A taxpayer-funded senior attorney for a fiercely Democratic city is spending four months ‘working’ onboard a luxury ship touring the oceans and glamorous destinations on a world cruise.
Jean Jordan, 65, who earns a whopping $300,000 a year as Assistant City Attorney of San Diego, has been on her epic high seas adventure since late January after agreeing to stay on in her position instead of retiring.
She is reportedly being paid her salary and is accruing full benefits… including vacation time.
The trip was approved by her boss, City Attorney Heather Ferbert, a Democrat, who told Daily Mail in a statement through her spokesperson that she is in ‘constant communication’ with Jordan – despite the fact she is at sea and believed to be many time zones removed from the sun-kissed California city.
When contacted by Daily Mail via her work email on a Monday morning, an automatic email response bounced back from Jordan saying: ‘Thank you for your email. I am out of the office today April 14, 2025. I will not have access to email or voicemail. I will return April 15, 2025. If you have an urgent matter please contact Leslie FitzGerald.’
Jordan included her colleague’s email address, which had incorrect spelling of her name.
The following day, the automatic reply feature had been removed but Jones – seemingly busy enjoying the open waters – still did not reply to a request for comment.
Marlea Dell’Anno, a former lawyer for the city, was shocked by Jordan’s lavish working conditions, telling DailyMail.com: ‘I can’t tell you how many people have called me or emailed me about this. People are outraged!’
San Diego Deputy City Attorney Jean Jordan – who earns close to $300,000 a year – is currently enjoying an epic world cruise on high seas….while still working and being paid
A cruise ship pictured in San Diego Bay
‘I don’t understand how as a leader you could ever think that’s a good idea.
‘How is the work getting done? You’re talking about an executive and a taxpayer funded position.
‘There’s an expectation of being physically present to lead your team.
‘Remote work has its place – but there’s a significant difference between working from home and working from a global cruise.
‘This stretches the definition of telework beyond what is reasonable.
‘That kind of a leadership role requires that your direct reports have access to you and you have regular face-to-face interactions with staff attorneys city officials.
‘It’s really questionable how effectively you can address those responsibilities and fulfill them from the middle of the ocean.’
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Jordan is scheduled to return from her grand tour at the end of next month.
She is currently paid $282,651 per year and she was paid $239,000 a year prior to her recent promotion in, per the outlet. She was paid $155,000 in her previous job as attorney for Sutter County, north of Sacramento.
‘The City Attorney stays in constant communication with all members of her executive team and has not experienced any delays or other negative impacts on the work of the Office,’ a spokesperson for Heather Ferbert, pictured, told DailyMail.com
The working trip was approved by her Jordan’s boss, City Attorney Heather Ferbert
She is being paid her full-time salary, benefits, and vacation time.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Jordan is a ‘Level 1’ CrossFit trainer and has a real estate license.
A spokesperson for Ferbert, elected to the cop attorney role in November, told DailyMail.com: ‘We do not comment specifically on personnel matters.
‘As the head of an independent City department, the City Attorney has the authority to allow temporary teleworking arrangements for Office employees on a case-by-case basis.
‘In this case, the City Attorney thoroughly examined the job responsibilities of the position and determined that all required work could be performed remotely on a temporary basis with no impact on Office operations.
‘The City Attorney stays in constant communication with all members of her executive team and has not experienced any delays or other negative impacts on the work of the Office.’
But Dell’Anno, who won a $6 million settlement for wrongful-termination from the City Attorney’s office, is utterly unconvinced by the assertions.
‘It’s not just about whether the work gets done – it’s about the message it sends the rank-and-file employees,’ she says.
‘Her promotion just before she goes on this four-month absence suggests poor planning and a lack of transparency about how public funds are being managed.
‘Imagine a parent wanting to save up all of their vacation and their sick leave to go on maternity or paternity leave so you can spend time with a child.
