Thursday, August 21, 2008

Armando Ruiz still at Coast

On Tuesday, “Jubal” of OC Blog posted: Lawsuit filed challenging Ballot Title of Coast Community College Board Candidates. According to the Jube, somebody doesn’t think that candidate Charlotte Pirch is entitled to list her profession as “College Professor/Attorney.”

Never mind about that. Today, “Archstone” wrote in to say that the “real issue” in the CCCD trustee race is boot fanatic and "Friend of Raghu" ARMANDO RUIZ:

Jubal, the real issue in the election of the Coast Community College District board is Trustee Armando Ruiz, the pension double dipper who is trying to win re-election. Ruiz's actions in 2004, retiring from his part-time post as a Trustee and a full time job as a Counselor at Irvine Valley College, simultaneously, enabled him to double his pension, from $54,000/year to over $100,000/year. The legal loophole that Ruiz used to do this has been closed, but Ruiz has continued to serve on the Board, collecting his monthly paycheck, and his pension, all at the cost of the Coast District taxpayer. Ruiz is currently trying to gain the endorsement of the Orange County Democratic party….

You’ll recall that when Raghu Mathur was President of IVC, he sought desperately for allies and finally resorted to importing one from Saddleback College: Ruiz. Pretty soon, Ruiz, despite his manifest sleazitude and stupitude, became an administrator. After a year or two, however, he descended into disgruntletude when he wasn't promoted to the VPI job. (Glenn got the nod.) He retired and then commenced his double-dipping.

I think it was at that point that Mathur concentrated on his hot new administrative prospect Rodney Poindexter, who was fired when it became clear that he was, um, unstable.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Whatever happened to Poindexter anyway? I Googled his name and came up with nothing. Anybody know?

Anonymous said...

ah, Armando!

Anonymous said...

Hey Roy!

Thanks for the heads up about Armando. It looks like this is one special central committee meeting I'll have to go to just to vote no on Armando (I'm on the central committee) & tape the Vice Presidential nomination & acceptance speech, etc. I've also heard a lot through the Democratic Party grapevine (from 3 other friends of mine) that his opponent is excellent, and she'll have more support at the central committee meeting. I guess she's been to a few of the party's events like meet & greet, etc, whereas Armando hasn't shown up to anything. I think that a couple of the other trustees on the Coast Community College board are also behind the scenes endorsing her indirectly. From what it seems like Armando just seems to assume that he's going to get the endorsement b/c he's an incumbent, & a long time Democrat, but I don't think that he's attended ANY of the functions. Just pops up when it's time for an endorsement. I also don't think that in the past he had anybody who was a Democrat (if any opponent) running against him the last time so he automatically got the endorsement, but this time it's a different story. I'll keep you posted, & give you the heads up on what happens at Wednesday's meeting if Armando gets the endorsement or not. I just know that I'll be pushing for his opponent, not just b/c I got a heads up from you, but b/c I think she's a better & more worthy candidate. From what I understand, even if we don't have a quorum at the meeting b/c of the Veep acceptance speech we can still vote. It's 2/3 votes in the room that matter.:-)

Anonymous said...

ah, Armando, the original rat bastard!

Randall said...

It's clear that Charlotte Pirch lied when she said she was a College Professor. But what's the big deal. People lie to get elected all the time.

But Pirch along with Prinsky and Patterson are the hand picked candidates of the teacher's union. She stands a good chance of be elected if she can hold on to the College Professor title and the union spends alot of money.

Randall said...

Sorry for the double post. I didn't know you could post under Anonymous.

Anonymous said...

Armando is a lot like our own travelin' trustees--bouncing around the country, signing up for conferences but never attending a single break-out session, drinking and hustling, and contributing to his/their districts' poor reputation.

Armando doesn't deserve anyone's support!

Anonymous said...

Hi!

Thank you Sunday, August 24, 2008 7:19:00 PM. It's good to know that there are others, not just many people in the OCDPCC who feel like Armando takes liberties and takes his position for granted. Hopefully we'll have enough votes on Wed to send him a message.

Anonymous said...

Armando didn't get the endorsement. The woman running against him did. Wasn't there due to unforseen circumstances, but again, I went out of my way to find out for you all, & this is what I was told. I don't know by how many votes she got the endorsement by, nor about the speeches. I'm just passing along the info. Thought you'd like to know. I said that I'd let you'd know.:-)

Anonymous said...

It is great to know that Mr. Ruiz did not receive the endorsement of the O.C. Democratic party. This is big news and a major breakthrough for our political organizations, Republican or Democrat: we have to honor ethics and integrity in public education - taxpayer funds must be protected from pension abusers! Ruiz's pension double dip and lack of honesty about his "retirement" will never be forgotten. Many at the Coast District are hoping for a change - Lorraine Prinsky, running against Ruiz, did receive the endorsement. Hopefully, the Coast community will have the sense to vote Ruiz out of office!

Anonymous said...

Hi all.

Sorry to come late to the discussion, but I just found you on the Internet.

I was at the DPOC Central Committee endorsement meeting. Anonymous is right, Armando Ruiz did not get the party’s endorsement.

Regarding the vote; of the approximately 35 votes cast, Armando got one (maybe two); Lorraine Prinsky got all the rest.

