Golden West College Reinstates Dean After Swap Meet Inquiry

A Golden West College official who was placed on administrative leave after school officials said $4,000 in college funds were missing from a swap-meet program he monitored was reinstated when an investigation revealed that no money may ever have been lost, the school announced Friday.

Gary Sperling, associate dean of community services, returned to his position earlier this week after a three-month investigation into suspected financial irregularities.

John D. Renley, vice chancellor for human resources, said the matter is now closed. He said accounting procedures have been changed to prevent more such misunderstandings.

Sperling was placed on paid leave March 17 after college officials were tipped that funds related to a weekend swap meet at the school were missing. The college rents parking-lot space to swap-meet vendors on the weekends. The operation brings in about $250,000 a year.

Sperling was in charge of the swap-meet program and other community service activities but Renley said at the time that Sperling had not been accused of any wrongdoing.

In a statement Friday, Renley said an investigation by the Huntington Beach Police Department determined that due to the “financial recording procedures then in force, they were unable to establish that, in fact, a loss of funds occurred.

“In addition, the Huntington Beach Police Department stated that if, in fact, a loss occurred, it would not be possible to prove that any given individual or individuals were responsible.”