Former Cambria Fire Chief Reaches $200,000 Settlement Following Termination
The former fire chief of Cambria, California, has reached a $200,000 settlement with the Cambria Community Services District stemming from his 2023 termination. The settlement was unanimously approved Monday by the district’s five-member board.
The former chief, Justin Vincent, was hired in December 2022 under a five-year employment contract. His employment was terminated in October 2023. At the time, the district’s general manager stated that the decision followed a “comprehensive review and careful consideration,” citing a “detailed examination and investigation of fire department operations,” while offering no further explanation.
Under the settlement terms, Vincent will receive $150,000, plus $50,000 designated for attorney’s fees. The agreement does not include any admission of wrongdoing by either party. As part of the settlement, termination-related documents and statements will be removed from Vincent’s personnel file, and the district will accept an after-the-fact letter of resignation. District counsel reported that the payment will be made through the district’s insurance coverage with the Special District Risk Management Authority.
Vincent filed his lawsuit in January 2024 in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. His 40-page complaint alleged retaliatory practices, racial discrimination, sexual harassment, violations of government and labor codes, and due process violations, among other claims. The complaint stated that Vincent was, at the time, the only African-American employee of the district and the first African-American fire chief hired in San Luis Obispo County.
According to the complaint, many of Vincent’s allegations arose from a formal grievance he filed in April 2023 with the district’s then-general manager. In that grievance, Vincent alleged that an employee of the district had created a hostile work environment and had made unwanted sexual comments toward members of the department for several years. The lawsuit described what it characterized as “severe and pervasive sexual harassment,” including lewd and sexually offensive comments and jokes, remarks about firefighters’ bodies and genitalia, and an alleged instance of sexual comments made during a district board meeting.
The lawsuit further alleged that shortly after the grievance was filed, Vincent was placed on administrative leave in September 2023, before his employment was ultimately terminated the following month.
The settlement resolves the litigation without reinstating Vincent as fire chief. More on the story.
