Issues and Updates

Shapiro Fundraiser

Wed, 15 May 2013 07:06:06 -0700

Strike Photos

Mon, 28 May 2012 07:59:38 -0700

RHCFA Election Results

Mon, 21 May 2012 05:33:42 -0700

The 2012-2013 officer elections have taken place and the executive committee of the Rio Hondo College Faculty Association is as follows:

Colin Young - President
Kathy Pudelko - President-elect/Vice-president
Marie Eckstrom - Secretary
Jodi Senk - Treasurer
Martha Carreon / Sergio Guzman - At-large members
Judi Henderson - Part-time representative
Adam Wetsman - Past president
Lynette Nyaggah / Julius Thomas - CCA Representatives

Shin Lui, Lynette Nyaggah, and Julius Thomas will represent Rio Hondo at the NEA Representative Assembly.

Curtain Call

Thu, 17 May 2012 18:51:25 -0700

After four years of newsletters and website updates, Adam Wetsman will be cutting back on being the lead with respect to posting information on the Faculty Association website. His commitment to the RHCFA negotiations team, responsibilities as a member of the Community College Association Board, and duties as the Academic Senate president take up a great deal of time. Others are welcome to pick up where he left off.

It’s Over - Rio Trio Prevail

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:21:18 -0700

On April 19th, Theresa Montaño, CTA’s higher education representative to CCA visited the Rio Hondo College Faculty Association meeting. Several bits of information were revealed about the case filed by Ted Martinez against “the Rio Trio”, Professors Mike Javanmard, Adam Wetsman, and Colin Young.

Professor Montaño, who teaches Chicano Studies at CSU Northridge, read a letter from Dean Vogel, President of CTA, stating that the 320,000 member organization was closely watching the situation and stood behind their membership and the right to make statements and ask questions about the leadership at the college.

The most pressing news was that the outside investigator said that there was no discrimination, there was no defamation, and there was no harassment. A key component of the finding was that it was legally impossible for a subordinate (the three professors) to discriminate against a superior (the president), meaning that the process was a sham from the very beginning. The president appealed the finding on March 23rd, hoping that the Board would take some action against the union leaders. They did not. On April 23rd, the Board finalized the process by rejecting the president’s appeal.

During the meeting, MaryAnn Pacheco made the following motion:

The Rio Hondo College Faculty Association commends Colin Young, Mike Javanmard and Adam Wetsman for their courage, fortitude and integrity, and for maintaining high standards of the profession. A copy of this commendation is to be forwarded to the senior administration and the members of the Board.

The motion was passed unanimously.

Food Lines Forming

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:38:29 -0700

Sorry administrators, you are going to be feeling a bit of a pinch. The Chancellor’s Office recently came out with salary comparisons for administrators, faculty, and classified staff. Your ranking fell, perhaps requiring you to take a second job. Instead of being the 5th highest paid in the state, you now come in at a lowly 7th. What will you do?

Interestingly, part of the drop may be attributable to the “loss” of two positions. Last year, there were 23 “educational administrators”, while this year there are only 21. Since this group has higher salaries than “classified administrators”, our average dropped. The difference in number certainly does not mean we have fewer administrators. It could be attributable to the hiring of some as consultants or the timing of hiring. Also of interest is that between 2009 and 2011, the Chancellor’s office shows that we lost one administrator, something hard to believe since the ranks keep swelling.

What about the other employees on campus? Faculty fell from 23rd to 29th highest paid. Classified staff actually improved their standing, moving from 53rd to 46th (out of 72 districts). The Faculty Association would like to see an open discussion about this disparity among groups.

Dr. Ted Martinez, Jr. Resigns

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:58:56 -0700

On Thursday, April 12th, Ted Martinez announced that he would be retiring from Rio Hondo College effective June 30 of this year. While there certainly were contentious relations between the president and constituency groups, the college fared well under his leadership. He oversaw the completion of much of the construction project, with several new and important buildings added to the campus. Weaving the way through the accreditation process, Martinez put personnel and processes in place to ensure that we met the requirements set out by ACCJC. Rio Hondo also saw an increased commitment to outreach, with programs like the El Monte Pledge and others being developed during his tenure.

Unfortunately, these accomplishments were largely overshadowed for many by poor relations with classified staff and faculty unions, and the Academic Senate. Left behind is a climate of distrust, numerous grievances, several unfair labor practices, and an unlawful discrimination charge filed against union leaders.

With the president’s departure, all groups will be looking to rebuild relationships and move forward in a positive, collegial manner, one that is expected in an institution of higher learning.

Media outlets quickly picked up news of the announcement. One can be found here from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Remembering César Chávez

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:45:09 -0700

Saturday, March 31st marks the 85 anniversary of the birth of César Chávez, the celebrated labor leader. Below are a few of his inspirational quotes:

We are confident. We have ourselves. We know how to sacrifice. We know how to work. We know how to combat the forces that oppose us. But even more than that, we are true believers in the whole idea of justice. Justice is so much on our side, that that is going to see us through.

We are suffering. We have suffered. And we are not afraid to suffer in order to win our cause.

Does this help student success?

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:15:28 -0700

Work is already underway to implement some of the recommendations stemming from the Student Success Task Force. One bill of particular note is SB 1456 (which can be found here). Largely dealing with matriculation issues, the bill illustrates some of the problems associated with a poor understanding of community colleges and their students.

There are a lot of details involved, but one in particular appears to be quite problematic. See line 32 on page 3. This specifies that a student must choose a major in order to receive a fee waiver. At first glance, this might appear to be a good idea; after all, shouldn’t a student have a plan when entering college?

The problem is that we will be asking students to decide a career path before even taking a single course in college. How many of us entered college knowing exactly what we wanted to do? Unfortunately, there is little help available for students. Counselors, who would be able to provide some guidance are overworked as it is (with ratios of something like 1,000 students for every one counselor). The bill provides no funding to provide the needed services to help students in this matter. If passed, the potential is to reduce student success, not improve it. Students will be choosing degrees merely to get funding and then will be counted as unsuccessful when they decide to change majors upon entering college.

The Community College Association has done a very thorough analysis of the financial impact of the bill. The estimate is that the bill will require one and a half billion dollars to fund. The analysis can be found here.

