Coast Guard Leaders in Sector San Diego Sidelined Amid Claims of Toxic Work Environment

The Coast Guard temporarily relieved the commander and top senior enlisted leader at Coast Guard Sector San Diego as it investigates allegations of a toxic work environment in the unit.

The service announced Friday that Capt. James Spitler and Command Master Chief Michael Dioquino have been temporarily reassigned for "loss of confidence" in their leadership.

Lt. SondraKay Kneen, the district's public affairs officer, said Monday the service had received reports of unfair treatment by Spitler from personnel at the unit and of "actions against staff" that were "unfair and inappropriate" and "interfered with work performance or created an unwelcome work environment."

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Dioquino is not being investigated, but he was relieved due to loss of confidence in his ability to fulfill his responsibilities as the command's senior enlisted leader, she said.

According to Kneen, if the reports are substantiated, the command could request a permanent relief for cause from the Coast Guard Personnel Service Center, which has final say in the matter.

The reliefs are the fifth and sixth of high-profile Coast Guard leaders since April. In June, Cmdr. David Ruhlig, Coast Guard Station New York's commanding officer, was relieved for "loss of confidence" after leading the unit for three years.

In April, Navy Capt. Daniel Mode, chaplain of the Coast Guard, was relieved for failing to take action when he became aware of sexual misconduct by another chaplain that had taken place before the other chaplain joined the Navy and served in the Coast Guard.

In May, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve Timothy Beard was relieved for inappropriate conduct.

And in late May, Navy Cmdr. Cristiano DeSousa, a Presbyterian chaplain, was relieved as chaplain of the 7th District for what a Coast Guard official described as "poor judgment and performance constituting a breach of trust with the workforce."

"The Coast Guard cannot accomplish our missions without the respect and trust of each member," said District 11 Commander Rear Adm. Joseph Buzzella in a statement Friday. "A safe and professional environment for each member is crucial to the success of our service, and we will not tolerate behavior that goes against our core values of honor, respect and devotion to duty."

Spitler is a 1997 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy who served as an operations officer aboard a seagoing buoy tender before attending Navy Flight School and becoming an HU-25 Falcon pilot. He has served in subsequent roles of responsibility, including command of Air Station Houston, Texas, and chief of the domestic operations division at U.S. Northern Command.

He assumed command of Sector San Diego in 2022.

Dioquino enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1995, becoming a machinery technician and serving on multiple cutters and at various duty stations while advancing through the ranks. He served as a recruiter in Tacoma, Washington, was the recruiter-in-charge in San Francisco, and later worked as a regional supervisor at Coast Guard Recruiting Command in Washington, D.C.

Both men have temporarily been assigned to a program office at Coast Guard Headquarters pending the outcome of their cases, according to Kneen.

Coast Guard Sector San Diego spans more than 165,000 square miles, including 120 miles of the Pacific coast, the maritime border between California and Mexico, and 750 miles of the Colorado River.

The unit also is responsible for Coast Guard oversight of the Port of San Diego.

Kneen said the unit remains fully operational and the leadership changes will have no impact on its abilities to serve the public. Capt. Patrick Dill, chief of incident management for District 11, has temporarily assumed command of Sector San Diego, she added.

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