Special Report to the Public:
Geysil Arroyo
Trustee Geysil Arroyo reported that she recently had a health incident due to stress which served as a reminder to take care of yourself and be mindful of others, and she said that she did a one-hour webinar focused on managing stress and she encouraged others to seek ways to cope.
Mariah Jameson
Trustee Mariah Jameson reported that she participated in the districtwide Chancellor’s Town Hall in March, and that she is looking forward to the Black Student Success Summit on April 18. She related that decisions made by the Board affect the students they serve and urged members to focus on a humanistic perspective that prioritizes empathy, dignity, and lived experiences of students in their processes, and to lead not only with vision but with heart.
Craig Milgrim
Trustee Craig Milgrim reported that the trans and non-binary communities are being erased, including in the United States and United Kingdom. He said he is appreciative of the public speakers for standing up on behalf of individuals being impacted by injustices around the world. He reported that he recently hosted his mom for her 93rd birthday. Trustee Milgrim said districtwide Pre-Pride events will be held in April ahead of citywide celebrations of Pride in July, and he will speak at the Spill the Tea event on April 22 at the Mesa College Pride Center.
Gregory Smith
Chancellor Gregory Smith thanked SDCCE President Tina King, Vice President Shakerra Carter, and recent grad Carlos Morales who went to Sacramento to address the Higher Education Committee on AB 1433, as well as AS presidents Mona Alsoraimi-Espiritu and Richard Weinroth, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) for their efforts to support the legislation, which does not currently have the full support of California community colleges system. He said he will bring back to the Board resolutions of support for several bills that are being re-introduced from previous legislative years including AB 1400 (Soria), which would create a community college nursing baccalaureate, AB 1035 (Gonzalez) which would expand the Promise program to include tuition-free baccalaureate programs, and AB 695 (Fong) which would allow students who lose ability to live in the United States to be able to complete education online under in-state tuition. Chancellor Smith foreshadowed the budget presentation from Vice Chancellor Dan Troy later in the meeting and emphasized the importance of planning now due to the volatility of the economy in the hopes that conditions will improve.
Chancellor Smith shared his report with Mesa College Vice President Lorenze Legaspi to recognize Kim Perigo and Bryan Malinis along with the Speech and Debate Team, which took first place at the international tournament in South Korea making it the team with the most international wins among both two- and four-year colleges and universities. He said over the past few weeks he has had opportunities to engage in conversations around diversity, and thanked the public commentors for bringing perspective, lived experience, and priorities that help shape collective understanding. He said that he continues to refine and work on how to balance the many voices he hears in his position and asks others to continue to offer their perspectives because he cannot make informed decisions without them. He reported that he attended the American Association of Community Colleges annual conference between April 12-16 in Nashville where he served on a panel focused on crisis communications and public relations. He said during the panel nobody brought up communications in higher education post-January 20 until he did near the end, and he said he appreciated the conversation that came out of it, which he noted was informative and brought forth new lived experience to help drive the work he does. Chancellor Smith said he appreciates the work being done by AS President Alsoraimi-Espiritu and the City College Academic Senate, particularly the position paper she presented around Artificial Intelligence. He said he is very interested in quantum computing and how that will impact education in the future, noting innovation isn’t just what’s happening in technology but also the shift in the way lessons are taught. He recognized Vice Chancellor Jack Beresford for his excellent work around the Community Colleges Public Relations Organization; districtwide facilities teams who mobilized on April 14 to make sure buildings were safe and elevators back up following an earthquake; and Pride Center Counselor Lucio Lira for receiving the California Community Colleges Dr. Emilie Mitchell Rainbow Excellence Award. He said next week he will attend an AFT mini conference Know Your Power to talk about values in leadership. He ended by saying, after receiving input from every governance organization within the District, including both employees and students, he has concluded it is in the best interest of the District to not deploy conducted energy devices/tasers at this time.
Hailey Hua
Student Trustee Hailey Hua reported that San Diego City College celebrated in March Women’s Day with the City Women Rock Conference, which empowered female students through resources, motivation, and support for reaching their academic and transfer goals; San Diego Mesa College celebrated Cultural Unity Week between April 14-18, with Associated Students supporting the event by passing out flowers across campus; Miramar College Associated Student Government hosted its annual Spring Fest under the name “Earthcella” featuring sustainability-related activities. Student Trustee Hua reported that College of Continuing Education held on April 9 a grand opening of a Business Resource Center at its Cesar Chavez Campus.
BOARD ACTIONS
At its regular meeting of April 17, 2025, which was conducted in-person, with online participation available, the Board of Trustees:
- Conducted a campus meeting in a hybrid format with Miramar College that included welcome remarks from President Wesley Lundburg; and presentations, hosted by Acting Outreach Coordinator Chantal Hernandez, focused on “The Student Journey: Miramar Jets Fuel-ups and Take-offs” including stories from students Mohammed Haneef, Emelyn Balbuena, and Jacqueline Blanco; and closing remarks by Wesley Lundburg.