New Definition of “Lean”

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:06:41 -0700

While there has been less chatter among administrators over the last month about class cuts, budget reductions are possible. This may lead to fewer sections in the future. The Faculty Association is concerned that the administration will look to reducing class offerings first, before looking inward at our bloated administration.

A key problem is that the administration believes they are operating quite efficiently. A case in point can be found in a February 23rd Whittier Daily News article (which can be found here) where Susan Herney, Director of Communications, said that “We run a lean operation, administratively...”.

Definitions of lean are apparently fickle, especially among an administration which is the fifth highest paid in the state. It is also ironic that Herney would make this statement given that her position did not even exist a few short years ago. Do we really need someone to market the college when our enrollment is busting at the seams and we are over cap? Also, we have managed to survive over the last few years while paying administrators not to work (such as Paul Parnell, Cathy Butler, and Joe Santoro). Finally, do we really need three administrators in Public Safety when two sufficed for years and our Police Academy has not been operating for eighteen months?

Perhaps there is a new definition of “lean”.

No Death For Taxes

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:46:47 -0700

There was concern among educational groups that there might be three competing tax propositions going to California voters in November. This had the possibility of voters turning down all three en masse. Fortunately, the two most prominent proposals were reconciled and combined into a single measure.

Dean Vogel, CTA president, described the proposal in a March 20 newsletter as follows:

The Governor, legislative leaders and the California Federation of Teachers have reached a compromise on a new funding initiative. The new measure uses the structure of the Governor’s proposal to provide funding within the general fund, close the budget deficit, pay down the state’s wall of debt and restore funding to public schools and colleges. Using the structure of the Governor’s initiative also ensures that state funds can be used to restore cuts to essential social services and pays for the services shifted to local counties. The compromise measure increases taxes on the wealthy and reduces the temporary sales tax hike to just a quarter of penny. Under the new proposal, income taxes on households earning $500,000 would increase 1%, households earning $600,000 would increase 2%, and households earning more than $1 million would increase 3%. The income tax hikes would last for seven years. The measure raises about $9 billion a year.

RHCFA Files Suit

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 10:11:28 -0700

For years, the District had been denying overload sick leave for some faculty members (both full- and part-time) who taught hourly assignments. Someone teaching an overload class during the summer, for example, earned sick leave at a rate of one hour of leave for every seventeen hours worked. A counselor (or others working similar assignments), however, working just as hard during the summer, would receive nothing.

This matter has been a topic at the bargaining table for several years, with the District budging little. About a year ago, the Association learned that the District was violating the law by failing to provide sick leave to hourly professors. The Distrct even admitted that this was the case.

In July of last year, the parties signed an agreement which seemed to have solved the problem. All faculty members would receive sick leave in the same manner, or so we thought...

A few months later, the Association learned that the District would only grant sick leave to those who worked an hourly assignment, but no others. That is, if someone taught a counseling class and worked hourly counseling or if someone was a full-time counselor and worked hourly counseling during the summer, that person would not get sick leave. This is contrary to the agreement and contrary to explicit statements made during negotiations leading up to the agreement.

The Association attempted to resolve the matter amicably, but that is not how the District operates. They wanted to tie hourly sick leave to other matters during negotiations. The Association refused to renegotiate something that had already been settled.

This has forced the Association to file a Public Employment Relations Board action against the District. Again, District resources must be used to resolve the matter. Ironically, it will probably cost more to defend the suit than for the District to do what they agreed to in the first place. A copy of the complaint can be found here.

Details in the Butler Case

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 10:02:28 -0700

As has been reported earlier, Cathy Butler, former Director of Student Activities, filed charges against the District after she was fired at the beginning of this year. Her attorney issued a press release outlining the claims (which can be viewed here).

The statement notes that she may be entitled to “substantial” damages. While this may have some element of lawyering, the possibility of payouts is quite troubling. Add in legal fees and further tainting of Rio Hondo’s image, and this has the potential to cause further damage to the college. This is especially the case since part of the basis of Butler’s claim is that she was terminated because she disclosed “questionable financial practices within the college.”

There is an unfortunate pattern afoot here. The current administration seems to believe that questioning their practices should be met with punishment, often severe. This was certainly the case with Gloria Arevalo who had her civil rights violated (as determined by a court of law) and was awarded a substantial settlement after she was fired.

The Faculty Association wishes Cathy the best of luck in her pursuits and hopes that the investigation will result in further light being shed on the practices going on at the college.

Wetsman Saves District

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:18:10 -0700

Okay, so the title of this post is a little misleading, but it is catchy. Adam Wetsman did not save the District, but one could argue that he helped them save money.

On February 13, 2012, the District announced the position of interim dean for the Arts and Cultural Programs. The closing date was set for February 21st. There were only two applicants for the position, Adam Wetsman and Martha Carreon, however Martha was told that she did not qualify since she was on reduced load for the term. That left only Adam Wetsman.

On February 23rd, the District set up an interview for the dean’s position with Adam. The interview was scheduled to take place on Thursday, March 1st. The District appeared to be in quite a bind. If Adam Wetsman was the only applicant, how could they deny him?

Then, something wonderful happened, the District discovered a budget problem. At 12:33 in the afternoon of February 29th, just 26 hours prior to the interview, Ted Martinez sent out an all-staff email announcing that the District needed to save money. Five hours later, Yolanda Emerson emailed Adam Wetsman saying that as a “cost saving measure”, the District has decided not to fill the dean’s position at this time. Well done! If only Adam could apply for all open administrative positions...

RHCFA 2012-2013 Elections

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:12:17 -0700

Nominations are now open for the 2012-2013 Rio Hondo Faculty Association officers. They will close at the next Association meeting on April 19th and voting will take place shortly thereafter. If Colin Young is reaffirmed as president, then he and Kathy Pudelko (vice-president/president-elect) will retain their positions. All other positions will be filled through electronic ballot

The following positions and current nominations are as follows:

Secretary - Mike Javanmard
Treasurer - Jodi Senk
At-large (2 positions) - Martha Carreon Dennyse Clark, Sergio Guzman
Part-time representative - Judi Henderson

Double Down

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:10:51 -0700

At the March 15th Faculty Association meeting, Colin Young announced that he will be seeking a second term as president. You will receive a notice to vote soon.

