Sacramento Bee: Recall targets Sierra trustees

In bombshell a week before election, backers of Placer drive accuse college officials of wasting money, hurting morale.
By Kim Minugh -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Placer County leaders launched a recall effort Tuesday against Sierra College trustees Jerry Simmons and Aaron Klein, saying they have wasted taxpayers' money, damaged the institution's reputation and demoralized its employees.

Former county Supervisor Rex Bloomfield, one of 10 people who signed the recall petition, said the trustees are "a malignant cancer that must be removed to preserve the health of Sierra College."

Klein and Simmons, the board president, called the effort a political trick a week before the primary election designed to hurt Simmons' effort to unseat a fellow Republican, incumbent Placer County Supervisor Robert Weygandt.

"Community leaders told me before I filed for this election that Robert Weygandt would play dirty, but I had no idea just how low he could sink," Simmons said in an e-mail.
Weygandt said he knew the recall effort was coming, but played no part in its orchestration.
Some recall backers said their efforts are rooted in concern for the college but acknowledge they don't want Simmons to win the supervisor election.

Weygandt said the unrest at Sierra has driven some of Simmons' critics to assist his campaign. "Certainly, we've been more than happy to use that ... energy but in a way that is perfectly appropriate with a campaign," he said.

The recall effort comes in a race already drawing attention because developer Kyriakos Tsakopoulos, whose family has been a prominent supporter of Democratic politicians, is backing Simmons' campaign.

Also on Tuesday's ballot is a $78.2 million bond measure to repair 40-year-old facilities at Sierra's Rocklin campus. Some have expressed concern that turmoil at Sierra could hurt the bond's chances.

The 10 who signed the recall petition included five current or former county supervisors or mayors.

Though most have expressed support for Weygandt, only two have given financial assistance -- $300 from former Auburn Mayor Cheryl Maki and $100 from former Placer Supervisor Harriet White -- between July 2005 and May 2006, according to campaign financial disclosure forms.
Klein's and Simmons' terms on the Sierra board end in 2008. The recall, intended for the November ballot, is the second such effort aimed at Klein.

At the heart of the debate is the trustees' role in the departure of former college President Kevin Ramirez, which stemmed from Klein's allegations of financial misconduct. Those allegations were rebutted in a March report by the Placer County grand jury. Critics say the ouster itself was financially irresponsible, leading to a $600,000 buyout for Ramirez and the hiring of a new president at a higher salary.

More recently, Sierra employees and community members have said they consider Simmons' leadership style to be intimidating and threatening. Trustee Dave Creek has asked for a board vote next month on whether Simmons should remain president.

Simmons, Klein and their supporters -- including Assemblyman Tim Leslie, R-Tahoe City, and the Placer County Republican Party -- charge that the recall effort has been strategically timed to impact next week's election.

"This recall attempt is being launched by Robert Weygandt's liberal political allies just seven days before election day in an attempt to distract voters from Weygandt's record," Simmons said.
Simmons declined to respond to specific allegations about his leadership.
Klein defended his record as a trustee. "Sierra College is better off for the work I've been doing with trustees (Nancy) Palmer, (Scott) Leslie and Simmons," he said.

Simmons and Klein have seven days to file a response, said Ryan Ronco, county assistant registrar of voters. After several procedural steps, recall proponents have 160 days to collect signatures; Ronco estimates 25,000 to 27,500 will be needed for the recall to qualify.
The 10 signers of the recall petition are Bloomfield, White, Maki, Rocklin Mayor George Magnuson, Placer County Republican Central Committee member Laura Hancock, Lincoln Planning Commissioner Allen Cuenca, former Roseville Mayor Mel Hamel, county agriculture advocate Joanne Neft, retired teacher and former Sierra student body President Shirley Russell and West Placer Municipal Advisory Committee chairwoman Terry Dee Webb.

None of the 10 is a Sierra faculty or staff member, but some at the college are relieved to see the effort.

"I think the community is hearing us when the board wouldn't," said Johnnie Terry, president of the college's faculty senate. "At the depths of despair, the cavalry is showing up."
In February 2004 -- one month after Ramirez left Sierra -- some faculty members began discussing a recall of Klein. They abandoned the effort in March, saying they did not want to engage in the same personal attacks used by Klein.

Some say the recall launched Tuesday is likely to have more success because of the mounting frustration within Sierra and the outside community.

"I think the first one was to put them on notice," said Anthony Maki Gill, president of the college's classified senate and son of Cheryl Maki. "This recall has bipartisan support. … This recall has gained momentum after watching the antics of the last year and a half."
Klein said he is confident this recall will meet the same fate as last year's.
"This one is going to fizzle out like the last one did, if not faster," he said.
Klein and other Placer County figures echoed Simmons' suspicions that the timing of the recall effort is suspect.

Assemblyman Leslie issued a statement slamming the recall as "bogus" and as a "dirty campaign tactic." "This is the lowest type of political maneuver that I have witnessed in all my years of public service," Leslie said.

Dean Forman, chairman of the Placer County Republican Party, issued a statement saying the party stands by Simmons and Klein. Klein is a member of the party's central committee; Simmons serves as secretary.

U.S. Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville, issued a statement Tuesday night that he would oppose the recall because "it will only further distract attention from the issues and priorities on which we should be focused."

The Union: Recall launched against trustees

Simmons and Klein target for recall
By Dave Moller, davem@theunion.com
May 31, 2006

Sierra College Trustees Aaron Klein and Jerry Simmons, who helped oust former president Kevin Ramirez, were affixed to the political bull's-eye themselves Tuesday in the form of a recall.

The Placer County elections office confirmed that a notice of intent to recall the pair was filed. Klein said the recall was an 11th-hour attempt to scuttle the Placer County supervisorial campaign of Simmons against longtime incumbent Robert Weygandt.

Klein said the 10 people who signed the recall notice are, "a collection of supporters of Simmons' opponent (Weygandt) and the election is just seven days away. It's a politically-motivated recall that will fizzle out just like the last one."

Shortly after Ramirez stepped down in January of 2005, under a cloud of political fund misuse allegations from Klein and Simmons, an attempt to recall Klein failed.

The Union was unable to locate Simmons for comment Tuesday.

"My campaign is not involved in this," Weygandt said Tuesday. "If that were true it wouldn't explain half of the recall effort. We're focusing on my election and my record."

However, Weygandt said, he endorses the recall.

"It's justified and warranted," he said.

Recall intent signer and former Placer County Supervisor Rex Bloomfield said the recall was indeed political as Klein said.

"The voters need to know what type of person he (Simmons) is before they vote," Bloomfield said. "He attacked a distinguished president of the college for personal gain."

College journalism instructor Kent Pollock, who sent a press release about the recall to The Union, agreed.

"It would be irresponsible for (the signers) not to share their feelings with the voters," Pollock said. "Everywhere (Simmons) goes, conflict follows."