As to the speeches, Prinsky was flawless; she was respectful, thoroughly prepared, and succinctly put her qualifications and priorities on the table. Dean Mancina, president of the Coast district’s faculty union, then spoke brilliantly of the reasons his organization supports Prinsky and gave a brief rundown of Ruiz’s manipulative triple-dipping scheme.

(The scheme? He surreptitiously used a legal but outrageously unethical gimmick to spike his annual part-time Coast Community College District trustee “retirement” pay from $5,000 to $54,000 by “retiring” 3 days before the 2004 election [a date picked to coincide with his post-dated retirement from Irvine Valley College]. He then ran and won as the “incumbent” trustee, and now collects $54,000 as a retired trustee while taking another $9,000 per year for doing the same trustee job, and all the while he continues to collect an estimated $65,000 from his SOCCCD employment.)

Back to the DPOC endorsement meeting. Ruiz in addressing the group apparently decided he would rely on his charm. He was totally and embarrassingly (to the audience, but apparently not to himself) unprepared. He first reminded all that he was elected at a time when the district had fired hundreds of the colleges’ teachers because of budget issues and that it was he who (single-handedly, it seems) got them all back to work. He next took a bow for the great diversity in district management achieved while he’s been in office. He ended with the usual stuff about how well the students have been doing during, or maybe because of, his tenure.

But it was really his supporting side-kick that stole the show. Repeating more than once that there’s been a lot questioning about how unethical Armando’s retirement double-dipping is, it was after-all, he said, “not illegal” even if it seems so wrong to so many people. It’s the kind of thing that a lot of folks in government do, he suggested.

Such praise.

The Central Committee got it right and gave Ruiz the drubbing his conduct deserves.

As for Prinsky, she’s a 35-year Cal State Fullerton professor of sociology, previously a licensed marriage and family therapist, serves as a mediator for OC Human Relations and O.C. courts, and many other things. For my point of view, it would be a great asset to the Coast Community College board to have at least one member who has a life-time of experience teaching in the college classroom. That is, after all, the real and only business of the district.

Check her out at http://www.lorrianeprinsky.com.

Anonymous said...

Correction to Lorraine Prinsky's website: www.lorraineprinsky.com

Armando needs to be permanently retired!

Anonymous said...

Check out the latest news about our friend Armando Ruiz: http://www.theliberaloc.com/2008/10/06/coastline-college-trustee-wasting-money-on-nyc-trip/

Text of article:
Coastline College Trustee wasting money on NYC trip
Posted on October 6th, 2008 by Chris Prevatt
Orange County, CA-Coast Community College Board Trustee, Armando Ruiz, known for resigning just before the last election four years ago so he could double-dip on his retirement, is feeding from the trough once again. He has booked a trip to New York City the weekend before the election to attend a conference of the Association of Community College Trustees.

At a time of severe budget shortfalls, Ruiz has decided to extend his stay an extra night even though the conference ends at noon and there is plenty of time to catch a flight back the same day. I wonder if he is staying the extra night so he can watch the New York City Marathon?

“The fact that he’s going to the conference and that we’re paying for it is an issue,” says Trustee challenger Lorraine Prinsky, “the fact that Ruiz didn’t bother to consider the budget shortfalls and save a little money by leaving on the day the conference ends makes it even worse.”

According to fellow Trustee Jerry Patterson, Coast Community College Board exceeded its budget for travel by over $20,000 last year. Trustees Patterson, Hornbuckle, and Moreno have cancelled their participation in this years conference due to budget shortfalls. While community college classes are being cut due to lack of funding Ruiz continues to fund travel junkets and authorize extended stays.

Ruiz will fly home on November 2nd even though the conference will be over and flights were available November 1st (rooms are about $600/night that weekend because of the New York Marathon).

As Ruiz plans his trip to New York, Department chairs at OCC, Golden West and Coastline Colleges have been directed to cut hundreds of classes from the Spring ‘09 schedule.

In the midst of a California and national financial crisis, instead of meeting with constituents or addressing concerns in the community prior to election day, Ruiz will be enjoying an extra day at taxpayer expense in New York City.

The Coast Federation of Educators (CFE), the union that represents full and some of the part-time faculty in the Coast District, has long-taken the position that the Board’s travel budget is out of control. “Trustees, per person, have more money than we have been able to negotiate for faculty for conferences and workshops. That’s backwards, and I don’t see how it best serves our students,” said Dean Mancina, CFE President.

Known as the travel junket king in the Coast Community College District, Ruiz has booked a $600/night hotel room on Times Square in order to attend the Association of Community College Trustees conference, costing taxpayers $3,000.

Ruiz is being challenged by 35 year Cal State Fullerton professor Lorraine Prinsky, who is running on a platform of integrity, leadership and accountability. Prinsky told TheLiberalOC.com “I hope that Mr. Ruiz has a sudden awakening and cancels his taxpayer funded trip. It is unconscionable that at a time when we are cutting classes he would blow money on unnecessary travel.”

Anonymous said...

Check out the OC Register series on Ruiz. His days should be numbered after this:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ruiz-year-district-2194039-coast-election

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ruiz-district-patterson-2195520-one-apodaca

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ruiz-prinsky-apodoca-2200080-coast-district

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...