Butler Fires Back

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 08:43:57 -0700

As has been reported earlier this year, Cathy Butler, former Director of Student Services, had her employment terminated by the District. She has been on some type of leave since early September and has not been seen on campus.

Several weeks ago, the Faculty Association learned that several administrators were served with papers for a lawsuit filed by Cathy Butler. They include Ted Martinez, Henry Gee, Mike Munoz, and Yolanda Emerson. The lawsuit is said to be for wrongful termination based upon race/ethnic identity and sexual orientation. This information has not been verified by personal contact with Cathy, but through statements made by individuals on campus who are aware of the situation.

This is a troubling situation as Rio Hondo does not need more negative publicity relating to actions of the District. In addition, funds that could go to teach sections are continuing to be siphoned away from classrooms to pay legal fees.

Going and Staying

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 08:36:01 -0700

There has been a lot of movement in the position of Vice-President of Academic Affairs over the last few months. Paul Parnell left in December and was quickly replaced by Jo Anna Downey as the “acting” vice-president. A few months later, she became the “interim” vice-president. Now she is the “leaving” vice-president. Cerritos College has hired her away from Rio Hondo, a position that Downey cannot really turn down. Although Rio Hondo will eventually get a permanent vice-president position, there is no guarantee that Downey will be it. While a leading candidate, it makes little sense to turn down the permanent position at Cerritos in favor of the possibility of getting the permanent position at Rio Hondo.

Meanwhile, it appears that Human Resources Director Yolanda Emerson will be staying at Rio Hondo at least for a little while. Sources have indicated that she was in the running for the Vice-President of Human Resources at Cerritos College, but it appears she did not get the job. Rumors are also swirling that she has applied for at least two more openings at other colleges.

TA Passes

Wed, 7 Mar 2012 17:41:49 -0800

Bottomless Pit

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:09:40 -0800

As if the administration has not messed up the Police Academy enough, it appears that we have to continue to throw good money after bad (for no reason). Over a year ago, the president informed the college leadership that a reorganization of Public Safety was necessary to get the Police Academy running again. This translated into another full-time administrator plus some extra reassigned time. Again, this results in costs to the college that do not go to students. [Note that despite assurances the Academy would be up and running by November, it is still not active.]

Last summer, faculty, classified staff, and administrators held a job search for the director position for the Police Academy. The committee recommended four candidates to President Martinez. As has been a typical pattern, he picked the lowest of the group, a person who ended up quitting about a month later. Did the president then go back to the committee to find another candidate? No. Did the president pick someone else from the original list? No. Instead, he sidestepped the entire participatory process and simply interviewed a few people of his choosing who were outside of the original pool.

Things got even worse. Instead of choosing someone from the Los Angeles area, Dr. Martinez selected someone from up north, Lanny Brown. It should be noted that this posting has nothing to do with Mr. Brown’s skills as an administrator. He may or may not be a perfectly wonderful fit for the college. However, wouldn’t it have been possible to choose someone from the 10 million or so people who live in Southern California?

The problem is that as part of the “consultant contract”, Lanny Brown not only gets over $11,500 per month, but also gets money for travel and lodging. His contract includes provisions for travel (airlines, gas, parking fees, etc.) at a cost of up to $1,400 per month and lodging of up to $1,500 per month. That could result in close to $35,000 per year. For that kind of money, one could finance a witch hunt against faculty who happen to be outspoken against such practices!

A Kick in the But(ler)

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:01:28 -0800

As has been reported earlier, Kathy Butler (Student Activities Director) has been missing from Rio Hondo since late August. Speculation has been swirling that she was on the administrative chopping block for some alleged unspecified infraction. While there is still no information about what she did, the Board finally took some action on her employment by firing her.

This appears to be yet another case of an administrator getting in the way of those who are higher up. As has been the case, Rio Hondo has been paying her salary throughout the ordeal and probably is on the line for her salary for the entire year. Also, we probably have not heard the last of Kathy as she has filed a lawsuit against the District (although exact details are not yet known). Instead of putting the academic needs of students first and devoting funds to the classroom, the administration continues to engage in actions that lead to more and more legal bills.

ACCJC at it Again

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:20:02 -0800

Just when we thought things were quieting down with accreditation, several California colleges were hit with actions by ACCJC. The Accrediting Commission on Colleges and Junior Colleges has come under fire in recent years for aggressively reviewing colleges and placing many of them on some form of warning status. This has been discussed before on this website and at Association meetings. There are several concerns with ACCJC:

1. They charge a good deal of money - Rio Hondo pays something like $25,000 per year just to maintain accreditation and more when there are visits from the commission).
2. There is very little accountability - ACCJC has not filed a tax return in years.
3. They seem to sanction a lot of colleges - Of the five accrediting agencies in the country, ACCJC has up to 20% of colleges on some kind of warning status each year, compared with 2% or less for the other four commissions.

Over the last year or so, ACCJC seems to have backed off this relatively harsh tact when it comes to accreditation, that is, until the latest report came out in January. Several colleges were placed on warning, the lowest of the sanctions (Columbia College, College of Marin, Fresno City College, Reedley College, Solano Community College), a few were placed on probation (Modesto Junior College, Moorpark College, Shasta College), and two were placed on “show cause”, the last step prior to losing accreditation (College of the Redwoods, Cuesta College).

Pudelko Graduation

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:05:46 -0800

For about six years now, the Community College Association has had a formal program to train emerging leaders. Named the Building Strong Locals Academy, participants meet over a series of three CCA conference during the course of a year and learn about issues important to unions. Rio Hondo has had representatives in all six classes (Gil Puga, Mike Javanmard, Colin Young, Sergio Guzman, and Dennyse Clark), including now-graduate Kathy Pudelko. She and her classmates were honored at the Winter Conference by CCA president Ron Norton Reel (on the left) and former president Carolyn Inman.

Sticker Shock

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:05:27 -0800

The investigation into the discrimination charge has cost the college a great deal of money. In October, the Board of Trustees approved payment of up to $5,000 to Angela Reddock, a labor lawyer, for the investigation of the allegations put forth by President Ted Martinez. Now the Board is being asked to approve an additional $35,000 for the work Ms. Reddock performed. The Faculty Association is still waiting on confirmation if this is the final sum to be paid or if it is just what is owed to date.

