Chunk visits ATEP

(Listen to Park Ranger Bob on the Frank Peters Show)
After class today, I shot on over to Redhill Avenue, in Tustin, and, at Warner Ave., I entered the enormous property that once was the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station. The facility and its two famous hangers came into existence in 1942 as the Santa Ana Naval Air Station, home to blimps that patrolled the coastline for Japanese submarines. When the base was turned over to the Marines in 1951, it was named the Marine Corps Air Facility, Santa Ana.

The Marines, the Navy, and the feds no longer have any presence on the property, and they have no claim to it--unless, of course, we fail to be in full-development mode by 2009. We own this 68-acre lot, but we must "use it or lose it." Potentially, if we drop the developmental ball, the lot could revert to the Navy, which would be only too glad to acquire so valuable a piece of property.

These days, the "base" is guarded by rent-a-cops hired by the city, who write down the name and license plate of each visitor. No doubt the info is sent immediately to Karl Rove. Or Karl Karcher. (For a cool map of the entire planned development, see Tustin Legacy Master Plan.)

I said hello to the guard, who gave me directions. I swung my car over to the left and headed for my destination--ATEP, the SOCCCD's third campus. I love old, historic places, and surely this counts. I was happy to soon come across an old chapel that, I've learned, is likely to be restored to its 1942 splendor by a local veterans organization. Surrounded by abandoned apartment buildings that have seen better days--they'll be razed--the chapel still looks impressive from some angles.


I spotted an old exercise area nearby:

It's always a little sad and creepy to see abandoned places and things.

Mostly, the old Marine base property is empty space, although there are signs that much is under construction and more is coming. Eventually, the property will include an impressive park, snaking through its middle.

Provost Kopecky and his two assistants now occupy a nice office space in a building--formerly barracks--owned by the Orange County Rescue Mission. (The OCRM owns six acres adjacent to ATEP.) ATEP uses this space and, in exchange, the rescue mission uses a nearby parking lot on ATEP property.

You should go to ATEP's website. There, you'll find loads of useful information, plus some artist renderings of how the complex may look some day:

Check out the drawing on top--the guy on the sidewalk. Wait a minute! Isn't that Park Ranger Bob!?

I blew up that part of the painting to get a closer look. Here's what I got:

Why, it's KEANU REEVES! Hmmm, for years now, the Reb has been telling me that there's a picture of "Keanu" in Glenn Roquemore's office. That made no sense. And now this. I'm confused.

Anyway, I walked inside the ATEP office and met the people there, including Tere Fluegeman, ATEP's Director of Public Information & Marketing. She was kind enough to take me on a brief tour.

THE TOUR

First, we visited the site of classrooms now under construction. It looks like the foundations are about to be poured. Yesterday, the building parts--they'll be bolted onto the concrete--started arriving. So things are hoppin'.

Next, she took me to an impressive helicopter hanger, which will be an important part of the ATEP complex. The outside wall still sports Marine parking space markings, including one for a certain Sergeant Major with an apparent deformity of the hand.


Tere took me inside, where we encountered a small film crew--the ATEP grounds are often rented for filming.

Somebody told me that, recently, there was an Emeritus film crew on the grounds.

"Emeritus?"

"Yup."

"Old people, making a film?"

"Yeah. They looked pretty young though. Maybe they were wearin' disguises."

Tere explained that there were at least two owls living inside the hanger. She pointed to a spot fifty feet above my head: a nest. Then she pointed to spots on the floor: owl crap stains.

"Owls, eh? What do they eat in here? Mice? It doesn't look like there's too many mice in here! The place is squeaky clean!"

"Dunno. We leave the doors open sometimes. Maybe they fly out."

Tere told me a quick owl crap story, which was pretty good, and then we moved on.

Essentially, that was the end of my tour.

CHUNK SANS TOUR GUIDE:

Well, I’m a standing on a corner
In Winslow, Arizona
And such a fine sight to see
It’s a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford
Slowin’ down to take a look at me
Come on, baby, don’t say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is
Gonna save me (Take It Easy)

I thanked Tere and then I headed out on my own. When Tere told me that the military have zero presence at the base, I felt relieved, 'cause I was hoping to drive around taking some snaps, and I know what paranoid knuckleheads the military can be. (I recall that time I was checkin' out a missile silo in central Montana....) So off I went to take snaps.

