Personnel Chief Storms Out of Grand Jury Session : Government: Ronald W. Komers says he felt ‘physically threatened’ as a panel member berated his handling of pay raises.

Ventura County’s personnel director stormed out of a meeting with the county grand jury on Thursday, saying he felt “physically threatened and intimidated” as a juror berated his handling of pay raises for county employees.

“I was surprised at the antagonism,” Personnel Director Ronald W. Komers said after the grand jury session, which lasted about five minutes. “I felt physically threatened and intimidated by a large juror sitting three feet from me. I didn’t think it was appropriate.”

Komers did not identify the juror, but another source said jury foreman Woodrow Shumate of Oxnard was especially abusive toward the personnel director.

“This poor guy had not even gotten a chance to get his seat warm when he was attacked by the foreman of the grand jury, who was arrogant and extremely abusive,” the source said. After a few minutes, he said, Komers “got up and said, ‘I don’t have to sit here and take this.’ ”

Shumate declined to comment on the incident.

The grand jury is a panel of citizens--often retirees--appointed by judges of the Superior Court to serve a one-year term. Part of the panel’s mission is to hear evidence and return indictments in criminal cases, but most of its time is spent investigating the operations of county government. During its term, the grand jury sometimes issues recommendations, which officials may accept or reject.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors ignored a grand jury request to delay pay raises for some county employees until the grand jury could look into the issue. Komers said the board’s action apparently prompted grand jurors to summon him Thursday afternoon to their chambers in the Hall of Justice.

“The grand jury was displeased that the board did not delay action on the pay raises,” Komers said. He said jurors wished he had told them sooner that the raises would be on the board’s Tuesday agenda.

Komers said he tried to explain that the grand jury gets the agenda for the board’s Tuesday meetings on the preceding Thursday--the same time it becomes available to the public. In his nine years as personnel director, Komers said, that procedure has always been satisfactory to the grand jury.

“I felt their demeanor was not professional and they would not listen fairly to my explanations,” Komers said. He said Assistant Personnel Director Edward L. McLean, who also attended the session, “felt the same antagonism and anger.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Komers said. “I’ve always had professional relations with the grand jury and tried to do my job professionally and courteously. It seems that the same treatment should be extended to me.”

After the stormy session, Komers said, he consulted County Counsel James L. McBride, who advised him to write a letter to the grand jury explaining the procedures that were followed on the pay raises.

Komers’ boss, Chief Administrative Officer Richard Wittenberg, was out of town Thursday and unavailable for comment.

Supervisor John K. Flynn said he knew nothing of the controversy, but said if the grand jury was upset with the supervisors, it should have asked them to appear. “They should call the elected people, not the staff people,” Flynn said.

Flynn said he could understand the concern about pay raises at a time when the county has severe budget constraints. But the raises were largely the products of collective bargaining and could not be stopped at the last minute without risking legal action, he said.

The grand jury might have valid concerns, Flynn said, but “that doesn’t mean they ought to be mistreating anyone.”

Flynn said he met with the grand jury recently and was impressed. “This is a good grand jury,” he said. “They’re very knowledgeable and very smart.”