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Is Dee Torres-Hill a whistleblower?

October 30, 2014
Dee Torres

Dee Torres

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Claiming to be a whistleblower, the embattled former head of the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo’s homeless services program has sued the nonprofit, alleging CAPSLO retaliated against her for expressing safety concerns.

Earlier this year, CAPSLO demoted Torres-Hill, cut her pay and placed her on leave, prior to her leaving the nonprofit. Torres-Hill, who recently married County Supervisor Adam Hill, faced allegations of theft from numerous former employees of CAPSLO, who claimed she made personal use of gift cards and other items donated to the homeless.

She also allegedly sold items donated to the homeless without accounting for the revenue she collected, according to tax records.

In March, CAPSLO demoted Torres-Hill. She then took several months of leave, went back to work at CAPSLO for a short time before starting a nonprofit organization that claims to help homeless individuals find housing.

Shortly after CAPSLO demoted Torres-Hill, Hill engaged in a war of words with the agency.

The county supervisor sent his legislative aide to a homeless services meeting held at CAPSLO’s office. At the meeting, Hill’s aide read a prepared speech attacking CAPSLO executives by name, calling them “obnoxious and counterproductive” and warning that their egos would cause problems in the community.

CAPSLO responded with a letter to Board of Supervisors Chairman Bruce Gibson, saying that Hill was running a misinformation campaign in the community.

On Tuesday, Torres-Hill fired back against her former employer by filing a lawsuit in San Luis Obispo Superior Court alleging she is the victim of retaliation. She is seeking punitive damages for wrongful termination, defamation, libel, and infliction of emotional distress.

Torres-Hill alleges that her relationship with CAPSLO executives turned sour when she reported concerns about the safety and security of the Maxine Lewis homeless shelter and the Prado Day Center.

Supervisor Adam Hill

Supervisor Adam Hill

After she expressed the concerns during a meeting, CAPSLO demoted her, the lawsuit claims.

Previously, Torres-Hill has filed several lawsuits, the most recent one being last year against Mike

Brennler. Brennler, a private investigator, had assisted CalCoastNews in an investigation into Torres and CAPSLO.

A San Luis Obispo judge threw the lawsuit out of court, stating that it fit the criteria of a SLAPP lawsuit — one filed with the intent of infringing upon First Amendment rights or stifling public criticism.


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Impressive. Dee’s smarter (and more unethical) that I would’ve previously thought.


She’s getting older..probably.wants to “retire” and plan her wedding to Adam.


Just watch: she’ll agree to an out-of-court settlement, drop the lawsuit, AND maybe even get a nice Chittygate-size payout from CAPSLO on her way out the door.


Thanks, taxpayers!


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sad, but so probable what you say.


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Is Dee Torres a whistleblower?


Oh, she blows but I don’tthe it is a whistle she blows.


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Should read “I don’t think ….”


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If, by “whistleblower,” you mean “toots her own horn,” then yes Torres is a whistleblower.


This action is “payback” in Torres’ mind, for injustices suffered at CAPSLO.


You and I think it’s bogus, but we have to acknowledge that Torres is in a strong position to do this blackmail. Her dirty little secrets have all (?) been bandied about in the press for two years. Biz and CAPSLO’s dirty little secrets (if any), have not yet seen scrutiny. So, it the “airing dirty laundry contest” that is about to begin, Torres is already way ahead. My crystal ball says CAPSLO will quietly settle before very long at all.


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Come on we all knew this was going to happen when she was demoted, it was just a matter of time. People like her who feed at the trough and screw people at every turn know no other way than this. Even worse when they are homeless,


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Talk about an ego trip – she is on one – a big one. The only whistle she has blown is the

one she uses to call Adam (and he comes).


Saying she has always been a advocate of the homeless is bull —-. The thing she

misses is the money she got and the power she had while at CAPSLO – feeding off the

taxpayers and the homeless.


Probably just hoping that CAPSLO will settle out of court; she will get some more money

and a few more minutes of fame. Not unlikely, since it would be my guess that

CAPSLO has many ‘dirty’ little secrets that they do not want to come out. Biz and her

cohorts hands are far from clean. In some circles they call this extortion – in her world

they call it “getting even”


But what the hey, the next thing you hear will be Ms. Lisa Solomon suing Paso for

wrongful dismissal.


San Luis Obispo county sure has its fair share of egotists – must be something in the

water.


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Don’t forget. A quarter of a million bucks wasn’t enough for the alleged groper Lisa Solomon Chitty.


She also tried to file a worker’s comp suit but got caught on that one.


I wonder if Dee will follow Paso’s singing ex-chief’s playbook step by step. Hmm…. They sound like two greedy pea$ in a pod.


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No shame whatsoever.


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LAH: Mr. Letterman has responded to your post with deep regrets. Yes-Mr. Collins would have to make the list. Mr. Irons is a presumable candidate. Mr. Letterman reports that between being retired and too much SLO County material to choose from, he is a bit off his game.


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Torres-Hill & Hill, please just go away and be yourselves.


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How can we miss you if you won’t go away!


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She had just bee accused of stealing…so she claims fowl play.

Sounds like the little girl down the street when I was growing up. She would do something bad enough to get in trouble, hit, steal etc…then knowing punishment was coming, she would hurt herself..fall off her bike, jump off a fence and scratch her knees…go in crying to mama badly hurt. Then Mom finds out she stole toys from the neighbor and punished her less than she should have cause “Poor Poor Debbie had a bad bad boo-boo”.


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Does she really play with chickens?


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