Geovanni EsparzaThe board of trustees voted unanimously last Monday night to form a committee to evaluate Chancellor Marvin Martinez’s performance, a task that could conceivably result in the chancellor’s contract not being renewed. Martinez was not present at the meeting.
Trustees Phillip Yarbrough, Tina Arias-Miller and David Crocket will serve as members on the committee.
If the evaluation reflects poor performance from the chancellor, the board will have discussions in closed session as to whether they will move forward with discipline, dismissal or release.
The decision to consider Martinez’s performance comes after growing dissatisfaction with Martinez’s leadership.
“We have brought up many issues of a troubled chancellor for the past three years. We now see him trying to leave RSCCD as he faces scrutiny,” said community member Albert Castillo during public comment. “This is the same pattern the chancellor followed when he left his position under questionable circumstances as president of East LA College.”
Discussions regarding the chancellor’s employment were originally added to the March 9 board of trustees meeting. Board President Yarbrough believes that Martinez faced no accountability for continuing to operate a multimillion-dollar account that was kept hidden from the board and district auditors. An independent audit report later revealed that the account’s existence violated California educational codes as well as the district’s administrative regulations.
“I decided to put it on the docket so we can discuss it as a board because it was never discussed, and it’s been around for a year,” said Yarbrough.
Following the March 9 board meeting, Martinez brought forth claims of retaliation, discrimination and harassment against the board president, which Yarbrough says are “baseless.”
Because trustees are elected officials and not district employees, Yarbrough wants these claims to be discussed publicly. “I’m going to bring it out on the lawn and let it stink to high heaven,” said Yarbrough via a phone call Friday.
In addition to Yarbrough’s grievances, faculty and community members stated during public comment on April 13 that the chancellor has shown an overall lack of leadership and accountability for several years.
The chancellor has been blamed for the three bond measures that failed since he took office: two did not pass, and one did not even make it to the ballot due to errors made on the required paperwork.
“Since the chancellor took over in 2019, he has fostered and promoted a culture of fear fueled by retaliation with false investigations and wrongful terminations,” said Madeline Grant, president of Faculty Association Rancho Santiago Community College District. “He has ignored faculty and shared governance in favor of autocratic rule.”
Grant also said that there has been an “unprecedented slew of lawsuits” since Martinez became chancellor, and that more lawsuits are coming. Various employees within the district have been allegedly retaliated against for trying to ensure shared governance was followed.
“It’s time for this board to take the action it was elected to take,” said Grant.
Martinez is currently seeking employment elsewhere and is a finalist for the superintendent/president position at College of the Canyons.
