Labor Court Complaint on Former Chancellor’s Misconduct

To our Community Allies, Local Leaders, and City College Community Members,

City College is a gem of San Francisco public education, but it’s no secret that we have been in need of stronger, more effective, and accountable leadership. We are confident that our college is turning a corner – however, in the interest of transparency and growth, we must share the following news regarding recent administrative misconduct at the college.

This week, California labor courts – the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) – ruled that CCSF’s most recent Chancellor, David Martin, knowingly distorted financial records to justify his layoffs, class cuts, and adversarial positions in bargaining. See the full decision here, and note that point 11 details what is ‘Management Fraud,’ or “the deliberate material misstatement of financial statements by top management.”

David Martin’s false representations were made not just to the college’s faculty union AFT 2121, but also to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (the ACCJC) in their review of the college.

In fact, the ACCJC reiterated Martin’s false representations as findings in its decision to place CCSF on Warning. Martin’s falsifications served to obstruct our accreditation, justify his unnecessary and devastating layoffs, and reallocate millions away from the classroom and out of the College’s General Fund.

The first step in addressing these findings has already taken place; Martin is no longer Chancellor of CCSF. Now, the College’s Board of Trustees must exercise the leadership needed to remedy these fraudulent actions, secure CCSF’s accreditation and restore CCSF’s ability to fulfill its mission to our students and the community.