Former Beverly Hills schools chief given 60 days in jail

The former schools chief in Beverly Hills was sentenced Thursday to 60 days in jail for misappropriating public funds.

Jeffrey Hubbard, who was the school superintendent in Beverly Hills before being hired to run the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, was ordered to serve his sentence in the Los Angeles County Jail.

Hubbard, 55, was convicted in January on two felony counts of misappropriation of public money while he was running the Beverly Hills Unified School District.

Hubbard, who showed no emotion as he was sentenced by Judge Stephen A. Marcus in Los Angeles County Superior Court, was immediately taken into custody, although he was not handcuffed. His wife wept openly in the courtroom.

Hubbard also was given three years’ probation and ordered to pay a $6,000 fine and $23,500 in restitution to the Beverly Hills school district. The former superintendent was convicted of making more than $20,000 in unapproved payments to a subordinate.

His attorney vowed to appeal the conviction.

During the trial, prosecutors said Hubbard made illegal payments to a subordinate with whom he had a “special relationship.”

Former Facilities Director Karen Anne Christiansen, 53, his co-defendant in the case and recipient of the payments, was convicted on four felony counts of conflict of interest and sentenced to four years and four months in prison and ordered to pay $2 million in restitution.

Hubbard was acquitted on a third charge of giving an illegal pay raise to another subordinate, who was never charged with any wrongdoing.

The day after Hubbard was found guilty, the Newport-Mesa Unified school board fired him.

Retired Supt. Rob Barbot was chosen as interim superintendent for the district, which oversees schools in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.

lauren.williams@latimes.com