Justice for Unjustly Terminated Social Worker

In a victory that upholds public service workers’ constitutional rights, social worker Liann Noble was reinstated to her county job last month.

Liann, whose job is investigating child abuse, was abruptly fired last September after entering a homeless shelter under an assumed name for an article about Lompoc families living in the Bridgehouse shelter.

News of Liann’s reinstatement made the headlines in the local news media. The Lompoc Record published a front-page story on Liann on April 25. Liann’s reinstatement was also a top story on two local TV news programs. To see video of the KCOY TV news story, click here. )

Many local citizens wrote comments on the Lompoc Record article.
One reader wrote, "I think it was great that someone cares enough to risk her job to go check what is going on in our city."

Another wrote: "This woman is a hero and the people she works for are idiots. The woman who got her fired, she has to answer for her actions … You go social worker, Noble!"

SEIU will continue to monitor the case to ensure that, as guaranteed by civil service rules, management does not retaliate against Noble and she can continue doing her job. Because the Department of Social Services’ decision to terminate Noble was overturned, the county must pay her back wages and legal costs.