Pollock said Simmons has tried to muzzle board detractors amongst the college faculty and was using his college trustee position as a springboard for higher office. He said most of those signing the recall intent were fellow Republicans of Klein and Simmons.

Rocklin Mayor George Magnuson said he signed the recall intent because, "I'm concerned that the reputation of the college seems to be going downhill. I'm very disturbed about the morale problems they're having," ostensibly, he said, caused by Klein and Simmons.

During Klein's race for the college board in 2004, he and Simmons said Ramirez had laundered and misused more than $100,000 to get a college bond issue passed. Ramirez denied that allegation.

In late March of this year, the Placer County Grand Jury disputed the pair's charges against Ramirez, saying they were "utterly without merit." The grand jury said Klein brought the allegations to them before fully investigating and, "the facts speak in total opposition to the complaint."

The grand jury said the college foundation failed to report all the donations it received to pass the bond issue, but had done so out of inexperience and not because of some political conspiracy.

Klein, who represents the Colfax and Nevada City areas for the college, said that statement proved something was amiss and the violations were not minor as the grand jury indicated.

"The Ramirez issue is long since over," Klein said Tuesday. "I'm focused on the future and our budget is balanced for the first time in four years."

It was unclear late Tuesday just how many voters signatures will be needed to get the recall on a ballot. Robin Bjerke at the Placer County Elections Office said that 10 percent of its registered voters, or about 17,500, would have to sign under state law.

Because Nevada County has between 50,000 and 100,000 voters, 20 percent would have to sign here, Bjerke said. That would be 12,717 signatures from the county's 63,583 registered voters.

The college district takes in all of Placer and Nevada counties and a portion of Sacramento and El Dorado counties, but Bjerke was unsure how many voters in those counties would need to sign for the recall to succeed.

The formal recall intent notice said college enrollment and foundation contributions have declined since Klein and Simmons targeted Ramirez.

Sierra College public information officer Sue Michaels said there has been a decline in enrollment, but it also may have been because college tuition has increased. She said the foundation could not run down contribution figures late Tuesday and would have them in the near future.

To contact senior staff writer Dave Moller, e-mail davem@ theunion.com or call 477-4237.

Auburn Journal: Citizen group seeks trustees' recall

By: Loryll Nicolaisen, Journal Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 30, 2006 11:41 PM PDT

Rex Bloomfield, former Placer County supervisor, is among a group of 10 people who signed a notice of intention to seek a recall of Sierra College board president Jerry Simmons and trustee Aaron Klein.

Bloomfield and other recall supporters filed paperwork with the Placer County clerk's office Tuesday morning.

The group says the recall is necessary because of Klein and Simmons' treatment of then-President Kevin Ramirez, which led to his $600,000-plus contract buyout and early retirement.

"This is about an abuse of power," Bloomfield said.

Paperwork filed with the county and sent to Klein says that after the trustee's "public attacks, Sierra College's enrollment fell; the college lost a distinguished administrator; and the Sierra College Foundation lost donations."
"Aaron Klein behaved in a reckless manner, made irresponsible and absurd claims, destroyed the career of a dedicated public servant, and damaged the reputation of Sierra College," the petition reads.

The "Notice of Intention to Circulate Recall Petition" says the push to recall Simmons is due to his "irresponsible and unethical behavior" during his tenure as Sierra College board president and "abusive micro-management" as a trustee.

"During his tenure on the Sierra College board, Jerry Simmons harmed the college by his irresponsible and unethical behavior..." the notice reads. "As a board member, Jerry Simmons repeatedly overstepped his bounds by directing administrators to silence his critics and threatening staff with their jobs if they continued to question his activities. This abusive micro-management is not only unethical but violates the rights guaranteed to all citizens in our Constitution. Simmons' bullying tactics first disheartened the staff but now has unified them in opposition to his inappropriate conduct."

Klein said the recall attempt is a "highly coordinated attack designed to affect Tuesday's election" and that voters will see right through it.

"The proponents of this recall are a collection of Robert Weygandt cronies, led by Placer County's very own 'Howard Dean' ultra-liberal, Rex Bloomfield, who was repudiated and driven from office by the voters just two years ago," Klein said in a written statement Tuesday.

Simmons accused political opponent Robert Weygandt of playing dirty.

"This recall attempt is being launched by Robert Weygandt's liberal political allies just seven days before election day in an attempt to distract voters from Weygandt's record of making it easier to raise taxes, his failure to require developers to pay for traffic mitigation before he voted for new housing units, and his support of taking away private property for commercial use through eminent domain," Simmons said in a written statement Tuesday. "Community leaders told me before I filed for this election that Robert Weygandt would play dirty, but I had no idea just how low he could sink."

Recall supporters now have the task of collecting some 26,000 signatures-10 percent of the voting population within the Sierra Joint Community College District-from registered voters within Placer, Sacramento, Nevada and El Dorado counties.

"I believe in order to ensure that Sierra College returns to its distinguished reputation, both Simmons and Klein need to be removed," Bloomfield said.

Rocklin Mayor George Magnuson, Lincoln Planning Commissioner Allen Cuenca, former Auburn Mayor Cheryl Maki, former Roseville Mayor Mel Hamel, Republican Central Committee member Laura Hancock and Shirley Russell, a retired teacher and former Sierra College student body president, are among the group of signers.

"I just think they need a change of leadership over there," Magnuson said Tuesday. "I'm very concerned about which way the college is going. There seems to be a big morale problem that wasn't there before Mr. Simmons and Mr. Klein were elected. It wasn't an easy decision to come to but it's something that needs to be addressed by the taxpayers and voters in the Sierra College district."

Harriet White, a former Placer County supervisor whose signature also appears on recall papers, said it's time for a change.

"I signed on to this to support the people in the Sierra College district because I think we need a replacement for people like Klein and Simmons, who have pulled the antics they've done on the board," she said. "This will be good for the district, it will be good for the Sierra College board and it will be good for the District 2 supervisor's race, to see just what kind of person Simmons is."

Supporters of both Klein and Simmons call the recall effort a reprehensible campaign tactic.

"I think that is just about the lowest form of political campaigning I can imagine, to call for a recall election just a few days before the primary election," Assemblyman Tim Leslie said Tuesday morning. Leslie's son, Scott Leslie, is a Sierra College trustee who has supported Klein and Simmons during the recent turmoil.

Dean Forman, Placer County Republican Party chairman, rallied for support of both trustees.

"These unfounded, politically motivated accusations are an abuse of the recall process - the recall process was not created to carry out personal vendettas," he said in a press release Tuesday.

Anthony Maki Gill, Sierra College classified senate president, accompanied former supervisors Bloomfield and White to the county clerk's office Tuesday morning.

"I'm not one of the organizers, but I will be one of the signers," he said. "The continued damage that both Klein and Simmons are doing to Sierra College, the credit they continue to take for our hardworking students and staff, their attack politics are no good for our institution and they're certainly no good for our community."