I started to take a picture of an old building, which happened to have a truck in its parking lot. The truck suddenly roared to life and sped toward me. It stopped and then the driver demanded to know what I was doing.

"Takin' a picture."

In response, he said something, I don't know what. He seemed pissed. If he were a bird, his feathers would be all puffed out. In fact, I do believe that he did have feathers and they were in Full Fluff. Testosterone was in the air.

Finally, he said, "Are you taking a picture of me, or are you taking a picture of the building!"

"The building, dude."

He roared off. He was (I think) driving an Irvine Ranch Water District truck.

Later, I was in an entirely different part of the base, taking pictures of the blimp hangers. Suddenly, another IRWD truck swung by and slowed down to look me over. I think the driver was getting my license plate number. I motioned absurdly to my back plates as if to help him to read the numbers better. He sped off.

Ten minutes later, this happened again. I felt as though I was in a scene from Parallax View.

Then I remembered. The Irvine Ranch Water District is powerful. It spends even more money than the SOCCCD! We're talkin' hundreds of millions! I think these bastards think they own the city!

But isn't the base in Tustin? Whatever.

Full circle

Well, IVC’s Vice President of Instruction, Dennis White, is toast after all.

On Wednesday, Dennis requested 15 minutes at the start of Thursday's Academic Senate meeting. He wanted to make an announcement. Obviously, he was going to announce his toasthood.

I’m a senator, and so I went to the meeting (yesterday) as per usual. But I brought my camera. As I entered, I saw Dennis. He looked dapper, as always. He stood off to the side while the usual pre-meeting hustle and bustle murmured. The room was fuller than usual. I spotted a few administrators, including several deans.

I usually sit in front, but, this time, I decided I’d better sit off to the side to take a picture. (It won’t do to flash a camera right into a person’s face.) People kept trailing in. At one point, I counted well over 30 people.

A few minutes after 2:00, Wendy started the meeting. We went through the usual preliminaries, and then we got to “public comments.” Dennis was asked to make his remarks. He got up to speak. He faced a friendly audience.

Dennis jovially explained that this was the last day he’d be wearing a suit. He reminded us of his first day on campu nearly four years agos: he wore a pink shirt and a pretty flower, which probably sent signals that he had not intended. No matter: he decided that, for today, he’d wear that same shirt—to “come full circle.”

He offered many words of praise for his colleagues in the college community. He noted the collegiality that now characterizes governance at IVC—a huge improvement over three years ago.

He’s right about that. And, undoubtedly, Dennis can take some of the credit for it.

He spoke of our college’s great potential. It can be the best community college in the state, he said, with some passion.

He said he wanted to mention a few individuals in particular. He thanked Greg B, the Senate President when Dennis arrived, who made a real effort to help the new VPI get up to speed. He thanked Bill H, who has always given wise advice and who, he said, has become a good friend. He thanked Dotty S, the director of our Honors Program, noting how extraordinarily well he and Dotty worked together.


To my surprise, he thanked yours truly. He referred slyly to the Dissent, which, he said, administrators read, whether or not they will admit to it.

He thanked Kathy S, chair of the Curriculum Committee, for her guidance and leadership.

He seemed to offer a very special “thank you” to Wendy G, our Senate Prez, “the most special person on campus,” and a “super gal.” Those of us who have worked with Wendy in the Senate know that she has worked very hard for the good of the college and that, over the last three years, she has come to trust and rely on Dennis and to regard him as a friend.

Smiling, Dennis recalled the early months of his tenure, when he decided to issue some unusual guidelines (i.e., prohibitions) for instructors regarding discussions of the war in the classroom. The sh*t really hit the fan that time.

When reporters and TV crews were on the IVC lawn looking for people to interview, he spotted Wendy wearing her usual casual teaching duds. Off she went somewhere. An hour or so later (said Dennis), when reporters asked again if anyone had anything to say about the “discussion ban,” why, there was Wendy, in a very telegenic black outfit with white pearls. She just happened to drop by, and, yes, as a matter of fact she did have something to say about that issue!

When he arrived, said Dennis, he promised that he would try to put IVC on an “international scale.” Six weeks later, he did. We laughed.

Dennis also praise Gwen, who is like a sister to him and who became his “sounding board.” He praised the deans, the “finest anywhere.” He praised his staff, whom he called his “foundation.”

He thanked his "gal" and family.

“It’s been a fun run,” he said. It's also been by far the “most challenging” time of his career.

He thanked us again, and left.

