an exempt, at-will employee, he was told he could be dismissed at the discretion of departmental appointing officers. Yet the manner of his dismissal — including immediate revocation of access to communication platforms prior to official notification — was unnecessarily dehumanizing and prevented him from informing colleagues or community partners of the sudden decision.
This action took place amid a national climate of escalating threats against immigrant communities —precisely the moment when experienced, trusted, and dedicated leaders like Rich are most needed. Eliminating institutional knowledge and silencing a long-standing public servant with a stellar reputation, undermines the City’s capacity to protect and support its immigrant residents.
The petition’s signatories:
Attest to Rich Whipple’s extensive contributions, commitment, and value to the City and community of San Francisco, especially during a current period of heightened hostility toward immigrant communities
Condemn the sudden dismissal by the City Administrator’s Office of Human Resources, and demand transparency, explanation, and accountability for the unnecessary and dehumanizing manner in which this action was carried out
Demand the immediate reinstatement of Rich Whipple as Deputy Director of OCEIA, recognizing that his 16 years of experience, institutional memory, and community relationships are vital to advancing OCEIA’s mission and protecting San Francisco’s immigrant communities
Call on the City to allocate adequate resources to meet the urgent needs of immigrant residents, rather than eliminating key staff with deep expertise and long-standing trust within the community
Demand a detailed plan from the City Administrator’s Office and OCEIA’s current leadership outlining:
How essential immigrant-serving programs will continue without disruption,
How existing community partnerships—many of which Rich envisioned, established, and maintained—will be protected, and
What resources will be dedicated to addressing gaps created by his sudden removal
The BAR suggests that Whipple may have been fired because of his outspoken support for immigrants at a time when Mayor Daniel Lurie is trying to avoid the Wrath of Trump. But nobody knows for sure, because nobody at City Hall is talking.
From that story:
Sengun, a gay Turkish man and attorney, is co-founder and executive director of the LGBT Asylum Project, which provides legal services to asylees. Rimi, an Indian pansexual transgender Kinner, co-founded Parivar Bay Area, which provides services to transgender immigrants and others particularly from the Global South. In 2022, Parivar had worked closely with Whipple on launching its first transgender immigrant symposium, noted Rimi. “In terms of Rich, he’s been a tremendous ally to the transgender community,” she said.
At the Immigrant Rights Commission tonight, a long line of speakers expressed concern about the future of OCIA, and demanded that Whipple be reinstated.
“It seems he was let go for speaking the truth with a little too much sass,” Angelina Romano, a social worker who works with immigrant families at the SF School District, said. “There has been no transition plan for any of the service he provided. It seems like a deep disregard, not only for our work but for the safety of vulnerable communities.
“Rich treated people with dignity and humanity, and always worked to make these services accessible,” another speaker said. “Removing a trusted leader at this time threatens the services that our families need.”
Valentina, an immigrant rights advocate in the Mission, noted that “our immigrant community is under attack. Dismissing a trusted pillar of support is the wrong move.”
The comments went on and on.
Several people noted that Whipple’s job has already been posted, and the applications close in 19 days. “Are they looking for a yes man?” one speaker asked.
The commission has no direct authority over the City Administrator’s Office. But the message tonight was clear: Something about this was … really weird.
And maybe really wrong.