The Journal's Loryll Nicolaisen can be reached at lorylln@goldcountrymedia.com.

Recall launched against trustees

By Dave Moller, The Uniondavem@theunion.com
May 31, 2006

Sierra College Trustees Aaron Klein and Jerry Simmons, who helped oust former president Kevin Ramirez, were affixed to the political bull's-eye themselves Tuesday in the form of a recall.

The Placer County elections office confirmed that a notice of intent to recall the pair was filed. Klein said the recall was an 11th-hour attempt to scuttle the Placer County supervisorial campaign of Simmons against longtime incumbent Robert Weygandt.

Klein said the 10 people who signed the recall notice are, "a collection of supporters of Simmons' opponent (Weygandt) and the election is just seven days away. It's a politically-motivated recall that will fizzle out just like the last one."

Shortly after Ramirez stepped down in January of 2005, under a cloud of political fund misuse allegations from Klein and Simmons, an attempt to recall Klein failed.

The Union was unable to locate Simmons for comment Tuesday.

"My campaign is not involved in this," Weygandt said Tuesday. "If that were true it wouldn't explain half of the recall effort. We're focusing on my election and my record."

However, Weygandt said, he endorses the recall.

"It's justified and warranted," he said.

Recall intent signer and former Placer County Supervisor Rex Bloomfield said the recall was indeed political as Klein said.

"The voters need to know what type of person he (Simmons) is before they vote," Bloomfield said. "He attacked a distinguished president of the college for personal gain."

College journalism instructor Kent Pollock, who sent a press release about the recall to The Union, agreed.

"It would be irresponsible for (the signers) not to share their feelings with the voters," Pollock said. "Everywhere (Simmons) goes, conflict follows."

Pollock said Simmons has tried to muzzle board detractors amongst the college faculty and was using his college trustee position as a springboard for higher office. He said most of those signing the recall intent were fellow Republicans of Klein and Simmons.

Rocklin Mayor George Magnuson said he signed the recall intent because, "I'm concerned that the reputation of the college seems to be going downhill. I'm very disturbed about the morale problems they're having," ostensibly, he said, caused by Klein and Simmons.

During Klein's race for the college board in 2004, he and Simmons said Ramirez had laundered and misused more than $100,000 to get a college bond issue passed. Ramirez denied that allegation.

In late March of this year, the Placer County Grand Jury disputed the pair's charges against Ramirez, saying they were "utterly without merit." The grand jury said Klein brought the allegations to them before fully investigating and, "the facts speak in total opposition to the complaint."

The grand jury said the college foundation failed to report all the donations it received to pass the bond issue, but had done so out of inexperience and not because of some political conspiracy.

Klein, who represents the Colfax and Nevada City areas for the college, said that statement proved something was amiss and the violations were not minor as the grand jury indicated.

"The Ramirez issue is long since over," Klein said Tuesday. "I'm focused on the future and our budget is balanced for the first time in four years."

It was unclear late Tuesday just how many voters signatures will be needed to get the recall on a ballot. Robin Bjerke at the Placer County Elections Office said that 10 percent of its registered voters, or about 17,500, would have to sign under state law.

Because Nevada County has between 50,000 and 100,000 voters, 20 percent would have to sign here, Bjerke said. That would be 12,717 signatures from the county's 63,583 registered voters.

The college district takes in all of Placer and Nevada counties and a portion of Sacramento and El Dorado counties, but Bjerke was unsure how many voters in those counties would need to sign for the recall to succeed.

The formal recall intent notice said college enrollment and foundation contributions have declined since Klein and Simmons targeted Ramirez.

Sierra College public information officer Sue Michaels said there has been a decline in enrollment, but it also may have been because college tuition has increased. She said the foundation could not run down contribution figures late Tuesday and would have them in the near future.
To contact senior staff writer Dave Moller, e-mail davem@ theunion.com or call 477-4237.



Recall intent signers

Here are the names of the 10 people who signed the intent to recall Sierra College Trustees Aaron Klein and Jerry Simmons, according to former Placer County Supervisor Rex Bloomfield.

• Bloomfield.

• Rocklin Mayor George Magnuson.

• Former Placer County Supervisor Harriet White.

• West Placer Municipal Advisory Committee Chairwoman Terry Dee Webb.

• Lincoln Planning Commissioner Allen Cuenca.

• Former Auburn Maror Cheryl Maki.

• Farm advocate Joanne Neft.

• Former Sierra College Student Body President Shirley Russell.

• Placer County Republican Central Committee member Laura Hancock.

• Former Roseville Mayor Mel Hamel.

Citizens Seek Recall of Simmons and Klein

For Immediate Release
May 29, 2006

Diverse Group of Citizens
Seek Recall of Sierra College
Trustees Simmons and Klein

A widely diverse group of concerned citizens have signed a notice of intention to seek a recall of Sierra College Trustees Jerry Simmons and Aaron Klein because they believe the two trustees have wasted money, damaged the college’s reputation and demoralized faculty, staff and administration.

The group includes five current or former Placer County supervisors or mayors, a fire chief, a planning commissioner, a Placer Republican Central Committee member, an agriculture advocate, and a former Sierra College student body president.

“The actions of these two trustees have already been incredibly costly to taxpayers and damaging to the college’s reputation,” said Rocklin Mayor George Magnuson. “We believe that their continued tenure as college trustees threatens to do irreparable harm to the institution.”

The ten signers of the recall petition are

* Rocklin Mayor George Magnuson
* Former county Supervisor Rex Bloomfield
* Lincoln Planning Commissioner Allen Cuenca
* Former Roseville Mayor Mel Hamel
* Republican Central Committee member Laura Hancock
* Former Auburn Mayor Cheryl Maki,
* Agriculture advocate Joanne Neft
* Retired teacher and former Sierra College Student Body President Shirley Russell
* West Placer Municipal Advisory Committee Chair Terry Dee Webb
* Former county Supervisor Harriet White.

Both Simmons and Klein are in their first term as elected public servants. The group hopes to make it their last.

“Simmons and Klein are a malignant cancer that must be removed to preserve the health of Sierra College,” said Bloomfield. “Simmons has threatened professors, staff and administrators. He reportedly screams at them and has been asked more than once to stop using profanity when he loses control of his temper.”

Last year, Simmons and Klein led the charge to remove former Sierra College President Kevin Ramirez based on allegations that the Placer County Grand Jury recently described as being “totally without merit.” The grand jury recommended that Klein and the entire board of trustees apologize to Ramirez for forcing him to seek retirement.

College financial documents supplied to the grand jury indicate that Ramirez’ forced resignation cost the district more than $620,000 in retirement benefits, contract buy-out and legal fees. That amount doesn’t capture the true financial toll on the school, which still hasn’t recovered from severe enrollment declines following the very public smear campaign that led to Ramirez’ demise. School administrators say there is currently an actual $2 million enrollment shortfall from anticipated revenues.