This week, the Faculty Association was informed that the investigation is still not over. The District had to request an extension to the 90-day deadline. According to Dyrell Foster, there should be a report available by February 24th.

Safe Landing

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:40:51 -0800

Just six weeks after giving notice of resignation, former Vice-President of Academic Affairs, Paul Parnell landed safely on his feet. He is now the president of Norco College, one of three campuses in the Riverside Community College District.

Paul began at Rio Hondo in 2008, after coming over from Chaffey College where he served as the Dean of Social Sciences. He gained the respect of faculty and his peers by always being willing to talk through problems and attempting to seek resolutions that were mutually agreeable to all parties.

Unfortunately, this willingness did not seem to sit well with others in the administration and it seemed that Paul would not be able to last at Rio Hondo for much longer. Even though faculty and the college would have been well served to have Paul around, everyone is glad to see that he successfully landed a great job as president of a college. We wish him the best in the future.

No Accountability

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:48:31 -0800

The Rio Hondo Faculty Association is concerned with the unchecked growth of the administration and reassigned time. Both practices lead to increased costs to the college that take away from classroom offerings.

There is one issue that has been focused on before, but it illustrates how administrative positions come into existence, but never go away. Recall that in mid-2010, an Associate Dean position in the Student Services area was created. Several objections were raised, including the concern that this would increase costs. The administration explained that the additional $20,000 for the salary bump would be grant funded.

When asked by members of Planning Fiscal Council what would happen if the grant funded ended, the administration said that the position would be reevaluated. In fact, president Ted Martinez, Jr. even said that this would be the case at an open Board meeting.

Eighteen months later, the grant funding has disappeared, but the position still remains, now fully funded by general funds. There has been no move to take the issue back to the Board.

You can listen to the relevant portions of the Board meeting here. It is narrated by Adam Wetsman. Statements were made by Trustees Mendez and Martinez, expressly stating that they would like to reconsider the position if the grant expired. Also, president Martinez noted that he would bring the matter back to the Board.

Settlement on Minor Issue

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:51:34 -0800

On January 19, 2012, the negotiations teams for the Faculty Association and the District reached a tentative agreement on an issue relating to classroom hours. During the Spring 2010 term, negotiation team members for the Association discovered a discrepancy between contract language and the number of hours scheduled for classes. This agreement addresses the matter.

In order to resolve the issue, the District agreed to the following:

1. The funds allocated to the part-time health care pool will be increased from $20,000 per year to $35,000 per year, effective July 1, 2011.
2. The number of Flex days in the Fall term will be changed from 1 and a half days to simply 1.

Both the District and the Association must ratify the agreement for it to become effective. This vote will go to our membership in early February, immediately upon our return to school.

The full agreement can be accessed here.

Butler Still Missing

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:49:03 -0800

A troubling pattern that has emerged over the last few years is the long-term absence of certain administrators. The best example is that of Joe Santoro, the embattled dean of Public Safety who was on administrative leave for over half a year.

The same appears to be the case with Cathy Butler, the Director of Student Activities. She has not been seen on campus since the beginning of the Fall term. The rumor is that the administration is trying to get rid of her and that perhaps it has something to do with the Hannah Pastrano affair.

If there was some major transgression, one would suppose that Cathy would be gone relatively quickly, like Gus Gonzalez. This does not appear to be the case.

The situation raises some important questions. First, why do we keep paying administrators who are not around? If the work can be done without them present, then is it necessary to fill a vacancy? Certainly the Public Safety division functioned with Joe Santoro gone (albeit without a Police Academy), but now we have three administrators in the area as opposed to one just a little over a year ago.

The victims here are the students. They do not have a director to help coordinate their activities. Also, paying administrators to not do their jobs diverts resources away from the classroom, where students can make progress towards their educational goals.

Participatory Ignorance

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:59:47 -0800

With the unilateral placement of Joanna Downey as “Acting Vice-President”, Dr. Ted Martinez just designated his sixth administrator without going through a formal hiring process. Rio Hondo College used to be a collaborative environment, where content experts and those working with administrators would have a significant say in who takes on administrative responsibilities. Having no oversight or input in the process (a term used loosely here) detracts from the confidence in administrators. Below is a list of administrators who obtained their positions without being interviewed by faculty or classified staff (in alphabetical order):

• Lanny Brown - appointed as a consultant (more on this at a later date) as an associate dean in Public Safety after Lester Mesa (who was the fourth on the list of recommendations by an interview committee, yet chosen by the president) quit after a few weeks on the job
• Joanna Downey - appointed to the position of vice-president when Paul Parnell left.
• Don Mason - a Public Safety faculty member who was given the “Interim Associate Dean” position in the division
• Larry Mercadante - named as an interim dean in Physical Education after the president told faculty that such a position would not be filled
• Mike Muñoz - promoted to a new position of “Associate Dean, Student Services” after the administration used a loophole in the law to avoid a hiring committee
• Gary Van Voorhis - hired as an IT consultant at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year after John Bryant retired

A very important point to make here is that the claim is not being made that these individuals are unqualified, ill-equipped, or in any way unworthy of these positions. This should be stated again for emphasis. These administrators might be quite good at what they do.

The key point is that there is no process being followed. Constituency groups have been marginalized in the decision-making regarding these positions. These individuals represent close to 20% of all administrators. There must be procedures for the appointing of interim positions and consultants or else too much uncertainty would be created. This could also place our accreditation in jeopardy. In several of these cases, the President Martinez has pleaded special circumstances, however, procedures can be put in place to contend with contingencies. This will restore confidence in the hiring process.

Remembering Academic Freedom

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:03:10 -0800

Here is a nice, lofty quote to consider:

The maintenance of freedom of speech, publication, religion, and assembly…is greatest in fields of higher learning, where the use of reason and the cultivation of the highest forms of human expression are the basic methods….Without freedom to explore, to criticize existing institutions, to exchange ideas, and to advocate solutions to human problems, faculty members, staff and students cannot perform their work, cannot maintain their self-respect. Society suffers correspondingly. The liberty that is needed requires a freedom of thought and expression within colleges and universities, freedom to carry the results of honest inquiry to the outside, and a freedom to influence human affairs in the same manner as other informed persons do….

