Raul Quintero charged he didn’t get a fair hearing before the Santa Ana Personnel Board when he unsuccessfully challenged his discharge from his job with the city of Santa Ana. Quintero claimed the attorney representing the city at the hearing had also acted as the personnel board’s counsel, which raised the specter that the board might have given more credence to the attorney’s arguments when deciding Quintero’s case. A California Court of Appeal ruled Quintero is entitled to a new hearing. The court stressed that care must be taken in an administrative hearing to ensure both fairness and the appearance of fairness. Here, said the court, certain actions by the attorney gave the appearance of bias and unfairness and suggested the possibility he influenced the board.