The recall notices will be served on Klein and Simmons Tuesday morning by registered mail. A copy of the notice will also be filed with the Placer County Clerk Tuesday.
Mass signature-gathering activities will begin after the petition’s language is approved and the two trustees have an opportunity to respond. An Internet address, www.recallsimmonsandklein.com, has been reserved for a Web site to be launched in the near future, Bloomfield said. Details of how to volunteer or financially support the effort will be available soon on the Web site.

Copies of the notices of intent to recall are attached.

For More Information:
Rocklin Mayor George Magnuson (916) 624-1119
Former Supervisor Rex Bloomfield (530) 878-0155
Retired teacher Shirley Russell (916) 645-3740

Notice of Intention to Circulate Recall Petition
To the Honorable Jerry Simmons:

Pursuant to Section 11020, California Elections Code, the undersigned registered qualified voters of Sierra Community College District, in the State of California, hereby give notice that we are the proponents of a recall petition and that we intend to seek your recall and removal from the office of Sierra Community College board of trustees, in the Sierra Community College District, California, and to demand election of a successor in that office.
The grounds for recall are as follows:

During his tenure on the Sierra College Board, Jerry Simmons harmed the college by his irresponsible and unethical behavior. As a co-conspirator with Aaron Klein, he worked at removing the Sierra College president. Jerry attempted to bolster Aaron Klein’s unfounded and absurd complaint with gossip he heard in a restroom. Both parties supposedly involved in the conversation did not substantiate his recollection. Due to Jerry’s efforts and the resulting bad press, Sierra College saw enrollments drop, the staff demoralized, and the foundation losing donations.

As a board member, Jerry Simmons repeatedly overstepped his bounds by directing administrators to silence his critics and threatening staff with their jobs if they continued to question his activities. This abusive micromanagement is not only unethical but violates the rights guaranteed to all citizens in our Constitution. Simmons’ bullying tactics first disheartened the staff but now has unified them in opposition to his inappropriate conduct.

For his mistreatment of staff and harm inflicted on Sierra College as a result of his inexcusable behavior, Jerry Simmons should be removed from the Sierra College Board.
The printed names, signatures, and business or residence addresses of the proponent’s area as follows:

Notice of Intention to Circulate Recall Petition
To the Honorable Aaron Klein:

Pursuant to Section 11020, California Elections Code, the undersigned registered qualified voters of Sierra Community College District, in the State of California, hereby give notice that we are the proponents of a recall petition and that we intend to seek your recall and removal from the office of Sierra Community College board of trustees, in the Sierra Community College District, California, and to demand election of a successor in that office.

The grounds for recall are as follows:

After a thorough Grand Jury investigation into Aaron’s Klein’s complaint against the president of Sierra College, the Grand Jury concluded the following.

· The facts in the case speak in total opposition to Aaron’s complaint.
· Klein’s complaint is utterly without merit and his allegations absurd.
· His politicized complaint inflicted damage on a senior public employee.
· Klein’s unfounded attacks demoralized the Sierra College community.
· The charges were unfounded, misleading and full of unsubstantiated allegation.

*Words in bold type are those of the Grand Jury.

After Klein’s public attacks, Sierra College’s enrollment fell; the college lost a distinguished administrator; and the Sierra College Foundation lost donations.

Aaron Klein behaved in a reckless manner, made irresponsible and absurd claims, destroyed the career of a dedicated public servant, and damaged the reputation of Sierra College. When provided the opportunity to make amends for his inappropriate behavior, Aaron Klein adamantly refused. Continuing to serve in the capacity as member of the Sierra College Board could bring irreparable harm to the college, so Aaron Klein should be removed from office.

A copy of this notice and proof of service will be filed with the Placer County Elections Official. You may file an answer to the statement of the proponents with the Placer County Elections Official within 7 days after the notice is filed. It may not be more than 200 words. If an answer is filed, a copy of it must also be served personally or by certified mail within the same 7-day period on one of the above proponents. The answer shall have the printed name, signature, business or residence address of the officer sought to be recalled.

Sacramento Bee: Simmons campaign gets major "Donations" from Power Player Democrat Developer

Power Developer Tsakopoulos family jumps into Placer Supervisor contest
By Mary Lynne Vellinga and Niesha Lofing -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, May 28, 2006

The family of developer Angelo K. Tsakopoulos is well known nationwide as a power player in the Democratic Party.

But now his son Kyriakos, a registered Democrat who in 2004 cast one of California's electoral votes for John Kerry for president, is appearing in television ads and mail pieces in an effort to unseat Republican Placer County Supervisor Robert Weygandt, who is being challenged by a man who asserts Weygandt isn't Republican enough.

GOP candidate Jerry Simmons, 32, president of the Sierra Joint Community College District board, has attracted financial support from a list of contributors -- as far as away as New York City and Chicago -- who are connected to Angelo Tsakopoulos and his AKT Development Corp.
Kyriakos Tsakopoulos manages his father's land holdings in Placer County through his KT Development Corp.

Angelo Tsakopoulos hasn't made any direct contributions to Simmons. But major financial backers include the developer's longtime business partners, his real estate broker, a Chicago-area lawyer who once chaired a think tank Tsakopoulos founded, homebuilders who buy land from him, and a top executive of AKT Development Corp.

"Anybody who is paying attention to the race knows that Angelo Tsakopoulos is supporting Jerry Simmons," said Lincoln Councilman Primo Santini, a longtime friend of Weygandt's who is helping run his campaign.

"I had a meeting with Kyriakos Tsakopoulos. It was a conversation in which no room was left for doubt. He said new leadership was needed in the county, and Jerry was the man for the job."
Simmons said Friday he has not received direct financial support from Angelo or Kyriakos Tsakopoulos, and said he wasn't aware that significant funds to his campaign were from Angelo Tsakopoulos' professional and personal contacts.

Nonetheless, he said he is aware that the Tsakopoulos family "has had positive things to say about my campaign to others in the community."

According to campaign finance statements, Weygandt has raised $326,480 to seek his fourth term on the board, one of the highest amounts ever raised for a supervisorial seat in Placer County.

His fundraising began last year, however. This year, Simmons was outpacing Weygandt -- having raised a total of $215,990 -- until Friday, when Weygandt's campaign reported a $50,000 late contribution from the United Auburn Indian Community, operators of Thunder Valley Casino.

Last week, Kyriakos Tsakopoulos jumped into the fray by appearing in a series of cable TV ads and sending out signed letters to voters criticizing Weygandt.

Kyriakos Tsakopoulos reported spending $24,422 on his ads as of Tuesday. His spending is classified as an independent expenditure to oppose Weygandt and is thus not included in Simmons' campaign total. He lives in Granite Bay and is a registered Democrat, voter records show.

Neither Angelo nor Kyriakos Tsakopoulos would make themselves available for comment last week on the supervisor race. But local GOP politicians have taken note, including those who support Weygandt, despite Simmons' claim that he "is the only Republican in the race."
Simmons is secretary of the Placer County Republican Central Committee. In March, he received the party's endorsement -- highly unusual in a race involving a party incumbent.
"It is ironic that a member of the Republican Central Committee is being supported by one of the strongest Democrats in the land," Santini said.