Membership in the academic community imposes on students, faculty members, administrators, staff, and board of trustees an obligation to…acknowledge their right, without institutional censorship or disciplinary action, to express differing inquiry and instruction, and free expression….

Faculty members are citizens and are members of a learned profession and an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline….

Where did this sappy, seemingly-faculty-friendly dribble come from? Oh, that’s right; it is from our own Board Policy 4030 that can be found here.

Allegations Chronicled

Tue, 6 Dec 2011 14:09:02 -0800

The Chronicle of Higher Education printed an article about the charges by the president against union leaders. You can find it attached here.

Holiday Savings

Sat, 3 Dec 2011 07:13:54 -0800

You can't hurt Christmas...because...it isn't about...the gifts or the...fancy lights....I don't need anything more for Christmas than...my family.
- Lou Lou Who (The Grinch that Stole Christmas)

The administration took bolds steps last week to stamp out excessive expenditures on campus by prohibiting the classified staff from holding their annual holiday boutique on campus. The reason was that this resulted in extra work for the custodial staff who needed to set up and clean up the Boardroom for the event. This may have led to dozens of dollars being spent on overtime work. The Faculty Association applauds such fiscal conservancy and hopes that similar measures are taken in the future.

In unrelated news, Dr. Ted Martinez will be hosting the President’s Holiday Open House in the Boardroom this coming Wednesday between 1:00 and 3:00.

Payday Information Revisited

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:22:17 -0800

Some faculty have requested that we move to a 12-month pay cycle or that we move our first payday up so we get payed earlier in September. Information on this issue was posted about a year ago on this website, but it is a good time to review it. The relevant portions are below:
As has been the case for a few years now, faculty have expressed concern about the seemingly late date for our first full-time paycheck. Shari Magnus in Human Resources has helped shed light on this issue.
Full-time faculty get paid every four weeks, generally starting in the later part of September and ending in the first couple of weeks in June. There are several reasons why the schedule is set this way.
The key reason is that the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) only offers districts a few options. Payments can start in late September and run every four weeks for ten months. The other option is to start two weeks earlier (in early September) and follow the same pattern.
Even though the second option would get faculty pay-checks earlier in the school year (and help relieve those short on funds from the summer months), there are some reasons why this option is not employed. First, the District would be paying up a full-month’s salary before we have completed a full month’s worth of work, something they are not inclined to do. In addition, the District wants to hold off on the payment of our final paycheck (in early June) so that adjustments can be made after the end of the term. If the final payment was in mid-May, they could not make adjustments for things like taking additional sick days beyond those allocated or failing to complete the Flex obligations. Additionally, there may be some problems with retirement if the final payment was made prior to the end of the school year. STRS might not grant a full year of service credit for those retiring if they receive their final paychecks in mid-May since they have not completed the full year until a few weeks later.
Shari Magnus in Human Resources just confirmed that the above information is correct. What about a 12-month pay cycle? Unfortunately that is not a possibility. LACOE does have some schools on such a schedule, however, they have been grandfathered in.

Martinez Loses

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:46:00 -0800

After serving on the Rio Hondo College Board of Trustees for twenty years, Maria Elena Martinez stepped down. However, her desire to serve her community did not end. She ran for the City Council of Pico Rivera. There was elation immediately following the election since it appeared that she was one of the top three candidates, meaning that she would get a seat on the Council.

Unfortunately, as the final tally came in, Trustee Martinez ended up just six votes short and ended up in fourth place. Only 60 votes separated first through fourth places.

In related news, former Trustee Andre Quintero easily won reelection for mayor of El Monte by a margin of 58% - 42%. Congratulations Andre.

$23 Million and Counting

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:38:03 -0800

As required by our Collective Bargaining Agreement, Vice-President Teresa Dreyfuss provided updated information about the college’s GASB account. This is a fund that is set aside to pay for retiree health care benefits. As of September, the fund had over $23 million. Remember that this is money that is set aside in the event that the college goes bankrupt and has to pay out obligations for health care expenses. To date, 0 out of the 112 community colleges in the state have gone bankrupt, a percentage of (rounded up for the benefit of any doubt) 0%!

To see the June 2011 report, click here.
 To see the September 2011 report, click here.

Baca Approved

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:35:14 -0800

Political science professor, Manuel Baca, has been serving on the California Community College Board of Governors for several years. Although his term expired some time ago, there was little doubt that Governor Brown would eventually get around to approving Manny’s appointment for a second term. The word finally came down last week from the Governor’s office. The official announcement is below:

Manuel Baca, 63, of Diamond Bar, has been appointed to the California Community College Board of Governors, where he has served since 2009. He has been a professor at Rio Hondo College since 1997. Baca served as vice president of student services for Rio Hondo College from 1991 to 1997 and director of the extended opportunity program and services, financial aid and veteran’s services from 1982 to 1991. He received his doctorate in education from the University of Southern California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Baca is a Democrat.

Show of Support

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:01:51 -0800

Over a hundred faculty members crowded into the Boardroom on Thursday, November 17th for the monthly Board meeting. This was about double the number usually in attendance. They were their to show support for Mike Javanmard, Adam Wetsman, and Colin Young who have been targeted by the administration. Vice-president Kathy Pudelko made a motion which stated that the Faculty Association supports their leadership. The motion was approved with no votes against.

Oops, it happened again.

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 06:32:08 -0800

Once again, the practices of Ted Martinez, Jr. have led to a waste of time on the part of faculty. During the Spring 2011 term, about 20 employees (most faculty), forwarded three names for to president for the position of the Behavioral and Social Sciences dean. They included then-interim dean, Rebecca Green, Adam Wetsman, and another applicant from outside of Rio Hondo. The third applicant ended up dropping out of contention prior to the second-level interview. Instead of taking the recommendation and choosing from two highly-qualified individuals, Ted Martinez called for the process to start all over again.

That occurred this term. Guess what? Three names were forwarded (get ready...). They included then-interim dean, Rebecca Green, Adam Wetsman, and Sondra Moe (from Child Development who decided to apply this time around). Second-level interviews were held and Rebecca Green was named as dean.

