Van de Kamp's site leased to charter high school

Los Angeles Community College District trustees today agreed to lease part of the historic Van de Kamp's Bakery property to a charter high school, over protests that officials had pulled a "bait-and-switch" by dropping plans for a satellite campus at the Glassell Park site.

The property, the subject of a ferocious preservation fight a decade ago, had undergone a $50-million to $60-million rehabilitation that saved the bakery's landmark Dutch town house facade in preparation for conversion to a campus. The project was primarily financed with a community college bond measure approved by voters.

But district officials said Los Angeles City College, now facing a $1-million budget deficit, could no longer afford to operate the satellite campus. They emphasized that some community college courses and job training would be offered at the site and that the district could take the property back from the Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools, which has a five-year lease, when the satellite was ready to be launched.

"It's a community education resource for all ages," said Adriana Barrera, the district's acting chancellor.

But activists, some of whom were part of the original preservation fight, said they might sue the district for reneging on the campus plans.

"It wasn't what they promised," said Laura Gutierrez, who also complained that community activists had been shut out of the discussions that led to the lease agreement with the alliance.

"This is a bait-and-switch," Jose Aguilar told the board.

In other board business, students and staff at Los Angeles Trade Technical College asked trustees to get rid of campus administrators responsible for a recent decision by the accreditation board to place the two-year institution on probation.

"There was a team that was trusted with this [accreditation review]. ... They failed us," said Victor Orellana, president of the campus League of United Latin American Citizens. Representatives presented a vote of no confidence to the campus president, vice president and dean. They said it was signed by 300 people.

-- Gale Holland

Comments

[Diane Wrent]

The Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees operate like a little fiefdom of conflict of interest, nepotism, corruption, and empire building. I thought that the Van de Kamp's Coalition people were really reasonable. They suggested that the Board only offer the Charter High School a year to year lease and actively pursue the federal dollars announced yesterday by Department of Education that $12 billion will be sent to community colleges across the country. Why shouldn't LACCD be able to compete well for that money to open the Van de Kamps site as the community college for adults needing training? The willingness of the Board of Trustees to endorse this sweetheart deal, that gives away a brand new college building to a charter school for 32 cents per square foot.... well, it's just despicable. Incompetence reigns at LACCD.

[Ugh]

Since LACC has no money, it makes sense to sue them over this so they can waste more money they don't have on a lawsuit that is not going to change the fact that they don't have money to run the college to begin with. Some people can't deal with a change of plans. Before blaming LACC, why don't you blame the Governor? What's so bad about an environmental science charter school? Everyone is so worried about unfair competition for Ribet and the other new high school that is planned to go up the street. That's just ridiculous.

[LKitsch]

These people just don't get it, do they? We are mired in the worst economic downturn in 70 years. Give the district a break and let the HS lease the facility for now. It is not irreversible. How about taking comfort in the fact that you saved the historic building? Or is that not enough. Oh, I forgot---it's NEVER enough.

[Appalled at LACCD]

Staffers within the LACCD are appalled by the political game playing of the Board of Trustees. Word within LACCD is that the Mayor's office intimidated the LACCD Board and the Mayor is totally behind shoving the private charter school into this community college building for 5 whole years. At the end of the 5 years, the building not be returned to LACCD because certain faculty and union leaders do not want a satellite campus. The intrigue and the thieves are thick on this one.

At the Board meeting, one public commenter blamed the LACCD Board for bringing back Mark Drummond as Chancellor. Drummond abruptly retired by she alleged that LACCD staff went to his home and found him incapacitated mid-morning. She alleged that the Board knew he was an alcoholic and womanizer. She claimed Drummond installed his ex-wife as a vice-president at Los Angeles Trade Tech and that he got one of his girlfriends a presidency of an LACCD college. Would that be Dr. Moore at Los Angeles City College?

[Laura Gutierrez]

The article that Ms. Holland wrote only touched a fraction of this issue. This is not about whether or not LACC or LACCD has the operational money to open this campus; it’s about how they went about breaking a promise to the Northeast Communities to open this satellite community college. First, the all volunteer Van de Kamps Coalition saved the historic Van de Kamps building from demolition then they worked to find a viable tenant to go into that site. LACC DID NOT pick this site for a satellite campus. Senator Polanco and the Van de Kamps Coalition brought this site to them. The coalition was invited by LACC to sit on the Steering Committee since 2002.

This has been an ongoing battle for 8 years now with a budget of $61 million dollars allocated with voter approved bonds to build this community college along with $3 million dollars seed money to assist with readapting the historic building for classroom space in 2001. Site plans drawn, academic curriculum planning started, and “green” technology urged at the bequest of the Coalition, this was going to be the “crown jewel in education” to complete achieving adult accredited college education with job training, vocational or and life enhancing classes so desperately needed in our under served communities. Federal grants were allocated to create a wellness center. Atwater Park Center, an organization that works with children who have developmental problems was also planned to occupy space at the campus.

After countless delays, plans pulled, multiple consulting firms, 3 construction firms, 5 LACC Presidents, about $20+ Million dollars wasted, 1 building removed from original plan, multiple target construction starts and opening dates, actual construction started and a new opening date of Sept. 09. Or so we thought, we were alerted in January that something was going on and we should check into it. Put off until meeting in April, unaware that the Steering committee had been disband and the coalition was never notified.

In April, citing the economic budget crisis, LACC stated they have no choice but to turn over operations of the campus to the LACCD to “operate” for the next 5 years. The Van de Kamps Coalition started its own investigation into why this campus could not open as promised. Some documents were found, questions on policy and procedure, and questionable construction bond money expenditures for non construction projects threw up “red flags”. Questions, regarding “Education Center Status”, money spent to hire a consulting firm to complete this application that would have allotted 1 million dollars in operational funds to open that site were suddenly pulled by Chancellor Drummond who recently “resigned”, went unanswered.

The coalition sent a California Public Records Request to the LACCD and LACC, only to be answered requesting more time to respond and citing that it would take “months” before we would be able to see the documents that would answer our questions.

Notified the Friday before by newly elected President and long time Board of Trustees member Mona Fields from her Glendale Community College email address that a resolution regarding the Van de Kamps site was to be on this agenda and she had “no idea” what it said. When I tried to get the agenda on Friday, I was told that I would only be able to get a full copy on the day of the meeting.

We have been told that LACCD does have the money to open this campus and there was nothing stopping them from opening. This coalition still has questions even after the board voted to open the innovation center.

LACC recently place on academic probation by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, cited in their report that LACC was opening a satellite campus in the Van de Kamps site. It went on further to say the LACC did not outreach and communicate with the surrounding communities to assess the needs of the communities it serves.

Last Wednesday’s meeting was a clear indication that this district has major problems. Students and faculty from other colleges were there to also voice their vote of no confidence regarding administration of their campuses.

The most alarming, was the newly elected Board members Tina Parks and Miguel Santiago, based on biased accounts of the Van de Kamps/Northeast issue chose to vote for the resolution and the charter school. At the recent LAUSD Board meeting, newly elected Steve Zimmer recuse himself stating he not have all the facts to vote on the controversial vote to convert Birmingham High to a charter school. Why did they recuse themselves?

Many questions remained unanswered; the coalition will continue to seek these answers.
Laura Gutierrez
Van de Kamps Coalition