The now-suspended director of San Francisco’s Department on the Status of Women is accusing city officials of retaliating against her for reporting sexual abuse in a city-run foster care program — even as she’s under investigation for blowing taxpayer cash on photoshoots and retreats, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Kimberly Ellis, who was suspended in March and is currently under investigation for alleged financial misconduct, claims the city forced her out after she raised concerns about disturbing behavior involving minors under city care, according to the Chronicle. The lawsuit follows a string of alleged financial boondoggles, including tens of thousands spent on staff glamor shoots and a video project that never aired, overpayments to a female-led political nonprofit and taxpayer-funded retreats for city employees featuring booze, luxury lodging and “life coaching” sessions led by one of Ellis’ longtime female friends — all of it unfolding under an agency tasked with promoting empowerment for women.
“Director Ellis was not forced out for poor performance or ethical misconduct,” the lawsuit reads, the Chronicle separately reported. “She was forced out for telling the truth, for defending the vulnerable and for refusing to quietly disappear. Her removal reflects not only unlawful retaliation but also a disturbing betrayal of the values San Francisco claims to champion.”
The full lawsuit document is not yet publicly available.
The suit names longtime city staffer Joe Macaluso, alleging he oversaw “efforts to conceal the sexual abuse” in the foster care program and engaged in “document forgery,” according to the outlet. City officials insist Ellis is under investigation for financial mismanagement — not whistleblowing — and have dismissed her legal claims as “baseless.”
“It is deeply disappointing that Ms. Ellis would blatantly lie in court documents to distract from the investigation into her misconduct,” Jen Kwart, a spokesperson for the San Francisco attorney’s office, told the outlet. “The city attorney has thoroughly investigated the allegations in her complaint, and they are baseless.
Neither Ellis nor the San Francisco city attorney’s office responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
Documents reviewed by the Chronicle reveal Ellis reportedly overpaid vendors with personal and political ties, including $80,000 to a production company for staff glamor shots and a video series that never aired, and nearly $85,000 to a “life coach” and longtime friend who led training sessions and facilitated staff retreats at upscale venues. In one case, a Lake Tahoe retreat reportedly involved alcohol and overnight stays, with one former staffer calling it a “colossal waste of time.”
Macaluso was placed on leave shortly after Ellis reported the alleged misconduct, though he hasn’t been fired, the outlet reported. It is unclear whether Ellis will keep her job with the Department on the Status of Women.
The department says its mission is to “take a more holistic approach as it relates to providing San Francisco’s women, girls and nonbinary people with the information, tools and resources they need to live their best and healthiest whole lives possible.”
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