‘I would have a hard time being in a leadership role and looking at my direct reports and saying yeah “too bad, so sad” – you keep saving up for your paltry little time off and I’ll be on a cruise
‘It sends a bad message on so many levels.’
The Mayor of San Diego, Todd Gloria, his Chief of Staff Paola Avila and Gloria’s Director of Communications, Rachel Laing, did not respond to a request for comment.
Shelley Webb, a deputy in the criminal division of the City Attorney’s Office and president of the Deputy City Attorneys Association of San Diego, the union representing city lawyers, did not respond to an email regarding the matter.
But she told the San Diego Union-Tribune: ‘The DCAA was previously unaware of this arrangement for Executive Assistant City Attorney Jean Jordan and has no statement at this time.’
Jordan is reportedly being paid her salary and is accruing full benefits…including vacation time
‘That kind of a leadership role requires that your direct reports have access to you have regular face-to-face interactions with staff attorneys city officials,’ Marlea Dell’Anno, a former lawyer for the city of San Diego, told Daily Mail. ‘It’s really questionable how effectively you can address those responsibilities and fulfill them from the middle of the ocean’
Dell’Anno called the automatic response email to Daily Mail from Jordan ‘outrageous’ – specifically the claim that she is working from her ‘office.’
‘Clearly that email is almost an acknowledgment of how wrong this is,’ she said. ‘Why not just say, “Hey, I’m on a trip around the world.”
The response is ‘pretty indicative of the fact that that’s a $300,000 position that you could cut. That’s what it seems like to me.
‘She’s totally gone for four months. It’s like nobody needs her.
‘Just how out of touch can you be?’
‘Especially at a time when so many people are losing their jobs. When there’s so much uncertainty in the economy and when San Diego, in particular, is facing a huge budget crisis.’
Amid DailyMail.com’s probe, a memo was sent to all staff defending the decision to let Jordan work from the boat.
The note explained to employees they ‘will continue to be allowed to regularly work remotely with their supervisor’s approval’ and advised the Office has always had the ‘discretion to grant requests for temporary remote work in extraordinary circumstances’.
City Attorney Ferbert explained that Jordan is ‘an experienced, well-respected professional’ who had worked at the City Attorney’s Office for the past, and was given permission to work on the ship.
‘I have worked closely with her during her time with the Office. Ms. Jordan had previously planned to retire at the end of my predecessor’s term. With that plan in mind, Ms. Jordan scheduled a trip to begin in January 2025 after leaving employment with the City,’ Ferbert wrote.
‘During my first weeks in office, Ms. Jordan offered to stay on with the office and it became clear to me and others within the leadership team that her continued service to the City was greatly needed for continuity during the transition.’
The memo also outlined a claim that Jordan had turned down a pay increase after agreeing to continue to work during her holiday.
An email reply to Daily Mail from Jean Jordan said she is working from her ‘office’
‘In this case, the City Attorney thoroughly examined the job responsibilities of the position and determined that all required work could be performed remotely on a temporary basis with no impact on Office operations,’ according to a statement on behalf of Ferbert, pictured
‘At that time, I discussed the Executive Assistant City Attorney position with Ms. Jordan and she expressed her willingness to delay her retirement and continue working for the Office in that capacity,’ Ferbert said.
‘We also discussed whether a raise might be appropriate with her taking on more responsibilities. Given the circumstances and timing, Ms. Jordan declined to accept any increase in her salary.
‘We discussed her pre-scheduled trip in detail and Ms. Jordan has made every effort, at her own expense, to ensure her continued ability to complete the duties of her job and communicate with City staff and the attorneys she supervises.
‘I have been in constant contact with Ms. Jordan since taking office. Like most attorneys, Ms. Jordan generally works more than a 40-hour schedule each week and uses accrued vacation time on any weekdays she does not work.
‘She takes calls at all hours of the day. I have seen and reviewed her work product and discussed cases and legal matters with her, and I have every confidence that she is completing her work well above the expectations set for all the attorneys in this Office.’