Was this necessary? Faculty members spent twenty or so hours each screening applicants, holding consensus meetings, interviewing candidates, and deliberating. Combined, this represents hundreds of hours. Wouldn’t the time have been spent more wisely doing things like improving classes and working on student success? This again shows a lack of respect for what faculty do. Unfortunately, the president has done this before with hirings in Public Safety and Math.

Post-script: Sondra Moe was approached by Paul Parnell and informed that she would not be getting the position and Yolanda Emerson called Sondra the day after the Board meeting to deliver the same message. Adam Wetsman, however, did not receive any official administration until has asked about it. Classy!

Do as I do, not as I say.

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 06:22:26 -0800

As was reported here, the November Board agenda included contract renewals for the three vice-presidents. Constituency groups were concerned since there was no evaluation of these officials by faculty leadership (as has been the past practice). Another concern was that several Board members indicated a few years ago that it was not appropriate to make personnel decisions prior to a new Board being impanelled. Despite a plea from RHCFA president Colin Young, hypocrisy led the way.

The contracts of Henry Gee and Teresa Dreyfuss were extended for two more years (taking them to June 2014). Their salaries remained the same. Four trustees voted in favor of the extensions (including out-going president Maria Elena Martinez who indicated two years ago that she would not vote on such extension). Madeline Shapiro abstained.

The contract of Paul Parnell was not extended and it appears that he will be leaving the college when his contract expires at the end of June.

Food Flap

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 06:08:01 -0800

The Rio Hondo College Faculty Association is strongly opposed to disparate treatment based upon any protected class and will work vigilantly to extinguish inequity of all types. We trust that the administration holds these same values, and will use its power legitimately to halt any dissimilar treatment.

Such was the case this week when administration officials learned that the Faculty Association was getting a special break on catering from a local vendor. Officials contacted the vendor and complained, resulting in the vendor asking for more money from RHCFA. Had it not been for the swift action of our highly-trained college officials, a great injustice would have been perpetrated. Thank goodness that we have people on campus who can quickly spot grievous wrongs and are willing to work aggressively to stamp them out.

Student Success

Tue, 8 Nov 2011 06:37:09 -0800

The California Community Colleges Board of Governors came out with their recommendations for student success that was developed by a task force. Their recommendations can be found here. This is certainly some thick reading. Several groups have raised concerns with the recommendations, including the Community College Association. Although there are plans to develop a more comprehensive analysis, here are some of the initial problems with the recommendations from the task force that have been developed so far.

Veep Sweep?

Mon, 7 Nov 2011 15:10:07 -0800

At the November 2009 Board meeting, the contracts of all three vice-presidents (Teresa Dreyfuss, Henry Gee, and Dr. Paul Parnell) were renewed for two years. On its face, such a move was not that unusual. However, the timing was a bit odd since this was the final Board meeting before two new trustees (Norma Garcia and Madeline Shapiro) started and the contracts were not set to expire for about seven months. Both of the new trustees expressed concern that the Board did not wait until they were seated. Current Board president, Maria Elena Martinez, also is reported to have said that such an appointment would not happen again. After all, the new Board would be the ones who would be constrained by the contract extensions.

Fast forward to November 1, 2011, when Ted Martinez met with the Academic Senate Executive Committee (as is the common practice) to review the Board agenda for November 9th. The agenda did not have any mention of contract renewals for the three vice-presidents. Then, two days later, Sandy Sandello, Executive Assistant to the President, sent out a revised agenda which included appointments (contract renewals) for the three vice-presidents. This raises several issues.

First, the timing of the revision is strange. Did Ted Martinez not know about the contract renewals when he met with Academic Senate Executive Committee on November 1? It is suspicious that someone caught the omission only two days later.

Also, why is this going before the Board now? We know that Maria Elena Martinez will no longer be on the Board in a month since she is retiring after 20 years of service to the college. There is a possibility that Gary Mendez will not be on the Board either because he is up for reelection. Finally, three Board members have stated that they felt it was improper to make an important personnel decision before new Board members started. Certainly there would be a good level of hypocrisy if a vote is taken on the matter.

Another concern is that there has been no evaluation of the vice-presidents by faculty or staff leadership (as far as we know as of this writing). This usually precedes a contract extension. How will the Board have sufficient information to make a decision?

This appears to be another instance of muddied transparency. Will raises be given to the three vice-presidents during our economic crisis, when cuts to apportionment could happen. Surely the Board would not be so irresponsible. Wednesday will prove to be quite interesting, especially the day after the election.

CSU Action

Sun, 6 Nov 2011 19:10:38 -0800

Time for a Change

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:21:28 -0700

First they came for the classified staff, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't classified staff.

Then they came for the non-tenured faculty, and I didn't speak out because I had tenure.

Then they came for the union leaders, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a union leader.

Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.

The following was submitted by Bettie Quiroz in Financial Aid:

