San Diego’s top female lifeguard claims she was banned from applying to chief role, then they gave the job to a man with a quarter of her experience
She has since filed a lawsuit against the city
The top female lifeguard in San Diego is suing the city after she claimed she was blocked from applying for the top lifeguard role. The job ultimately went to a man who, according to the woman’s lawsuit, is substantially less qualified for the role than she is.
Maureen Hodges is the city’s first and only female captain, according to the Times of San Diego. However, she recently filed a lawsuit against the city after she claims discrimination in the hiring process led to her being blocked from applying for the open chief position, which had surfaced following the former chief’s departure.
Last month, former chief James Gartland was fired from the role for his alleged mishandling of a sexual harassment complaint. He was terminated from his position in early October, leaving the job open. Hodges, the second-highest-ranking lifeguard allegedly enquired about the position to the then-acting chief, Dan Eddy. According to the lawsuit, when she asked about applying for the position, Eddy told her, “I don’t see why not.”
“Hodges performed well as the Captain,” her lawsuit says. She had served as a lifeguard in San Diego for 20 years and is currently serving as the department’s Marine Safety Captain of Strategic Operations.
The city hired another candidate without any notice
Four days after Hodges allegedly enquired about the role, the city announced that it had hired Daniel Orloff for the top lifeguard role. Orloff was a former lifeguard who had left the lifeguard service three years earlier and, before taking the role, was working as the Deputy City Attorney.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Hodges by attorney Michael Conger, according to NBC San Diego. “We are anxious to get the city under oath to find out what in the world is going on here,” he said.
According to Hodge’s lawsuit, the problem with hiring Orloff was that he was considerably less experienced than she was. “Orloff had departed the Lifeguard Service in 2023, in the rank of Sergeant,” the lawsuit states, adding that he had been employed as Deputy City Attorney for several years.
The lawsuit also said that the new chief lifeguard had only been a lifeguard for a handful of years. “Orloff was a full-time Lifeguard for less than five years. Hodges is more than qualified for promotion to Lifeguard Chief and is substantially more well qualified than Orloff.” Meanwhile, Hodges had been working for the city as a lifeguard for 20 years.
Hodges’ lawsuit seeks damages from the city. According to Conger, she is seeking the equivalent of a lifeguard chief’s salary, which is about $45,000 more than her current annual pay. The lawsuit also asked the judge to issue an injunction “requiring the City to better protect its employees from discrimination.”
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