When he referred to me, he mentioned the night, four years ago, when he was appointed by the board. He described how I had spoken to him and filled him in on all the “bad things” about the district.

Well, maybe so. Back in 2003, in Dissent, I wrote about that moment in this way:

Who is this “Dennis White” anyway?

Why, he’s our dapper new VP of Instruction. I recall first meeting Dennis, last November, outside Saddleback’s Library 104, on the night of his appointment. He seemed like a nice guy, so I apprised him of the recent history of our district.

When I finished, he paused; he thunk; he assured me that he wouldn’t do anything indecent or illegal.

I said: “I hate to break it to you, but if you’re a decent guy, you’ll be gone within a year.”

Well, I was wrong. —He lasted nearly four years.

(Dennis will remain employed by the district until the end of December. His last day on the job will be a week from today.)

Chunk's day in pictures

Got a note from Provost (aka "Park Ranger") Bob Kopecky, explaining that ATEP's first buildings arrived today!

After my 9:30 class (Intro to Philosophy), I walked out to one of the fields.

These scenes reminded me of the famous closing shot of Carol Reed's The Third Man.

I stopped by the Performing Arts Complex, which is under construction. I can watch construction all day. It's like watching one of those food shows.

It's amazing how quickly these things go up, isn't it?

I spotted a jet contrail just above the library.



That wag, Bob K, also sent me a picture of what he called "ATEP mountain":



After my 12:30 class (also Intro), I rushed over to B100 for the Academic Senate meeting. It turns out that VPI Dennis White was there to announce his exodus and to say a few words to friends. (More about that tomorrow.)


Went out to Waters and hoisted a few with friends. Then headed home.

On the toll road, I figured, what the hell, why not take a few snaps out the window? It was a beautiful night.

So long, Dennis. We wish you well.

OTHER RECENT POSTS:

• Thursday, Sept. 28
Chancellor Mathur's ominous fiscal "warning"

• Wednesday, Sept. 27
Lazy Susan

Chancellor Mathur's ominous fiscal "warning"

I've been planning to add some audio posts from Monday's BOARD MEETING, but I've been stymied by technical difficulties. Have you ever read Poe's "The Imp of the Perverse"?

In particular, I wanted to post Chancellor Mathur's grim "warning" regarding the budget situation. Mostly, he made points that will be familiar to those who are aware of the views and policies of our trustees.

Here are the points he made:

The state budget situation "does not look good." The budget for 07-08 is going to be "tight."

In future, new expenditures (for new staff or faculty hires, etc.) will entail cuts somewhere else. "Something's got to go," if something else is brought in. We need to "prioritize."


We cannot ignore the bleak state budget situation on the grounds that we are a "basic aid district" (whose resources derive from local property taxes, not state money), for we might not always be a basic aid district. If we were to cease being a basic aid district, we would experience "drastic cuts," for we would be treated like any other district.

Hence, we need to be careful and to do what we can to encourage enrollments.

Marketing and outreach must be the responsibility of the colleges, not the district. Recent district money for marketing and outreach was a one-time use of basic aid money.

Lazy Susan

1. THEY'LL SPIN ANYTHING


2. STILL NO KEYS

I'm told that some at IVC still don't have keys to go with their new door locks. This means that some rooms are simply left open all the time.

Um, didn't they change the locks in the first place 'cause of security?

Typical.

3. A VISIT FROM COMET THE KITTEN

Is there anyone who doesn't love kittens? Here's Comet.




4. BEING THERE

Try, if you can, to make it to tomorrow's IVC Academic Senate meeting (2 p.m., in the B100 bldg.). There'll be a special announcement near the start of the meeting that you won't want to miss.

Or so I've been told.

Bill Jay caught sleeping (updated)

Just got back from the (South Orange County Community College District) board meeting. It was a snoozefest, especially on Trustee Jay's end of the stage.

I arrived at 7:00 sharp, just before the meeting started, and I found some people buzzing about the axe that had reportedly just fallen on Dennis White's neck. There was talk of a retirement party for the poor fellow.

It just goes to show. When the time came for Mr. Fuentes to announce actions taken during closed session (it is, of course, only during closed session that axes fall), he had nothing to report. Several of us sat up in surprise.

I looked back at Dennis, who did his best impression of a poker player. A good poker player. A short poker player.

Later, during the break, Dennis told me, "your report of my demise was premature." I laughed.

