Cambria’s former fire chief, Justin Vincent, filed a complaint and request for jury trial against the Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) due to what he alleges was an unfair termination of his contract.
“As a proximate result of defendant CCSD’s breach of the employment agreement, [the] plaintiff has been substantially harmed,” the filing reads. “Plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer losses in earning and other benefits in an amount to be established at trial.”
In the lawsuit, Vincent claims that he was the victim of retaliatory practices, racism, and lack of due process when he was fired in October of last year.
In a press release the CCSD issued at the time, then new General Manager Matthew McElhenie said that Vincent had been let go following “the general manager’s comprehensive review and careful consideration” but did not elaborate, citing laws and guidelines related to employee termination.
McElhenie declined to speak with New Times about the lawsuit.
The complaint cites multiple instances where McElhenie, Administrative Assistant Haley Dodson, and 10 unnamed individuals allegedly retaliated against him after he spoke up about what he alleges was a misuse of power by Dodson last spring.
“Plaintiff began to regularly observe Dodson engage in severe or pervasive sexual harassment, including but not limited to lewd and sexually offensive comments and jokes,” the complaint reads.
The lawsuit states that in addition to observing these behaviors, multiple firefighters approached Vincent with complaints about similar comments or instances. CCSD staff members, the lawsuit claims, told Vincent they feared submitting formal complaints due to Dodson’s role at the time as head of human resources.
“On April 10, 2023, after multiple complaints were reported to him … plaintiff, in his capacity as fire chief, filed a formal grievance against Dodson,” the lawsuit states, adding that the grievance included claims that Dodson created a hostile work environment, spoke about firefighters in a lewd manner, and sent multiple unwanted sexually explicit messages to one firefighter.
The suit also alleges that Vincent was concerned that the district might retaliate against his complaints as McElhenie was brought in as the district’s new general manager at Dodson’s behest.
Dodson did not respond to New Times’ request for comment.
Several months after McElhenie was brought on, the lawsuit states, nothing had come of Vincent’s complaint. However, Vincent alleges that he received a notice of intent to terminate his contract from McEhlenie that included false accusations such as Vincent turning Fire Department staff against district staff and undermining the general manager’s decisions.
Shortly thereafter, the lawsuit states, McElhenie placed Vincent on administrative leave and then fired him in October.
The Cambria CSD held a special closed-session meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 14, to discuss the lawsuit and future actions. Δ
This article appears in Feb 15-25, 2024.
The level of corruption that goes on inside of the CCSD is so bad. It’s bad even for being in SLO County, and that’s saying something. These self-serving town heretics will face their comeuppance eventually… sooner than later.
To all of you clowns making comments, all you have to do is google that guy; the answers “lie” there.
To all of you making comments, all you have to do is google that guy (Justin Vincent); the answers “lie” there.
What an unfortunate stroke of luck this person has had. This is the second time hes had to file a wrongful termination suit against an employer, with this one being the first: http://www.desertnews.com/news/article_28821266-08fe-11e8-bb84-3b11f80423f4.html. The poor guy just wants to serve his community and keep it safe, yet he just cant catch a break.
So the plaintiff had three fire chief positions in 6 years. In California City, he was fired after eight months and sued them for wrongful termination. He lost in a SUMMARY JUDGMENT and then lost again in an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The last part reads, “Plaintiff asserts that Defendant’s next explanation, that Plaintiff was terminated because two city residents filed a complaint with the city manager after having a confrontation with Plaintiff in city hall, is pretextual because part of their complaint concerned Plaintiff’s allegations that one of the residents had attempted to bribe Plaintiff. But the record establishes that the complaint set forth several allegations, including that Plaintiff had threatened to give false information to the residents’ insurance company and that Plaintiff, in uniform and on duty, ‘went to a woman’s home and publically [sic] demanded that she stop discussing Plaintiff’s affairs.” So there’s that. In Suisen City, he mysteriously disappeared as there seems to be no online info re: his leaving. Strange. And then, he sues the Cambria CSD for another “wrongful termination” again after less than a year on the job. Some might call this a “pattern”.
Extremely short tenure in positions and multiple lawsuits. First one for “retaliatory firing and wrongful termination” dismissed summarily and dismissal upheld by Ninth Circuit. Simply seems to have disappeared from Suisen City. Strange. Now this lawsuit, again for “retaliatory firing and wrongful termination”.
Some might call this a “pattern”.
The GM of Cambria CSD has sent out and posted a letter about this lawsuit, calling for our entire community to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with him in this lawsuit. By the comments maligning the plaintiff above, he may be succeeding. But I think the plaintiff would have further grounds for retaliation from this letter. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbi…