BY NORAH SHEPPARD-HUTCHINS
Daily Post Staff Writer
Leaders of the San Mateo County Community College District are asking voters to approve a S1 billion bond measure, despite few safeguards being added since a past chancellor took bribes from contractors.
Former Chancellor Ron Galatolo is currently in jail for lying about giving large contracts to construction firms in exchange for lavish gifts.
The firms were paid with money from 2005 and 2014 bond measures, according to allegations made in a civil lawsuit filed by the district.
New Chancellor Melissa Moreno said the latest proposed bond, Measure V, has limitations to prevent overbuilding, but she didn’t answer if the ballot language could prevent future bribery.
“Ron Galatolo worked for us like six or seven years ago – like it’s time for that to go to bed… He went to jail, and he’s paying for whatever he did before I got here,” Moreno said in a phone interview.
Moreno said a Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee found past bond money was spent in accordance with the measures.
Former committee member Chris Robell said that’s true, but the committee is not a reliable source.
Robell said the committee meets about four times a year for a few hours, which doesn’t allow enough time to properly look into the bond money.
Members are also selected by the district’s board, which he said rarely consists of people with professional backgrounds in auditing and finance.
Four construction companies that allegedly bribed Galatolo have agreed to pay the district $20 million.
The 2014 bond, Measure H, had broad language regarding projects such as “modernize math and science classrooms and labs” and “replace aging infrastructure.” The measure language did not explicitly state which buildings and campuses would receive renovations or construction.
Measure V lists what projects each college will see and maximum square footage for construction. For example, the measure proposes construction of a new athletic center at Skyline College, which would be a maximum of 100,000 square feet.
Moreno said the square foot limitations on every district building will prevent unnecessary overbuilding.
Board member John Pimentel said these limitations will ensure the district actually builds what is promised to voters.
“What happened (under past measures) on some of the buildings was that the scope of the building changed significantly from what was initially envisioned to what was actually built,” Pimentel told the Post.
Pimentel also didn’t answer questions about ways the bond would prevent future bribery in the district, but mentioned the whistleblower hotline the district put in place after the Galatolo scandal was uncovered.
Pimentel previously told the Post that since Galatolo left, the district hired an internal auditor who has recommended changes to the district’s internal accounting procedures to ensure the board knows where the money is going and what it’s being spent on.
The board also voted to initiate a whistleblower hotline. The internal auditor investigates tips on the hotline.
However, the district’s auditor resigned on Sept. 8, according to board records. The district currently has a job listing out for a new auditor.
Measure V asks voters to authorize $848 million in bonds for the San Mateo County Community College District for a new gym, upgrades to two arts buildings and a slew of other repairs at the district’s three campuses: Canada College in Redwood City, College of San Mateo and Skyline College in San Bruno.
Including interest, taxpayers would be on the hook for $1.35 billion, according to an estimate by the college district.
If approved, Measure V would extend an existing property tax levy of $18 per $100,000 of a home’s assessed value through 2049. The owner of a $2.15 million home in San Mateo County – the county’s median home price – would pay $386 per year.
Be the first to comment