[Update Tuesday: friends reminded me today that last night's non-decision concerning Dennis might mean merely that the board could not agree on the terms of his exit. That is, possibly, Dennis is "toast," and the only issue is how he'll be buttered.]

For some reason, there was no mention of public comments at the start of the meeting. I've attended dozens of these board meetings, and, even when nobody's filled out those ugly "squawk" slips, the board Prez always stops to say that now's the time for public remarks.

Not this time.

I looked at the agenda: sure enough, "public comments" were agendized for 3:00, but not for 7:00.

As you know, by 7:00, the trustees had already been meeting since 3:00 in the afternoon--first to get an update on ATEP from Park Ranger Kopecky, and then for the closed session. I didn't attend the open ATEP meeting, but I overheard an administrator say that, during that session, one trustee "hit the nail on the head when he said 'Sh*t, or get off the pot'!"


Someone else seemed to say that ATEP needs to connect with some Big Money. Park Ranger Bob answered that Big Money's on the way and he declared that sh*tting would soon commence. He seemed generally positive about the meeting.

There were lots of resolutions to honor teachers (now called "Professors") of the year and various others. Tom Fuentes always handles the reading of resolutions, putting on his Big Dramatic Voice. He leaves quite an impression.

The theatrical fellow wore a modest yet subtly impertinent business suit. At one point, he removed his jacket, one arm at a time, revealing a delightful peach shirt and powder blue tie with yellow dots.

It was a salute to small pox.

(Cheap shot time:) At one point, Tom misread one of the resolutions and spoke of "enlarged learners." Everyone pointed and laughed. (Well, no. They're too afraid of the fellow for that. He shoots that stink eye like a cafffeinated Marine with a double-barreled laser beam.)

During board reports, trustees mostly revealed that they wanted to go home ASAP. Most skipped their report, but Marcia couldn't help herself. She described all of her recent adventures. At one point she squealed, "I saw a shark in a tank at Saddleabck College!"

She's funny.


A kid named "Rockwell Bower" (I think) came to report on the proposed IVC student government budget, which is about $400,000. Wagner noted that ASIVC is "spending more than [it] is taking in." That was bad enough, but Don also seemed to think that more of the budget should be going back to students.

According to the proposed budget, Clubs and some programs were set to receive lots of money from the students. Wagner questioned giving money to clubs, which, he seemed to say, should be self-sufficient. It's another instance of governmental meddling, evidently.

Then Trustee Fuentes questioned the sizeable profits coming from the bookstore. Why not cut profits and lower book prices? Fuentes told the kid that he'd appreciate an "earnest effort" to address his and Don's concerns next time.

The kid looked like he'd been smacked across the face with a tuna.

In the end, everyone supported the budget--except for Don.

After the meeting, referring to Mr. Bower, an administrator said to me that "tonight, your son sure did get smacked around a lot!"

Item 49 concerned topics for future board discussions. Nancy Padberg suggested that the board should discuss (or just have) board forums at the two colleges. John Williams, looking staunch and annoyed, seemed to want to give to the Chancellor more authority to deal with relatively inexpensive projects--those up to $50K. That the board has to spend so much of its time on so many dinky items was ridiculous, he seemed to say.

Padberg responded by saying that Williams' view was "irresponsible."

Marcia was worried about "avian flu." Gotta be prepared for that. All heads nodded gravely.

Wendy G jumped in to remind everyone that we've still got those mid-term Accreditation reports to write, and so lets put that on the list. Bob C fretted about the full-time/part-time ratio. More grave nods. --Well, maybe half nods.


Bill Jay slept through some of the discussion of the district budget--and who could blame him? Eventually, it was approved. Mathur yammered about the need to become more vigilant about enrollments. More nodding. Except for Bill.

The new Board Policy 2100.2 (role and scope of authority of the senates) was approved without comment, which is great, since now we can tell the Accreds that things are moving in the right direction on that score.

Oh yeah. At one point, IVC Prez Glenn Roquemore was grilled about the infamous classrooms snafu--you know, the new temps weren't ready for the first week of classes, creating chaos and unfettered paroxysms of shriekage.

It was way cool. Glenn explained that the guy who was supposed to do the work "went on vacation." Wagner didn't like that answer, so he asked more questions. Glenn's answers didn't seem to reduce the heat of Don's peevitude, which seemed to bubble over, spreading a vast and hideous miasma of fetid staunchitudinal harrumphitude.

He's a delightful fellow.