- Heard public comment from Rachael Halligan who spoke in support of a 32-hour work week; and Jennifer Frost Moreno, Daniel Villegas, Serina Cuza, Anzy McWha, and Marco Guajardo who spoke on behalf of Students for Justice in Palestine regarding an ethical procurement resolution. City College Academic Senate (AS) President Mona Alsoraimi-Espiritu thanked Miramar College for hosting the Board Meeting on its campus. She reported the City College AS is leaning in on social justice and acknowledged the efforts of both students and faculty. She provided highlights of a position paper created by a workgroup formed by AS addressing AI Use and Misuse recommendations; and a position paper titled San Diego City College Condemns Retaliation Against Activists and Urges San Diego Community College District Support; and read resolutions to Support the Establishment of a Faculty Sustainability Officer and in support of AB 1433: Advancing Equity in Noncredit Funding. Mesa College AS President Andrew Hoffman requested that overpayment letters sent to some adjunct professors be revised with a less harsh tone. He reported that Mesa College was in the midst of hosting its Cultural Unity Week with various activities on campus, including a World Art Collection Voices of Africa event on Thursday; the campus will host Black Student Success Week April 21-25; and will host its longstanding tradition of the Festival of Colors on May 1. He said the AS established an AI taskforce and is just starting work evaluating its role in education. He congratulated Pride Center Counselor Lucio Lira on receiving the California Community Colleges Dr. Emilie Mitchell Rainbow Excellence Award; and the women’s beach volleyball team, which recently secured the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference title for the third consecutive year, and its coach, Kim Lester, won conference coach of the year. Miramar College AS President Pablo Martin thanked the Board and those present for attending the Miramar College campus meeting. He reported that there has been a change in culture on campus to express openly the work being done on campus to support students, and he thanked President Lundburg for his leadership in this area, while also recognizing the classified professionals who go above and beyond and whom are in need of additional support. He reported that Rodrigo Gomez has been voted as AS president-elect. He also reported that restorative practices are taking root at Miramar Colleges, particularly in places of leadership; and that higher education is typically the first to be targeted by fascist governments, and he encourages everyone to attend April 19 protests at Waterfront Park. College of Continuing Education AS President Richard Weinroth recognized AS President Alsoraimi-Espiritu for bringing attention to AB1433, which is also supported by the SDCCE AS, and commended President Tina King, Chancellor Smith, Board President Arroyo, and other members of the Board for their support of noncredit education. He reported that the Emeritus program held a concert showcasing student and faculty talent, and thanked vice presidents Masahiro Omae and Jacqueline Sabanos for attending the event, and President King for sending a message supporting the work of the Emeritus faculty and students. He said he will attend the Academic Senate Spring Plenary April 24-26 in Irvine, and commended Vice Chancellor Michelle Fischthal for hosting the inaugural InnovAItion Day on April 18, at North City campus. He echoed AS President Hoffman that the tone of the overpayment letters to adjunct faculty members could be improved. He acknowledged Miramar College President Lundburg for his campus’s presentations and thanked him for recognizing those employees who go above and beyond their job titles and responsibilities because they deserve to be supported.
- Approved the nomination of Trustees Jose Alcala, Riverside CCD; Ines De Luna, Napa Valley CCD; Julie Schorr, Grossmont-Cuyamaca CCD; and Tammy Silver, Pasadena Area CCD to the California Community College Trustees (CCCT) Board of Directors of the Community College League of California (CCLC).
- Approved the Board Meeting Schedule for July 2025 to December 2025.
- Authorized agreements with healthcare agencies for use of clinical facilities by students enrolled in District health occupation programs.
- Authorized travel for City College Bird Alliance Club students to attend the 2025 Audubon Leadership Conference, July 17-20, 2025, in Montreal, Canada; and for Miramar College Engineering Club students to participate in the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Competition from June 19-21, 2025, in Alpena, Michigan.
- Heard a report on the 2025-26 General Fund Unrestricted Preliminary Budget by Vice Chancellor Dan Troy.
- Adopted resolutions proclaiming the week of May 18-24, 2025, as Classified Professionals Week; and to allow for the purchase of six replacement police vehicles from Kearny Mesa Ford Kia without formal competitive bidding under the finding of no competitive advantage following public comment by Mona Alsoraimi-Espiritu.
- Accepted grants from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) for the Homeless and Housing Insecurity program (HHIP) at City College; and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) funding at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges.
- Entered into an agreement with the Regents of the University of California to use Miramar College’s facilities in support of the University California Air Resources Board (CARB) Smog Test Referee program for Heavy Duty vehicles; and with the California Department of Social Services for Child Development programs at City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges.
Awarded RFQs for as-needed contracts for DSA-approved Project Inspection, Material Testing and Special Inspection Labs and Geotechnical Services, Landscape Architecture, Structural Engineer, Environmental Consulting services for infrastructure and smaller Measure HH bond projects districtwide; and for Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) Administration Services to administer and ensure compliance with the provisions of the CBA for all bond-funded contracts estimated at or above $1,000,000 to Casamar Group, LLC.
Approved contracts with Cultura under an Omnia Partners cooperative contract procure and install office furniture in Educational Cultural Complex, rooms C-120, 77, and 177; and with ACCO Engineered Systems, under a CollegeBuys Master Service Agreement to procure, replace, and install the City College LRC Cooled Scroll Chiller.
- Terminated an Emergency Action taken pursuant to PCC 22050 to replace a failed boiler necessary for heating at CE Mesa; and ratified an Emergency Action taken pursuant to PCC 22050 to replace 12kV transformer feeding power to M Building at Miramar College.
- Approved purchase orders and contracts completed during March 2025; new or revised courses and programs; the master list of Off-Campus Locations for the 2024-2025 school year; and various personnel actions including the certification of short-term personnel service effective on or after April 18, 2025.