COD Trustee Pérez Formally Warned

COD Trustee Area 1 Rubén AríAztlán Pérez Formally Warned About Actions

PALM DESERT — Following a third-party investigation, College of the Desert Board of Trustees voted 4-2 to formally warn Area 1 Trustee Rubén AríAztlán Pérez about his past actions and words. Moreover, the entire board was put on notice about treating colleagues with respect.

“As board chair, I will be asking President Hope to schedule another study session for the board to address the role of the board in civility and decorum issues,” Chair Bonnie Stefan said.

Stefan and Trustee Ron Oden made the recommendation to issue Pérez a warning after reviewing the investigator’s findings. But the pair did not hang Pérez out to dry. They also took a verbal swipe at his fellow trustees.

Trustees Pérez and Bea Gonzalez, who is facing reelection in November, opposed issuing Pérez the warning.

None of the Trustees spoke outside of the vote.

Stefan asked Pérez if he wanted to say anything. “I don’t agree with it, but I understand what’s going on,” he said.

The political drama started more than a year ago, in January 2023, when former Superintendent/President Joel Kinnamon, who represents Trustee Area 4 on the College of the Desert Board of Trustees, filed a complaint on behalf of district constituents and himself asking Board Chair Stefan to place an item on the next board meeting to start a censure process against Pérez for his “violations” that occurred on the board’s dais, and other more recent actions that he believes, violated board policies.

Beyond Kinnamon’s complaint, the independent investigator looked into complaints that alleged Pérez entered the Coachella Library on an afternoon in the fall of 2022 to visit classrooms in session — and that acted inappropriately or otherwise caused a scene upon learning that the classes were not offered in the library during daytime hours.

There was also an allegation that Pérez attended a class at the Coachella Library on Oct. 20th, 2022. He, A, entered the classroom over the instructor’s objections, and B, introduced himself to students in the classroom, and in doing so, made comments in an effort to aid his reelection campaign.

As to charge one, the investigator did not sustain the allegations. The investigator found that after a thorough review of the evidence, while the preponderance of the evidence supported a finding that Perez entered the Coachella Library on an afternoon in the fall of 2022 to visit classrooms in session, it did not support a finding that Trustee Perez acted inappropriately or otherwise caused a scene upon learning the classes were not offered in the library during daytime hours.

As to charge number two, the investigator sustained in part the allegation. Specifically, after a thorough review of the evidence, he made the following findings by a preponderance of the evidence. As to the non-sustained portion of his findings, the investigator did not find Trustee Perez entered complainant two’s classroom over complainant two’s objection. Rather he found that Trustee Perez came to the class following an invitation from a student, and while interacting with complainant two at the class entrance reasonably believed complainant two expressed hesitancy about him entering the class in jest. Which prompted Perez to enter the class while joking back, ‘I won’t tell if you won’t.’ As to the sustained portion of his findings, the investigator found that Trustee Perez introduced himself to students in the class as a trustee and board member representing the East Valley, who was going to make sure the classroom wall was painted, and that the learning space was improved because the students of Coachella deserved it.” In making the comments Trustee Pérez sought to aid his reelection campaign.

As to charge number three, the investigator sustained in part the allegations. Specifically, after a thorough review of the evidence, he made the following findings by a preponderance of the evidence. As to the sustained portion of his findings, the investigator found that those sum of the comments of the December 2022 board meeting, “Trustee Perez intentionally disrespected Trustee Kinnamon and did so in a way that sought to create divisiveness within the board. Since Trustee Pérez made several explicit references to Trustee Kinnamon in a manner that reflected poorly on him, his prior leadership and his campaign strategies.”

The subcommittee could have recommended censure but did not, according to board policy.

“Ultimately, I do not believe that anything more than a warning is warranted in response to the charges sustained in investigation findings against Trustee Pérez,” Stefan said. “First, there is no indication that Trustee Pérez has repeated any of the sustained conduct within the last year. Second, recommending censure, or even a formal reprimand, based on the sustained facts alone would result in this board treating Trustee Perez differently than it does other members of the board when there have been times where other members of this body, past and present, may have not engaged with their colleagues on this board with civility and respect. All members of this board must be aware of their civility obligations.”

“Third, we believe a warning is more conducive to Trustee  learning from his prior missteps,” Stefan said. “A reprimand or censure implies punishment, which we do not feel is necessary here.”

Moving forward, Stefan said, and particularly as we enter another election cycle, we remind Trustee Pérez, as well as the entirety of this board, that we must distinguish our roles as trustee from our roles as candidates for elected office,” Stefan said reading from a summary counsel prepared. We cannot use the access we may have to district-run activities or events by virtue of our position as trustees as a campaign tool.”

“While we may not always agree with our colleagues on this board, we have an obligation to engage with each other in a civil and productive manner,” Stefan said. “Name-calling or throwing accusations around at each other will not be tolerated from any member of this board. We are the public faces of the district and must lead by example.”

Kinnamon attended Thursday’s meeting remotely for “just cause,” he said.

“I am suffering and recovering from medical issues that currently prevent me from appearing at the board meeting in person,” he said.

Kinnamon was no doubt referring to the fracas at the recent Democrats of the Desert meeting where he said he was punched.