Spankin' new Vice Chancellor Andreea Serban was funny (and smart) again, in that Transylvanian accent of hers. She's a star! I took a picture of her hair.

The Saddelback student gov. president announced the students' upcoming "hot dog eating contest." That struck me as utterly absurd. Later, Wendy expressed the wish that she could come to meetings reporting hot dog eating contests. We all laughed. In truth, some who laughed were weenies.

Fuentes gave me the stink eye. In general, he said almost nothing during the meeting and he looked particularly evil, even for him.

I think he thinks he owns the world.

OTHER RECENT POSTS:

• Saturday, Sept. 23
The "bone" motif

• Friday, Sept. 22
"You will kiss my F-ing ass," said the college trustee

The "bone" motif

I’ve had time to take a closer look at the Board’s Monday agenda, and here’s my report.

1. WHITE OUT? It does appear to some that IVC’s Vice President of Instruction, Dennis White, is toast. The closed session agenda mentions the VPI, but the possible action is unclear.

Despite his boners, Dennis is well liked, and he has become a friend to the Academic Senate. But President Roquemore—who is widely viewed as a mannequin; nobody's ever actually seen his lips move—is said to be displeased with Dennis’s performance. Hence the potential toastiness.

To many of us at IVC, that Roquemore views White as incompetent is, well, ironic. Plus Glenn the Mannequin has the vision of--well, of a mannequin.

2. EXPENDITURES. On Monday night, there will be lots of discussion of budgets and expenditures. The full agenda has reams of paper listing hundreds of purchases.

Just for fun, I’ve assembled a small subset of these purchases below. It reads like poetry:

Recall Secure Destruction, Inc. — Shredding of documents — $325

Bone Clones, Inc. — Anthropology equipment — $4,738.85

Bee Man — contract services — $175.00

Cornerstone General, Inc. — Clock Tower Demolition — $8,240.00

Bone Room — Anthropology equipment — $568.75

I particularly enjoy the “bone” motif.

Here’s one of my favorite expenditures:

S&B Foods — President’s chat — $59.62

OK, so, apparently, S&B Foods whipped up a “President’s chat.” I like that. I like that very much.

Here are a few more actual items:

7/28/06 — Thomas A Fuentes — $1,198.50 — TFuentes Internet

Would someone please explain this one to me?

8/03/06 — Red Herring Magazine — $48.00 — Red Herring subscription

At first, I thought RH was a sportsman’s magazine, but I looked it up, and it promotes new technologies. Dang.

8/03/06 — Retail Webs LLC — $10, 075 – Greenhouse

Greenhouse: 10 grand. Plants?: —Priceless.

8/31/06 — Nothing But Air — $300 – Chancellor’s Opening Session

OK, I made that one up. In truth, NBA provided balloons for “welcome day.”

3. PROGRESS REPORTS. Items 71 and 72 are the Accreditation “progress reports.” They make good reading. Some excerpts:

Saddleback College:

Re board micromanagement

There are some issues that still need attention. Among them are these…(2) [T]he board’s rejection of college-determined institutional memberships…In March 2006, one board member pulled the American Library Association membership…The trustees spent portions of three board meetings debating whether or not the ALA endorsed pornography for children…[T]he board now requires detailed justification each time an institutional membership is requested or renewed.

…Another perception is that the board favors other units (such as ATEP) within the district over Saddleback College.

Evaluation: …[T]he question that requires clarification is whether the college defines its own mission, goals and objectives…? Or, whether it is the district that defines its mission, goals and objectives and the college…then defines its role in response to the district mission?....

Re administrative instability:

The perception remains among faculty and classified staff that the governance style of the board and district discourages college administrators from taking risks to solve difficult problems….

Irvine Valley College:

Re board micromanagement:

[During a March 27 presentation,] [t]he Chancellor … states that there is no college that has lost accreditation because of micromanagement….The Chancellor intimates that the faculty and staff may invite micromanagement by the board, as noted in the following statement:

“To the faculty and staff, please don’t invite micromanagement by going directly to the board about college issues. Please come to me as chancellor and/or go to the college presidents.”

…During [a]…discussion…, other trustees [than Mr. Fuentes] raised concerns as to whether it would be prudent to continue denying that there is a problem with board micromanagement by blaming other constituent groups. In response to those concerns, … [Fuentes] states:

“I’m saying that the problem in this district is more a macromanagement by elements who ought not to be macromanaging than it is by a couple of trustees on this board micromanaging….”