This letter is to inform you that as of October 17, 2011, I Beatriz Quiroz will resign from my position as a Financial Aid Assistant at Rio Hondo College. I would like to share the reasons why I am leaving the job that I enjoyed working for 12 years. First and most importantly my health. I have been off work on medical leave for Acute Stress Reaction beginning August 9, 2011. This stress was due to work and has been recorded on my medical records. Many times I've had to stop my car on freeways to vomit, massive headaches...I have also undergone right hand carpal tunnel surgery and pending left hand carpal tunnel surgery under workers comp. I have extreme pain on both my hands that enables me to sleep. Due to stress my health is at risk. This prevents me from performing my job duties. Many positions have been eliminated in our department due to personal administrative decision not because funds weren't available. We no longer have in our office Arely Rodarte, she was responsible for financial aid files, scholarships and veterans. We have lost Dee, Eunice, Darling, Serina and Jerry. All these positions as of today have not been replaced. This means that their workload has been distributed among four advisors that are left. The amount of workload has drastically increased even more so because of this economy many students are returning to school. Many of the advisors have put in for their transfer going from day shifts to late nights, some have ended up in the hospital due to high blood pressure. Others have transferred and others have quit and moved on to other colleges. It was stated that these positions were not needed because of the new implementation of Banner. The lack of knowledge and unwillingness to learn banner has created tons of manual work for the advisors. The team work that we needed from the director and technician is not there to support the advisors working the front counter for our students. In fact we have made many institutional errors that we were forced to ask hundreds if not thousands of our students to return financial aid money. During this last term we were overwhelmed with lots of duties and one in particular was to review SAP status along with many other duties, we paid students their financial aid and were not eligible for it. These students were required to return between $500.00- $2775.00. Students were upset, crying, stressed... They couldn't register for classes, they weren't able to request transcripts and they couldn't graduate from Rio. We the advisors were told to inform the student that it was their fault for not reading their terms and conditions. We sometimes lied to the student because we had to collect that money but we were embarrassed to work the front counter, answer phones or reply to students emails. A lot of our students were naive and paid and others fought but were told that they were required to pay. At times SAP statuses were manually changed to override the debt. Counselors and other departments were very upset. Some of these students were angry that the late shift walked together to the parking lot because we had student hitting the back door. At times we had to call security because they would get to close to the counter as if they were going to launch at us. In fact this SAP report has not been finalized. The director has never been fair to the students nor to her certain staff members, she has favoritism. We don't feel comfortable approaching her with questions or concerns. She has two staff members that even though they have made many mistakes and continue to make mistakes, she has never approached them like she has to others. We cannot trust her because she shares personal and confidential information to those two staff members. Also, when she assigns other duties she makes sure she doesn't have any paper trail or any kind of email showing that extra duty. It is overwhelming to have to volunteer for family night, presentations, work weekends and over time. Some of us have had arrangements and have had to cancel because she then makes it mandatory for us to attend. The hours worked in the office are so tiring that we don't have the energy to work extra hours. Other advisors have shared with me that she has even threaten them. We cannot reach to her for help because it appears that she doesn't have very much knowledge in Financial Aid. I've been in her office for help and or concerns and was not able to get any help except her rolling her eyes or no eye contact no comments. The workload will increase for 2012 as for the Federal Government will implement that every file selected by them will be required an advisor to review. Many federal regulations are changing and are enforcing school to distribute money earlier. Between working the counter, answering phones, replying to emails there is no time to work on financial aid files. This prevents payment for all those students that are in need of their financial aid money. We are overwhelmed and files are very late.This office is NOT a healthy environment to work for and unfortunately it has lost many good employees. Also, requesting vacation time has always been a challenge to get approved. We rather call in sick because vacation would sometimes be approved and denied 2 days of the requested date. Many of us had to cancel our trips.

I've always been complemented for the quality of work that I have given to my directors, staff, faculty, co workers and students. Many have spoken very highly of me. I believe that I am great person a hard worker who enjoyed very much helping Rio. I strongly feel that my director hasn't appreciated me. The concerns that I addressed to her were never taken care of. She has not managed the office well. I am confident that another institution will value my knowledge and work. It is hard to believe that upper management has not taken care of these issues and many more. Who are they trying to protect and why? Is upper management ignoring these issues because I believe many have brought them up to their attention and excuses continue to come out. Board members, please speak to those staff members that are left. Speak to those that have transferred or those who have left. Listen to them advocate and help. They are worried that they might lose their jobs if they speak up. There is a coordinators position that should be having interviews soon. I am sure that she has saved this position for our current technician in our office. But this particular person will NOT help improve the moral of this office. In fact it will be the worst decision made if she gets hired as a coordinator. She has no interest in helping our students at all.

I am heart broken that I have to resign. During this time off I have felt such peace and relief and I'm sure that it will prevent any future stress.I will miss my co workers tremendously. Elizabeth Viorato, Sandy Sierra, Tina Caldera, Dee Granillo Torres is was a pleasure working and learning from all of you.

The only thing my boss can complain is that I had a bad habit that of course I'm a shame of and that is that I arrived 5-15 minutes late to work but I would also work after my regular hours and wouldn't report it. It was brought to my attention and was given a warning. There was a few of us that continue to have this horrible thing about time but not everyone was asked to dock themselves on their time sheet. Special arrangements were also made and tardies were also ignored.

I ask that all of my personal belonging from my desk be gathered by the Secretary, Tina Caldera. I will make arrangements to with her to pick them up.

Dolores, I also worked overtime during the month of July and never got paid. It should reflect on my timesheet. Would you be kind enough to check for me? Also, the contract states that a person must submit in writing requesting the Family Leave Act in which I never requested and was forced into my while I was on medical leave. I have contacted my union to rep to follow up with this issue.

I apologize that this letter has grammar, spelling....but i was in a rush to send out and get it over with.

Thank you

Where’s Cathy?

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:19:06 -0700

Cathy Butler, Director of Student Activities, has apparently been absent from Rio Hondo for some time. The rumor is that she has been placed on administrative leave for some yet-unspecified violation. Perhaps this was a result of the Hannah Pastrano affair (see here for more detail).

Once again, we have an administrator (who are the 5th highest paid in the state) who is essentially on a paid vacation away from the college. This follows Joe Santoro (former Dean of Public Safety) who was essentially off for 8 months before accepting some undisclosed settlement and Gus Gonzales who allegedly engaged in some improprieties before resigning (again after being put on leave).

Calling all Voters

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:40:17 -0700

The Faculty Association membership overwhelmingly passed two election items:

1. Confirming the PAC's endorsement of Fernando Centeno for the Area 2 Board of Trustees seat
2. Approving the use of up to $15,000 of PAC funds in the election

Most importantly, we need your help in the election.

If you are able to volunteer, please e-mail Colin Young at colinyoung@hotmail.com

Faculty were instrumental in our 2009 election, as their hard work and dedication was able to get Madeline Shapiro elected to the Board of Trustees. Madeline has been a champion for faculty. She has fought for better working conditions, protecting your benefits, and making sure that college funds are spent on people who work on the front lines with students.

You have a chance to elect another champion for faculty and ensure that your working conditions and benefits are protected. I am sure that many of you will rise to the occasion and work to elect candidates who best represent what you think Rio Hondo should ideally be.

You can ensure the future of Rio Hondo by participating in one of the following activities:

1. Phone Banking
2. Precinct Walking

Phone banking involves calling voters and sharing why you think they should vote for our candidates, Ronald Gonzalez-Lawrence and Fernando Centeno. Ronald is running for the Trustee seat in Area 4, representing Santa Fe Springs, Los Nietos, Norwalk, and South Whittier. Fernando is running for the Trustee seat in Area 2, representing Pico Rivera and parts of unincorporated Whittier.

