San Diego County Lawyer Under Fire for Working on Long Cruise
Picture this: you have been working at your job for over four years, and you get the opportunity to work remotely while cruising the world for four months.
Sounds fun, right? Well, this is a current reality for one senior lawyer who works for the San Diego City Attorney’s Office, but she is now getting slammed by the press for doing so.
While many reports are saying that the City Attorney is working remotely, the truth is it is one of her top deputies, Jean Jordan.
The actual newly elected City Attorney in San Diego is Heather Ferbert, who recently gave Jordan a pay bump, is not the one on a cruise.
Jordan, who is on a cruise, was given permission by her superiors at the San Diego City Attorney’s Office to work remotely for a period of time. However, she is now receiving criticism from constituents of her boss for her decision not to work close to her office.
Some of the concerns included the length of time working remotely when working for the city, and the deputies’ ability to do her job while being far away.
Another one of the concerns was if taxpayer dollars were being used to pay for the cruise, but until more information is provided it is likely Jordan paid for it herself.
Others who were interviewed regarding the situation said that as long as Jordan’s time off was approved and she was doing her job, there should not be an issue.
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Ibrahim Ahmed, a spokesperson for Ferbert shared that the city attorney has the ability to allow for temporary teleworking arrangements, but it is on a case-by-case basis.
In this situation, the job responsibilities of the position were reviewed and it was determined that they could be done remotely.
According to a San Diego-based news outlet, Jordan was promoted in January. However, based on information provided on LinkedIn, she has been the Assistant City Attorney since January 2021.
That being said, according to public records, Ferbert did give Jordan a pay bump from $239,000 to $282,651 annually earlier this year.
Supposedly, Jordan is receiving her regular salary and benefits while on the cruise — and while it is being reported that she is also collecting vacation pay, this has also not been confirmed.
Even if it is, it likely means that Jordan is using accrued time off to spend time at ports while the ship she is on is docked.
Jordan is still on the cruise and is set to depart sometime in May, upon which she will be returning to work at the office in San Diego.
Where in the World is Jean Jordan? On a Cruise!
Currently, only two cruise ships are on world cruises, which departed in January 2025 and will end in May 2025.
While some reports said that Jordan departed on a cruise weeks after being promoted in January of this year and would return in May, only one world cruise departed in February, and she is likely not on it.
Oceania Cruises’ Insignia departed on February 1 and is currently on a 180-night itinerary that will end on July 30, 2025.
However, given the lack of confirmation about Jordan’s promotion, it is more likely she is on a ship that departed in January and is indeed ending in May — which could be MSC Cruises’ MSC Magnifica or Princess Cruises’ Island Princess.
The 95,128 gross ton MSC Magnifica is currently on a 120-night round trip itinerary out of Rome, Italy.
This vessel departed on January 4, 2025 — and right now is underway from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town, South Africa where it will arrive on April 16. After making 50 stops in 21 countries, MSC Magnifica will arrive back in Rome on May 4, 2025.
Meanwhile, the 92,822 gross ton Island Princess is on a 117-night long round-trip cruise out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which departed on January 5, 2025.
Currently, this ship is underway from Nice to Marseille, France, where it will be arriving on April 16. The vessel is set to disembark after calling on 51 ports in 26 countries on May 2, 2025.
It is more than likely Jordan is working remotely from one of these two cruise ships — either way she would have access to onboard WiFi.
Unfortunately, she is learning that cruising through life may not go unpunished, pun very much intended.
San Diego County Lawyer Under Fire for Working on Long Cruise