Angelo Tsakopoulos and his immediate family generally support the same candidates, often giving multiple donations at the same time. Kyriakos Tsakopoulos has been a less substantial campaign contributor than Angelo and daughter Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis, but like them he has backed state Treasurer Phil Angelides, a Democrat, for governor.

The family made nearly $9 million in campaign contributions between 1995 and 2005, the vast majority going to Democrats on the local, state and national level. Angelo Tsakopoulos and his daughter have hosted fundraisers for Bill and Hillary Clinton, and he was among the contributors invited to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom when Bill Clinton was president.
This year, Angelo Tsakopoulos and Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis have spent $8.7 million on an independent expenditure campaign to boost the gubernatorial fortunes of former AKT employee Angelides.

The Simmons race isn't the first time the Tsakopoulos family has backed a Republican. The family often gives money to Republican candidates for local offices in districts where Democrats can't hope to win.

What's unusual is the scale of the involvement and the fact that Kyriakos Tsakopoulos is targeting an incumbent perceived as relatively moderate who is facing a challenger who describes himself as more conservative.

Citing their "strong family values," Simmons says the current politicians he most admires are U.S. Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville, and Assemblyman Tim Leslie, R-Tahoe City.
Weygandt, Santini and other local officials say the Tsakopoulos family's opposition to Weygandt stems from the belief that he was to blame for their failure to secure quick county approval of their plans to donate about 1,100 acres in western Placer County for a private university and adjacent development that would pay for the university's construction.

In 2003, the Christian Brothers order announced that it would build a four-year university but pulled out last year, saying the building approval process was taking too long.

Tsakopoulos' "beef with Robert is simply that they do not feel he has supported their university project," Santini said. "He has supported it. I honestly don't know how the differences they have had about the ultimate shape of the project could have escalated to this point."

The university site west of Roseville is amid thousands of acres of farmland, much of it owned by Angelo Tsakopoulos and his partners. Environmentalists criticize the proposal to donate land there as a ploy to eventually open the area for growth.

Kyriakos Tsakopoulos' ads don't directly urge people to vote for Simmons. Rather, they target Weygandt, 54, for not supporting a 2005 advisory ballot measure that asked voters to endorse the university proposal.

His mailer points out that Simmons was chairman of the campaign for the ballot measure, which Weygandt opposed. Measure H passed with 61 percent of the vote.

In the ads, Kyriakos Tsakopoulos identifies himself as a trustee for the California State University system, not as a developer.

"Sixty percent of you voted yes. Supervisor Weygandt, who opposed the measure, called your vote irrelevant," Tsakopoulos said in his TV ad. "College opportunity is not irrelevant."
Simmons said the TV ad is not affiliated with his campaign and came "as a total surprise."
He said he understands why "they would want to remind voters of (Weygandt's) opposition to an educational institution being built in our county."

While he opposed the ballot measure, Weygandt said the Tsakopoulos family has wrongly blamed him for trying to block the university altogether. Complex land use issues are more appropriately decided by the Board of Supervisors, not at the ballot box, he said.
Weygandt said he supports the idea of a private university in western Placer County, though he thinks the Tsakopoulos property is an "imperfect site." He said he met with Kyriakos Tsakopoulos and his consultants "40 times" to try to resolve development application issues.
A longtime champion of preserving open space in Placer County, Weygandt maintains Tsakopoulos is seeking "preferential treatment" by pressing for quick approval of a university development that runs afoul of the county's general plan.

"The university's flaws continue to be that it requires groundwater, even though we found a source of surface water for it, and that they're refusing to study the idea of a buffer with the agricultural land, " Weygandt said.

Simmons said his relationship with the Tsakopoulos family began about two years ago because of the family's donations to Sierra College's scholarship program. After learning about the university proposal, Simmons offered to volunteer to work on the effort, eventually becoming chairman of the Measure H campaign.

He said he took up Measure H "because I think a new university is essential for educational opportunities and expanding economic development in our region."

Simmons has been controversial since his election to the Sierra College board, with his leadership being questioned by faculty and staff. His tenure has been marked by the stormy departure of former college President Kevin Ramirez, a subsequent grand jury request that the board apologize to Ramirez, and the board's tepid response to the grand jury. The board will vote next month whether Simmons continues as board president.

Republican Simmons said he has no problem taking donations connected to such a prominent Democratic fundraising family.

"The Tsakopoulos family has given significant amounts to both Democratic and Republican officeholders because they believe in creating a better business climate, " he said.
"My campaign is willing to accept support from anyone who shares my vision for the future of Placer County, regardless of whether they be Republican, Democrat or independent."
But other local elected officials see it differently.

"Any one of us could come up for re-election, and (a) Tsakopoulos could decide to spend a million dollars against us, and it would be pretty unsettling," said Republican Lincoln City Councilman Tom Cosgrove.

About the writer:
The Bee's Mary Lynne Vellinga can be reached at (916) 321-1094 or mlvellinga@sacbee.com. Niesha Lofing can be reached at (916) 773-6846 or nlofing@sacbee.com.

Following the money
A sampling of contributions to Jerry Simmons from people with ties to Sacramento developer Angelo K. Tsakopoulos:

Cambridge Communities• Sacramento
• $25,000
• Home builder
• Recently signed agreement to buy 48-acre Centrage property in east Sacramento from Angelo K. Tsakopoulos.

Crystal Ice Delivery• Fair Oaks
• $20,000
• Former ice delivery company owned by Fair Oaks resident Tim Fitzer.
• Angelo Tsakopoulos and Bill Cummings owned the Crystal Ice complex for many years and leased space to Crystal Ice Delivery. Tsakopoulos eventually transferred his interest to nonprofit entities dedicated to study of Greece. Crystal Ice Delivery is now closed, and the complex has been sold to developer Mark Friedman. Fitzer declined to say why he gave money to Simmons.

Mark Enes• Sacramento
• $11,000
• Executive vice president of AKT Development

Kristin Enes• Sacramento
• $11,000
• Homemaker

Somers Building Maintenance• Sacramento
• $10,000
• Owner Charles Somers has been a partner with Angelo Tsakopoulos in land in eastern Sacramento County.

James Regas• Oak Brook, Ill.
• $10,000
• Lawyer
• Served as chairman of the Western Policy Center, a think tank founded by Angelo Tsakopoulos and devoted to the study of issues related to Greece.

Georgia Regas• Oak Brook, Ill.
• $5,000
• Homeowner

Forecast Homes-Northern California• Sacramento
• $10,000
• Homebuilder
• Currently working with AKT Development on a project in Rancho Cordova.

135 W. 18th St. Realty Corp.• New York
• $5,000
• Company controlled by Peter J. Pappas, whose family's Sacramento and El Dorado County real estate investments are managed out of Angelo Tsakopoulos' office.

