Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Chancellor Marvin Martinez has been placed on paid administrative leave, “pending an investigation into recently made allegations concerning the chancellor.”
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The decision was reported out of closed session shortly past midnight Wednesday, Sep. 2, during a special RSCCD Board of Trustees meeting that began Tuesday evening. According to Vice President Tina Arias Miller, the board voted 5-1 in favor of placing Martinez on temporary paid administrative leave, following discussion of an agenda item concerning public employee discipline, dismissal or release, which did not list the name of the person being discussed, only an employee ID number.
“Administrative leave is a standard, non-disciplinary measure and a routine process provided for under board policy. It should not be interpreted as disciplinary action against Chancellor Martinez or as reflecting any adverse conclusion,” RSCCD Interim Chief Communications Officer Eugene Fields said in a statement.
Martinez could not be reached directly for comment.
Details regarding the scope of the allegations against Martinez were not immediately available. The district declined to comment further, calling the investigation “a confidential personnel matter.”
Trustees John Hanna, Zeke Hernandez, David Crockett, Daisy Tong and Arias Miller voted in favor of the administrative leave, and Trustee Cecilia Iglesias voted against.
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Not present for the closed session was Trustee Phil Yarbrough, who was temporarily stripped of his title as board president earlier this month, following a majority vote to suspend him from board officer positions pending completion of separate investigations into complaints filed by Martinez and a vice chancellor against Yarbrough and alleged violations of the board’s code of ethics. The board cannot remove Yarbrough from his elected position.
Earlier this year, the board had discussed in closed session the potential discipline or dismissal of the chancellor, which prompted trustees to form an ad hoc committee to evaluate Martinez’s performance.
Vice Chancellor Iris Ingram will serve as acting chancellor, according to a district statement.
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