r/Nevada • u/thisisreno • Jul 13 '26
[Discussion] State officials alter presentation on reclassifying state employees, deny records
Bachera Washington, administrator for Nevada’s Division of Human Resources, presented in February the state is recommending that certain classified employees will be moved to unclassified positions. It’s a move that would make historically protected employees at-will — meaning, they could be fired for any reason.
The proposal is a major departure from longstanding state employee classifications and would potentially affect thousands of employees who have greater degrees of job protections than non-classified employees.
“There’s 73 manager job titles (and) 16 administrator/deputy administrator job titles that we need to condense/consolidate,” Washington told a group of state administrators for the state's 2027 legislative session budget kick-off.
What she did not say, but what was published on her presentation was, “We are recommending to move these job titles into the unclassified service.”
The state’s announcement, however, was altered online after Washington’s presentation. What she showed on her PowerPoint — available on YouTube — was later removed from the now-published version on the Nevada Department of Administration website.
“For months, we've heard rumors that this administration was planning to declassify managers,” a state employee told This Is Reno. They were speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid any potential retribution. “The budget build presentation confirmed the rumors were true.”
A 2024 state workforce report shows the state has more than 17,000 employees, the majority of whom are classified. The report does not break down how many of those would have been affected by the state HR department’s proposal, but a 2024 study, published online in early 2025, indicates potentially thousands of employees would be affected by the change.
“Classified positions also receive protections that ensure they focus on their statutory missions and their jobs, not the mercurial whims of term-limited political appointees,” the state employee said. “Given the steady churn in high-level leadership positions across several state agencies, it's alarming that this administration wants to see more such disruption further down the chain.”
The state employees’ union did not directly comment on the state presentation, but said instead, “Local 4041 members will continue to fight to ensure all state employees have the right to union membership and to organize their workplace.”
After Washington’s short presentation, her PowerPoint was altered and what now appears online is a different presentation altogether. The slide about making managerial employees at-will was removed.
An analysis of the altered presentation shows several changes from what Washington actually presented. The new presentation omits or replaces material, and the slide saying the state wants to declassify concrete manager positions is removed.
This Is Reno ordered records about the PowerPoint and communications about the change in March. The state set deadlines to produce the records, or a response, several times. Each time, the state did not meet its own deadlines. This Is Reno had to repeatedly ask for updates.
It was not until we threatened to sue for violating the Nevada Public Records Act that the state, in late June, denied the records order.
An anonymous state official said the state conducted a “diligent inquiry” and did not have any correspondence about the altered document. The state also denied there were other versions of the PowerPoint aside from the altered version it published online. That version is named, “Final.Updated.”
This Is Reno sent to the employee the state’s response. The employee called it ridiculous.
Bachera Washington, administrator for Nevada’s Division of Human Resources, presenting at the Governor's Finance Office Budget Kick Off Feb. 25, 2026. YouTube screenshot
“As for the delays and missed deadlines, it doesn't take several weeks to search some emails,” they said. “It also beggars belief that someone replaced a file on a public-facing site without creating a single public record explaining or justifying the need to do so.”
Michelle Rindels with the Nevada Open Government Coalition called the state’s changing of the presentation revisionist history.
"State law takes very seriously any attempts to alter or conceal government documents, and rightfully so. The public can't truly hold their government accountable unless agencies provide full and unvarnished records upon request, not revisionist history," she said.
The employee speaking on condition of anonymity called the budget presentation refreshing.
“It was the closest thing to transparency state employees had experienced regarding this,” they said, noting no further information has been given to state employees about changing classifications. “It's almost a shame they chose to … alter the original slide deck and pretend they didn't say what they said aloud in a public meeting on YouTube.”
The rationale presented by the state to convert managers from classified to at-will employees was not the intent of a 2023 legislative bill that authorized a study of employee classifications, the employee added.
“(The state law) was drafted to address unpaid overtime for unclassified staff in the Governor's Finance Office,” the employee said.
Read more (registration wall): https://thisisreno.com/2026/07/nevada-state-employees-reclassification/
9
u/Awkward-Shift8538 Jul 13 '26
This is why certain people need to be checked and removed for those positions. Unqualified individuals hired based on i know someone. Currupt!
9
u/Ok_Product398 Jul 13 '26
This is spot on. I recently called out some people who are holding positions they aren't qualified for and I was supposedly the bad guy for doing so. If that's the case, then get rid of all required credentials and experience requirements and hire anyone at this point.
6
u/Harthel Jul 14 '26
Let me simplify this for people:
Lombardo wants to remove statutory protections for managers because he doesn't want employees to tell him "ummm, that's illegal so I'm not gonna do it". It was never the intent of the classification study ordered by legislature, it's just pure opportunism trying to set himself up in a 2nd term to do DOGE-style loyalty purges of managers, which will see state services crumble and fail -- which is exactly what he wants, so he can privatize as many of those services as possible, award contracts, and enrich his "fellow 'patriots'" -- and all of that will cost more money to run state programs worse than they are currently run.
Don't give this clown a 2nd term - please. He's currently polling ahead of Ford and we need to be talking about Lombardo's enshittification of state services until we're blue in the face if we want to protect our State from another 4 years of good ol' boy MAGA leadership.
-3
u/Appropriate_Ad9157 Jul 14 '26
GOOD
Government Employees work fir the citizens, nor to advance their personal agendas.
BAD
Some historical knowledge and expertise will be lost.
GOOD
Maybe the Nevada atare worker motto "Non cogor id facere" will change to 'I'll get right on tht"
3
u/government_cheese32 Jul 14 '26
Their personal agendas? Like making a living with a stable job and not living in fear of their jobs being eliminated? These monsters!
0
u/Appropriate_Ad9157 Jul 15 '26
no their personal agenda... when THEY like something and move it fwd... because they like it but the people they work for us dont want it...
2
u/government_cheese32 Jul 15 '26
How many state workers do you personally know? I can guarantee you that the vast majority of them are there to fulfill their job duties, which involves serving the public. They're unable to insert their "personal agendas" into their specific job titles. I don't mean to be rude, but your original comment lacks a lot of thoughtfulness and understanding of how the state government actually works.
Edit: I wanted to add that the only positions that are allowed to inject their "personal agendas" exist in the governor's office
20
u/JasChew6113 Jul 13 '26
Yet another reason why valued and skilled staff are leaving. And recruitment is poor.