Sierra College senate e-mail deemed legal

Comment: The political flyer that Simmons objected to was one from October 2004 in which he supported Aaron Klein and Tim Leslie for Sierra College Trustee. It's 2006 for pete's sake, and Klein and Leslie have been in office for a year and a half. Could it be that Simmons is more upset about his quote about the Placer County Grand Jury? The brochure certainly can't be considered political since it is almost 2 years old and supports an election long since over.

Rocklin Placer Herald
Sierra College senate e-mail deemed legal
Californians Aware attorney offers opinion on political controversy
By: Loryll Nicolaisen, Gold Country News Service
Wednesday, May 24, 2006 3:12 PM PDT

The Sierra College board president won't be able to shut up a staff member's attempt at free speech any time soon.

Anthony Maki Gill, Sierra classified senate president, sought the legal advice of Terry Francke, general counsel with Californians Aware, a Sacramento-based center for public forum rights. Word came out through the e-mail grapevine earlier this month that Jerry Simmons, Sierra board president, wanted Gill disciplined for distributing a political document via campus e-mail."

What he did and what he said violated no law or board policy," Francke told Gold Country Media. "I think it's a dead end. I think it was a dead end to begin with."

Simmons said that although Gill's e-mailed political flier may be technically legal, he doesn't think that it's a proper use for college technology.

After reviewing Sierra College board policy and administrative procedure, Francke found no fault in Gill's e-mail.

Gill sent a scanned copy of a campaign flier to Sierra faculty, classified staff and the college's management team following the March release of the Placer County grand jury report, which states charges made by trustee Aaron Klein against Kevin Ramirez, the then-Sierra College president, were "utterly without merit" and that Klein owed the college, community and Ramirez an apology.

The leaflet, dated Oct. 22, 2004, was mailed as a campaign flier prior to the November 2004 election. The piece supports Aaron Klein and Scott Leslie as candidates for seats on the Sierra College board of trustees. The flier's headline reads, "When the Placer County grand jury continually targets the Sierra Board of Trustees for mismanagement and abuse ... It's time for a change!" and bears the signatures of trustees Jerry Simmons and Nancy Palmer.

Gill said his purpose, as it stated in his e-mail to staff, was to offer "an appropriate visual aid as one reads the report.""There was no advocacy in my message," Gill said Tuesday. "I was just trying to pass information to staff at Sierra College."Gill said he didn't break the law because what he sent was nothing more than a historical document from a past election.

"I'm speaking out and I'm well within my rights to speak out," he said. "His allegations against me are unfounded."Francke agrees."It just seems to me that the apparent linkage between what he said and sent, and any law that I'm aware of, is non-existent," Francke said Thursday.

While Gill said he's done nothing more than provide a historical document for staff consideration, Simmons previously told the Auburn Journal he believes "in free speech for everyone but not in political campaigning..." at taxpayers' expense and said the college's e-mail system is not a proper outlet for such a document."

Even if Anthony has found a loophole that allows him to send political mailers out on the college e-mail system, I think the taxpayers would appreciate it if he would use taxpayer resources only for the purpose of educating students," Simmons said Thursday afternoon in an e-mailed statement.

"The college is asking taxpayers to fund technology upgrades through the Measure B bond so that we can educate our students more effectively, not so college employees can send more political mailers."

Word of Simmons' attempt to discipline Gill became public following a May 5 e-mail sent to trustees by Dr. Morgan Lynn, Sierra College interim president, which contained allegations of Simmons' attempts to silence staff members who are board critics. Lynn's original message caused a flurry of further e-mails throughout the Sierra College campus and community.

Lynn said Wednesday that Gill's e-mail could be considered politically motivated if the attachment was relevant for a current, not past, election process."I do hope this is over now," she said.

The Journal's Loryll Nicolaisen can be reached at mailto:lorylln@goldcountrymedia.com

Trustee wants Simmons out as board president

Rocklin Placer Herald
Wednesday, May 17, 2006 2:36 PM PDT
By: Loryll Nicolaisen, Gold Country News Service

Sierra College trustee David Creek wants to see Jerry Simmons removed from his role of board president.Creek asked last Tuesday night that an item be added to a June 13 meeting agenda that would open discussion leading to the possible removal of a Simmons as board president."

Abuse of power, intimidation, attempt to stifle free speech - those things are sort of the shell of the matter," Creek said Wednesday. "If I was trying to get what the idea of this is into a few words, that's it."Simmons said the criticism from Creek and Sierra staff is politically motivated by the election season.

Creek said that he'd heard "too much" after receiving a letter from Dr. Morgan Lynn, Sierra College interim president, sent to trustees with allegations of Simmons' attempts to silence staff members who are board critics.

"Nobody as board president has the right to do what he's done," Creek said. "I think that the staff are very upset by these specific events and other acts of intimidation by Jerry Simmons."

Lynn's e-mail, sent to trustees Friday, accused Simmons of attempting to "micromanage" staff, and caused a flurry of further e-mails throughout the campus community.

Tuesday's board meeting at Sierra College was packed with school supporters and community members who spilled into the hallway when chairs were no longer available.

Lynn received a standing ovation from those who packed the board room for her "thoughtful and heroic message," as described by Kent Pollock, one of the Sierra faculty members mentioned in Lynn's letter."

Humility is my reaction," Lynn said Wednesday. "I don't see it necessarily as heroic. Because I have so much support, I don't feel like I am in jeopardy for sticking my neck out."

Lynn didn't plan to say much at Tuesday's meeting but wanted to address those in the audience following heated public comment."

My intention when I wrote this letter to the trustees was to let them know what Jerry Simmons was doing behind the scenes," Lynn said Wednesday. "I do think the light of day needs to be shone on these kinds of behaviors."

Lynn also didn't expect Creek's request for the agenda item." I do think that the board would be a lot calmer with a president who's not so politically motivated," she said.

Lynn mentioned in her memo to trustees that Simmons asked that Kent Pollock, a part-time faculty member and adviser to The Outlook student newspaper, be disciplined after an editorial Pollock wrote was published in the Auburn Journal. Lynn also said in her letter that Johnnie Terry, Sierra academic senate president, told her he'd been advised by Simmons through a third party to "back off."

Lynn also said in the memo that Simmons asked her to discipline Anthony Maki Gill, Sierra classified senate president, for sending a campaign flier via campus e-mail, and that this was not the first time Simmons sought to discipline Gill.

Simmons said he's being targeted by critics in a way similar to criticism of President George W. Bush, Congressman John Doolittle and Assemblyman Tim Leslie."

It's certainly very different to govern an institution that does not want to be governed by conservatives," Simmons said Wednesday.

Simmons is campaigning for a seat on the Placer County Board of Supervisors."It's political silly season," Simmons said. "All of these people making these attacks against me are supporting my opponent in the upcoming election."