Precinct walking takes place on the weekends of October 15/16, October 22/23, and October 29/30. You would need to walk in the community and educate the voters about issues at Rio Hondo. In addition to #1 and #2 above, feel free to donate to our successful candidate through the RHCFA, your Association.

You simply need to make out a check to: RHCFA CIF

CIF stands for Community Involvement Fund

Food will be provided at phone banking. Please let me know when you would be able to participate in phone banking or precinct walking. Phone banking will occur at the following:

Monday – Thursday (4-8PM)

Monday, October 10th – Tuesday, November 8th (no phone banking will take place on Halloween)

If you have any questions about your participation, please let me know. I will send out full instructions on where to go and what to do to all those who volunteer. Please e-mail the Association President at colinyoung@hotmail.com to volunteer.

Thank you!

Litmus Test

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 09:19:20 -0700

As noted on an earlier post, the Board voted at the September 14th meeting whether to accept Hannah Pastrano’s resignation. This provided an excellent opportunity to see where the various Board members stand with respect to relations between the administration and staff. The vote took place after a half-hour of impassioned pleas by staff and students. (For a particularly articulate one by former ASB President Ernesto Zumaya, click here).

It should first be noted that the whole process was a complete mess. There was a great deal of confusion and multiple votes were taken. The legal counsel present for the Board attempted to clarify the issues on several occasions (which generally did not seem to help). In the end, Hannah’s resignation was accepted by the Board.

The first step in the process was to pull the resignation from the Consent Agenda. This was done by Trustee Gary Mendez and seconded by Student Trustee Julianna Ojeda. Pulling the resignation was necessary or else it would have been immediately accepted with all other items on the Consent Agenda (such as payroll and others).

The next step was to vote on whether to accept the resignation. Trustee Mendez made the motion to reject the resignation. A vote was quickly called and Trustee Mendez was joined by Trustees Ojeda and Madeline Shapiro. Board President Maria Elena Martinez also seemed to join in the vote after which she declared that the motion passed. There was brief elation in the crowd until there was a realization by Trustee Martinez that she voted the wrong way. Much discussion and clarification ensued, with the attorney getting involved, a motion to reconsider being voted on, and then a second vote.

In the end, only Trustees Mendez and Shapiro voted to reject Hannah’s resignation. Trustees Martinez, Angela Acosta-Salazar, and Norma Garcia voted against Hannah. The votes of Trustees Martinez and Acosta-Salazar were not surprising, however, Norma Garcia’s vote was disappointing.

Classified staff and RHCFA representatives have had several meetings with Norma Garcia over the last few years since she was elected to the Board. During those meetings, she expressed empathy with the plight of those working at Rio Hondo. While not explicitly stating that she would support staff and faculty, she did give the impression that she would not necessarily side with those who always affirmed the actions of Ted Martinez. With this vote, she seemed to mirror the actions of former Trustee Andre Quintero who would say one thing to union representatives and then act another.

In•Security

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 08:20:46 -0700

At the September 14th Board meeting, the administration went to great lengths to cover up their vicious handling of Hannah Pastrano’s firing. Hannah has been a beloved figure at Rio Hondo as a sixteen-year employee, working with students to empower them to get involved on campus. She was also active with the classified staff union, CSEA, and her husband, Ivan, worked with Trustee Madeline Shapiro.

There is little question that Hannah acted inappropriately over the summer. She altered Inter-Club Council meeting minutes for a $400 reimbursement request submitted by a student. The expenses were legitimate and payment would have been made, but the request did not make the May ICC meeting agenda, making reimbursement impossible until September. This would have created a hardship for the student who was moving to the East Coast to continue his college career. By the way, it was common practice for ICC minutes to be changed after a meeting had taken place.

A requisition for the $400 was signed by both by a student representative from the ASB executive board and by Associate Dean Mike Munoz. Hannah self-reported the indiscretion and was suspended. College administrators threatened that if she did not resign, they would go to the press and make sure she never worked at a college again. In addition, there are (unconfirmed) rumors on campus that Yolanda Emerson (director of Human Resources) threatened to go to the District Attorney with charges of embezzlement. After such remorseless warnings, Hannah relented and resigned in late August.

Knowing that there were going to be comments made by students at the Board meeting, the administration swung into action. They hired security including sheriffs (you know, to handle those unruly students). For the first time, they had legal counsel sitting right next to the president at the Board meeting. At a time of fiscal belt-tightening, it is good to know that we can drop hundreds of dollars an hour for that. They even had a name plate made up for the lawyer. The lawyer apparently prepared a statement relating to the public comments section. You can see the video of this along with Hannah Pastrano’s statement here. Even though there were about fifty people who could have made statements on Hannah’s behalf, the Board limited discussion on the topic to a set time period.

Finally, the administration limited access to the Boardroom by placing seats in a wall-to-wall configuration. That prevented anyone from standing the Boardroom. In the end, Hannah’s resignation was accepted by the Board, thereby ending the career of a valued Rio Hondo employee. More on the vote and the meeting can be found at another post.

Double Standard

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 07:36:19 -0700

A trip to Washington D.C...$1,889;
Travel to Miami...$2,490;
Accountability for expenses...nonexistent.

Since becoming president in mid-2007, Ted Martinez has taken approximately 20 out-of-state trips for college-related purposes. There is little question that these were legitimate expenses. A complete list of the trips, which totaled approximately $35,000, can be found here.

However, College Procedure 3040 (found here) requires all college personnel to file a report describing the main features of the conference or meeting. Board agenda after Board agenda is filled with reports by faculty, classified staff, and administrators. Not once has one been filed by Ted Martinez. For an administration which searches for technicalities to fire or discipline people, there appears to be a double standard when it comes to enforcing the president’s violations.

Mesa Mess - Updated

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 07:27:42 -0700

As reported on August 25th here, Lester Mesa was the Police Academy Director for about three weeks over the summer. RHCFA has come to learn that he resigned (and turned in a ten-page letter of resignation). When President Ted Martinez was asked about Mr. Mesa, the response was that he was not up to the task. An important piece of relevant information is that four names were forwarded to Ted Martinez over the summer. Where did Mr. Mesa fall? Right at the bottom. Perhaps if the president had not again pulled from the bottom of the list, we would not have this revolving door situation.