…[T]he majority of the board and the chancellor believe that the issues in the district relate to macromanagement by faculty leaders rather than micromanagement by the board….

…On January 31, 2006, in opposition to the recommendation of the chancellor, the board voted to deny the colleges’ institutional membership in the American Library Association, alleging that: 1) the ALA is comprised of “liberal busybodies…”; 2) the ALA opposed the Child Internet Protection Act and therefore favored allowing children access to pornography in public libraries; and 3) the ALA opposed the USA Patriot Act.

…Similar board involvement occurred relative to the decision by the IVC administration to discontinue intercollegiate tennis…Based on the discussion of the board and presentations by members of the community, the college administration elected to continue the intercollegiate tennis program.

“You will kiss my F-ing ass,” said the college trustee

OK, we think we have shitty trustees. Well, in some cases, we do, but the following story makes me feel a little better about our clueless trusticular crew.

Think Whittier. Nixon. Pat. Love. Reconquista.

Whittier is home to Rio Hondo Community College and the RHCC District (RHCCD), which is governed by a five-member board, including one Gary Mendez, who has served on the board since 1999.

He's got chutzpah.

The President/Superintendent of Rio Hondo Community College/RHCCD is Rose Marie Joyce.

She’s got spunk.

Evidently, back in June, some district personnel, including Mr. Mendez, then board president, were preparing to secure hotel rooms for a conference in Hawaii. On the 21st, Mr. Mendez showed up at the district, insisting that, for his Hawaii trip, he be provided with a hotel room with an ocean view.

Well, the fellow met with resistance, first from staff, and then from President Joyce. That’s when Mendez evidently started acting like an asshole from hell.

The result: at the subsequent July 19 RHCCD board meeting, the trustees passed a resolution censuring Mendez and stripping him of the board presidency.

The resolution says it all. It's really quite funny. (See Board Minutes. This is a smallish pdf file.)

Let it entertain you:

…WHEREAS:

1. On … Wednesday, June 21, 2006, … staff informed Dr. Joyce that Trustee Mendez wanted a room with an ocean view for the upcoming SCUP conference in Hawaii. Staff informed Trustee Mendez that they would need to check on this with Dr. Joyce. Trustee Mendez challenged the staff member, asking why she had to check with Dr. Joyce.…The staff member advised Trustee Mendez that it was District practice to get Dr. Joyce’s approval before incurring charges on the District’s credit card.

2. It is the regular practice of this District to pay the regular/single room conference rate for hotel rooms when Board members or staff attend conferences on behalf of the District. It is not the practice of this District to pay extra for ocean views or other hotel room upgrades for Board members attending conferences when regular rooms are available.

3. On June 21, 2006, Trustee Mendez attempted to direct a staff member of this District to book an ocean-view hotel room … at an extra cost to the District of $120 per night.

4. On [that day], Dr. Joyce advised Trustee Mendez that the District’s practice is to pay the regular/single room conference rate and that the District could arrange for an ocean view room if Trustee Mendez paid the extra cost. Dr. Joyce further offered to arrange for the room that Trustee Mendez had requested if he confirmed that his request was based on a medical reason.

5. [I]n response to Dr. Joyce’s explanation and offer to assist with hotel booking, Trustee Mendez referred to Dr. Joyce as “bitch,” while walking away from her. Trustee Mendez then said, “You are fucking going down,” and threatened to accuse Dr. Joyce of interfering with the Board’s evaluation of Dr. Joyce. When Dr. Joyce responded to Trustee Mendez that she was confident that she had not interfered in the process and that the truth would come out[,] Trustee Mendez then stated to Dr. Joyce, “You will kiss my fucking ass.”

WHEREAS, the conduct of Trustee Mendez is contrary to [the district’s code of ethics]…

WHEREAS, federal and state law and Board Policy … prohibit sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination in employment based on sex; and
…..
WHEREAS, it is the legal duty and the policy of this Board to take reasonable measures to prevent and deter sexual harassment in employment and other forms of unlawful discrimination in employment, and to remedy conduct that may contribute to a hostile working environment….
…..
WHEREAS, the conduct of Trustee Mendez has caused this Board to lose confidence in Trustee Mendez’s ability to fulfill the … duties of the Board President...
…..

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS:

1. The Board…has determined that censure of Trustee Mendez and removal of Trustee Mendez from the position of Board President are necessary and appropriate.