Sierra trustee Scott Leslie shared Simmons' sentiment."To me it's more than a coincidence that these false and misleading accusations be made 28 days before an election," he said Wednesday. "Fortunately, I think voters can see through political stunts like these."

Leslie said he's disheartened by criticism of the board and its president."To me, Jerry is intelligent, mild-mannered, carries himself to the utmost professionalism in everything he does," he said.

The next meeting of the Sierra Joint Community College District board of trustees is scheduled for June 13.-

Loryll Nicolaisen can be reached at lorylln@goldcountrymedia.com.

Sierra staff blasts back: College interim president praised for message accusing Simmons of stifling faculty members

Auburn Journal
By: Loryll Nicolaisen, Journal Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 9, 2006 10:36 PM PDT

ROCKLIN - Dr. Morgan Lynn, Sierra College interim president, received a standing ovation from a packed board room Tuesday evening for her "thoughtful and heroic message" accusing board president Jerry Simmons of trying to quiet staff members who are board critics."

I am so proud she took a stand, finally," said Kent Pollock, who is one of three Sierra College staff members named in Lynn's e-mail accusing Simmons, which was sent to trustees Friday and caused a flurry of further e-mails throughout the campus community.

Tuesday's board meeting at Sierra College was packed with school supporters and community members who spilled into the hallway when chairs were no longer available.

The meeting continued into Tuesday night, and trustees had yet to respond to public comment by the Auburn Journal evening deadline.

Pollock spoke out against Simmons and trustee Aaron Klein during public comment at Tuesday's board meeting.

"Your pattern is clear," he said to Simmons. "You create a non-issue, usually at someone's personal expense, then you build up the non-issue into a problem, then you righteously claim credit for solving a problem you created."

Lynn mentioned in her memo to trustees that Simmons asked that Pollock, a part-time faculty member and adviser to the school's student newspaper, be disciplined after an editorial Pollock wrote was published in the Auburn Journal."

He indicated that 'the college newspaper is awful and if Kent were doing his job instead of writing op-ed pieces, the paper might be better,'" Lynn said.

Pollock said Tuesday that he agreed with Simmons, that Lynn's memo "misrepresented the tone and substance of your conversations with her."

"You didn't say the newspaper was 'awful,' you said it was, quote, a 'piece of (expletive),' and you said that when you were screaming," Pollock said.

Elizabeth Hubbs, the 20-year-old editor of The Outlook student newspaper, put the finishing touches on what she wanted to say to trustees Tuesday afternoon.

Hubbs heard about Lynn's letter and Simmons' remarks through Pollock, who told her not to take anything personally."

How could I not take something like that personally?" Hubbs said. "I live here, this is my life and for someone to criticize it ... it just hurts." Hubbs thinks The Outlook is already at a disadvantage, and Simmons' comments add insult to injury."We're lacking in staff and resources here and we're trying to do our best, and when people say our best is awful, it hurts," she said.

Dr. Lynn also said in her letter that she met with a "visibly upset" Johnnie Terry, academic senate president, on Thursday. Terry has received a message from Simmons through Winsome Jackson, Sierra College Faculty Association President, saying "essentially that Johnnie needs to 'back off,'" Lynn wrote.

Lynn also said in her memo that Simmons asked Lynn to discipline Anthony Maki Gill, president of the classified senate, for sending a campaign flier via campus e-mail.

Lynn said in the memo that this was not the first time Simmons sought to discipline Gill and that she informed Simmons that Gill could not be singled out."

Jerry is not the college president and we don't need this kind of micro-management, not to mention that we do not treat our employees in this manner," Lynn wrote.

Everyone's entitled to their opinions, Simmons said Monday."I do believe in free speech for everyone but not in political campaigning on a government e-mail system and not leaking attorney-client privileged information through the media," he said.

Johnnie Terry said Tuesday that whenever he has conflict with someone he asks, "What did I do?"

"Jerry, when I read the e-mail detailing your request for a stellar employee like Anthony Gill and a multi-prize winning journalism instructor like Kent Pollock to be disciplined for speaking out, everything was clarified," Terry said.

"Jerry, it's not me. College community, it's not us."

Joe Medeiros, coordinator of the college's interdisciplinary program, received a forwarded copy of Lynn's letter, which he then sent along to all faculty and staff Monday via e-mail.

Medeiros said Simmons and trustees Nancy Palmer, Aaron Klein and Scott Leslie, have "sent Sierra College into a tailspin."

"It's apparent you have no idea how to get it out," he said during public comment Tuesday. "I suggest a new crew in the cockpit, starting with the captain."

The Journal's Loryll Nicolaisen can be reached at lorylln@goldcountrymedia.com.

Sierra College President accuses Trustee and Supervisor Candidate Jerry Simmons of punitive meddling with employees

Auburn Journal
Sierra president: Simmons trying to silence critics
Morgan Lynn accuses college trustee of punitive meddling with employees
By: Loryll Nicolaisen, Journal Staff Writer
Monday, May 8, 2006 11:38 PM PDT

Dr. Morgan Lynn, Sierra College interim president, accused Jerry Simmons, board president, of trying to stifle staff members who are board critics.

Lynn made the accusation in an e-mail sent to trustees Friday.

"As your interim superintendent/president, it is not my responsibility to control the behavior of an errant board member - it is yours," she said.

Lynn said in her letter that she met with a "visibly upset" Johnnie Terry, academic senate president, on Thursday. Terry has received a message from Simmons through Winsome Jackson, Sierra College Faculty Association President, saying "essentially that Johnnie needs to 'back off,'" Lynn wrote.

Lynn said in her memo that Simmons asked Lynn to discipline Anthony Maki Gill, president of the classified senate, for sending a campaign flier via campus e-mail.

"I wish I could say I was surprised, but I'm not," Gill said Monday. "It's pretty consistent with Jerry's interest in having a certain amount of control of communication with the college."

Lynn said in the memo that this was not the first time Simmons sought to discipline Gill and that she informed Simmons that Gill could not be singled out for discipline."

Jerry is not the college president and we don't need this kind of micro-management, not to mention that we do not treat our employees in this manner," Lynn wrote.

Lynn also mentioned in the memo that Simmons asked that part-time faculty member Kent Pollock be disciplined, after an editorial written by Pollock was published in the Auburn Journal."

He indicated that 'the college newspaper is awful and if Kent were doing his job instead of writing op-ed pieces, the paper might be better,'" Lynn said."

These directives aimed at squelching the free speech rights of others are disturbing to me and if made public could be very embarrassing to the board," Lynn concluded.

Simmons e-mailed response was that Lynn's e-mail "misrepresents both the tone and the substance of these conversations."

"However, I do think it is important for the full board of trustees to discuss them," Simmons said in a written response.

Simmons said Monday that everyone's entitled to their opinions."I do believe in free speech for everyone but not in political campaigning on a government e-mail system and not leaking attorney-client privileged information through the media," he said.

Pollock said Monday that he was "appalled" to hear of Jerry's actions and negative comments about the student newspaper.

