Top female lifeguard goes to war with California city after being banned from applying to be chief

San Diego lifeguard captain Maureen Hodges is suing the city, alleging officials excluded her from consideration for chief before appointing a man she says was less qualified. The case raises questions about the department’s hiring process and whether its first and only female captain was treated fairly.

Hodges has worked as a lifeguard for 20 years and says acting chief Dan Eddy initially indicated she could be considered after former chief James Gartland was fired in October. Four days later, the city selected Daniel Orloff, who left the lifeguard service as a sergeant in 2023 and had worked as a deputy city attorney; the lawsuit says he had fewer than five years of full-time lifeguard experience. Hodges is seeking damages and an injunction requiring the city to improve protections against workplace discrimination.