2. Trustee Mendez is hereby CENSURED for his conduct as described in this Resolution. Such CENSURE proclaims to the public that this Board disapproves of and will not tolerate conduct on the part of its members such as that described in this Resolution.

3. The Board hereby rescinds its action electing Trustee Mendez as President, and Trustee Mendez is hereby REMOVED as President of this Board of Trustees…. [END OF RESOLUTION]

The vote:

Trustee Couso-Vasquez – Abstain.
Trustee Mendez – Abstain.
Trustee Acosta-Salazar – Yes.
Trustee Martinez – Yes.
Trustee Quintero- Yes.
Student Trustee Quintero – Abstain.

--OK, so Mr. Wagner can get mighty sniffy. And Mr. Fuentes practices Satanism at least with his face. And John says incredibly stupid things. And our Raghu's still got that $1,000 chair.

But at least these guys wouldn't make like Mendez.

Would they?

ADDENDUM (9/23): SPUNK IS NOT ENOUGH

Evidently, President/Superintendent Joyce announced her retirement two weeks ago. Here's a commentary from the Sept. 15 Whittier Daily News: Joyce's tenure ends.

Some excerpts:

ROSE Marie Joyce, Rio Hondo College's superintendent/president for four years, will retire from a distinguished 43-year career in education at the end of the semester.

We will say at the very top of this commentary that she stepped into this office at a difficult time and, with the exception of a few communications glitches, worked intensely and successfully charting Rio Hondo College's course into the 21st century.

When Joyce spoke spontaneously from her own depth of experience and keen understanding and knowledge of the administration of higher education, she did so clearly, concisely and wisely.

…There was a recent period when we noticed severe differences between Joyce and former college board president Gary Mendez.

Eventually, Mendez was removed as board president, but he remains on the board. Various relationships on and off campus became strained during that period. During that bumpy time this newspaper on several occasions found itself being accused of shoddy journalism both by Joyce and the district's contract communications specialist….

We regret that she came to feel that way but, for us, that sometimes comes with the territory. On the other hand, we do not appreciate "communications" experts when they appear to be fanning the flames of discontent by giving us English and journalism lessons at every turn.

In addition, we have been told that a policy has been established that calls for Rio Hondo Board President Angela Acosta Salazar to be the only spokesperson for the board. We would like to know where that idea came from and why elected members of a governing body would agree to such a gag order.

…So now, we join those who can recite chapter and verse about the extraordinary efforts of Rose Marie Joyce personally and professionally to advance Rio Hondo College meaningfully into the future.

Local press coverage…

The Whittier Daily News, August 4, 2006
Rio Hondo board OKs leak probe

WHITTIER - Rio Hondo College trustees voted unanimously Wednesday night to launch an investigation to determine who leaked Superintendent Rose Marie Joyce's confidential job-performance evaluation to this newspaper. The document included confidential testimony from trustees and faculty members - information that was discussed in closed session by trustees.The trustees' action was prompted by a complaint filed by a Rio Hondo College faculty member who claims the leak...

San Gabriel Valley Tribune, July 25, 2006
Board conflicts don't fit easy analysis or fix

THINGS are rarely as simple as they may seem. Take the censuring last week of Rio Hondo College Board President Gary Mendez by a three-member majority of the board. Mendez was also removed as board president although he will continue with his term on the board.By his own admission, he said he used foul language in a heated, but private, meeting with college Superintendent Rose Marie Joyce.The action against Mendez came as a result of a formal complaint by Joyce against Mendez over his...

The Whittier Daily News, July 19, 2006
Board votes to censure Mendez

WHITTIER - The Rio Hondo College Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to censure board President Gary Mendez and remove him as president for swearing at district Superintendent Rose Marie Joyce during a heated exchange. In front of a packed board room, Mendez asked fellow trustees to allow him a month to mount a defense in order to give him the "due process that any citizen would expect."The incident occurred on June 21 during a private meeting between Joyce and...

The Whittier Daily News, July 18, 2006
Showdown brewing over Rio Hondo president

WHITTIER Rio Hondo College trustees tonight are scheduled to vote on whether to censure board President Gary Mendez for swearing at college Superintendent Rose Marie Joyce during a heated meeting. The bad blood surfaced at a June 21 meeting during which Mendez sought to pressure the board into discussing Joyce's job performance evaluation.But the meeting also involved other issues, including a conference trip Mendez took to Hawaii. When Joyce accused Mendez of ordering the...