Mission College Presidency

* Re “Let Trustees Do their Work,” Aug. 1.

Your editorial suggesting that I should not be involved in pushing for reform of the president selection process at Mission College totally ignored the fact that it is the community that is outraged about the problems at Mission College and came together to fight the community college district.

You stated that I am continuing to insist that the Los Angeles Community College District Trustees appoint Saeed Ali as president of Mission College. You also said that the decision to select a president lies solely with the trustees, not the president selection committee.

For the record, I never insisted that Ali be hired as president, and to suggest that I am continuing to do something I never did is false and misleading. While I did believe that out of the three finalists, he was the most qualified, I never contacted the trustees on his behalf nor did I push for his appointment. I followed the president selection committee process carefully and let the committee make its recommendations to the district. The committee recommended him along with two others, and I supported the committee’s decision.

While you were accurate in saying that the president selection committee is advisory, it is a committee chosen by the Los Angeles Community College District. The applications it reviews come from the district itself, which sent approximately 55 potential names to the committee after receiving more than 100 applications. The district then rejected the committee’s top three recommendations, saying they were not qualified. If they weren’t qualified, why did the district send the names to the committee in the first place? It was a waste of time and money.

The community is outraged at the repeated lack of respect Mission College has gotten from the district, which is why [it has] formed the Valley Coalition for a Responsive Community College District. To suggest I should not support my constituents who are outraged at being ignored is ludicrous. That is my job. The bottom line is, the more turmoil there is at Mission College, the more the students will suffer. This is not about politics; it’s about working to make our education system better, and I will continue to do so.

RICHARD ALARCON

State Senator, District 20