"It's kind of sad, but it's not surprising," Pollock said. "Jerry Simmons has a history of this, it's a behavior of scare tactics. This is just the tip of the iceberg with him threatening staff."

A written reaction addressed to board members by trustee David Creek has also circulated via e-mail.

"Jerry has no business whatsoever to pressure people on our staff to hew his point of view of what is right and his actions to me are outrageous and repugnant," he said.

Creek also forwarded Lynn's original memo to Terry, Gill and staff members " so that this outrageous behavior on the part of our board president is known to all staff."

Joe Medeiros, coordinator of the college's interdisciplinary program, forwarded his e-mail trail to all faculty and staff Monday morning "out of absolute frustration," he said."

This has been a weekend punctuated by a flurry of saddening e-mails that continue to exemplify how (I think) dysfunctional our Sierra College governance system is..." he wrote.

"Let the following college e-mails serve as but a sample of Jerry Simmons' attempts to punish, remove and silence staff."

Medeiros said Monday that members of the community "have had it with this board.""I've had enough with this 4-3 power play who are so much more interested in politics than with the successful operation of this school," he said Monday afternoon.

Terry said Monday that he thinks president Lynn and trustee Creek were brave for what they said in their e-mails. The good that comes from this upset, he said, is the attention directed on the board."

It's very unnerving to see that these things are going on behind the scene," he said. "Anything that they do now can be construed as retaliation. They'll have to be more careful because the lights are on."

The Journal's Loryll Nicolaisen can be reached at lorylln@goldcountrymedia.com.

Interim president, director agree with Grand Jury Report

Auburn Journal
Interim president, director agree foundation innocent
By: Loryll Nicolaisen, Journal Staff Writer
Monday, May 8, 2006 11:38 PM PDT

Sierra College's interim president and the executive director of the Sierra College Foundation agree with the Placer County grand jury: The foundation had no intent to suppress donor names.

Dr. Morgan Lynn and Sonbol Aliabadi on Friday responded to the Placer County grand jury.

Copies of a formal response have been submitted to Placer County superior court judge Frances Kearney, the Placer County grand jury and board of supervisors."

In general we agree with the grand jury report," Lynn, Sierra College interim president, said Monday.

A grand jury report released in March states charges made by trustee Aaron Klein against Kevin Ramirez, the then-Sierra College president, were merit-less and that Klein owed the college, community and Ramirez an apology.

In the complaint filed against Ramirez on Dec. 20, 2004, Klein stated that Ramirez violated campaign finance law, using a "money laundering scheme" by accumulating funds from the Sierra College Foundation and directing them on to the Measure E bond campaign.

Klein alleged that donors who gave monies transferred from the Sierra College Foundation to the bond campaign weren't properly disclosed to the public, and that the contributions were illegal and violated campaign finance law, warranting the attention of the state's Fair Political Practices Commissions.

The grand jury said those allegations were "utterly without merit," stating that methods Ramirez used to raise money for the bond measure may have "substantial advantages." The grand jury report also states that public disclosure laws were not obeyed in relation to how the funds were raised, but said that was a common and easily correctable infraction."

This report was thorough and fully accurate as to the circumstances, motivations and the lack of intent involved with the inadvertent campaign disclosure problems associated with the bond measure campaigns," Lynn and Aliabadi, Sierra College Foundation executive director, said in introducing their response.

"The grand jury report was very thorough and it spoke for itself," Aliabadi said Monday.

Lynn and Aliabadi gave some clarifications regarding two of the grand jury's findings.

The pair agreed with the jury's second finding stating that the foundation had no intent to suppress donor names, clarifying that the foundation "at all times acted in good faith with respect to the campaign reporting issue."

Lynn and Aliabadi also disagreed with sections of the third finding, which states "the donor names should have been itemized in an FPPC filing by the foundation as an intermediary" and that, due to inexperience and a lack of formal training, the committee treasurers failed to notify the foundation of its FPPC filing requirements."

The foundation, as an intermediary, had no reporting responsibility to the FPPC," Aliabadi said, clarifying it's the campaign committees have that responsibility.

Lynn said she's happy to have their response taken care of.

"We're done," Lynn said. "We're ready to put this behind us and move ahead."Aliabadi agreed.

"We do a much better job raising funds than answering to a grand jury," she said.

Klein has claimed the grand jury was politically motivated and has refused to apologize. Klein said Wednesday in written response that he was disturbed to see a member of the grand jury, Annabell McCord, "standing and clapping after highly partisan and political comments were made during public comment" at a May 2 special board meeting."It calls into question the grand jury's fairness and impartiality," Klein said.

The Journal's Loryll Nicolaisen can be reached at lorylln@goldcountrymedia.com.

Board agrees with Grand Jury

Auburn Journal
By: Loryll Nicolaisen,
Staff WriterThursday, May 4, 2006 12:27 PM PDT

Sierra College trustees agreed with Placer County grand jury findings that trustee Aaron Klein's complaint about Kevin Ramirez, former college president, was "premature."

Trustees said in the draft response to the grand jury report that Klein, with the belief that Ramirez had done wrong, "should have first requested a dedicated closed session with the full board to discuss the matter before involving outside agencies or going public with the complaint."

Trustees opted to "partially disagree" with the grand jury report in saying Klein's complaint against Ramirez "has helped the college to establish a higher standard of (Fair Political Practices Commission) compliance," a revised draft of the board's response reads.

The grand jury report states charges made by Klein against Ramirez, the then-Sierra College president, were "utterly without merit" and asked for an apology from Klein for harming Ramirez's career.

In the complaint filed against Ramirez on Dec. 20, 2004, Klein stated that Ramirez violated campaign finance law, using a "money laundering scheme" by accumulating funds from the Sierra College Foundation and directing them on to the Measure E bond campaign.Although the grand jury recommends in its report that Klein "should apologize to the college community and the public at large for filing charges," no apology has been given in the board response or by Klein, who is also required to submit a response to the report.

Although college staff and supporters have expressed their outrage for Klein's behavior, he remains adamant he did no wrong.

Klein said via e-mail Wednesday that he was happy to have the written support of his fellow trustees."I am grateful that the board of trustees disagreed with the grand jury's assertion that my complaint had no merit, and stated that my complaint has helped me raise the level of legal compliance at the college," he said in a written reaction to Tuesday's meeting. "I'm glad the board agreed that it is important to follow the law."Klein also gave a reason for his lack of apology.

"When I was elected, I swore an oath to uphold the laws of the state of California," he said. "For doing my sworn duty and upholding the law, I cannot apologize."

Johnnie Terry, Sierra College academic senate president, had a mixed reaction to Tuesday's meeting, when interviewed Wednesday.

Terry said he was happy that trustees demonstrated what he believed to be a real effort to collaborate and respond as a whole to the grand jury report. He was also happy to see the board's response was to the college community as well.He was unhappy, however, with "the legal maneuvering" of the board's response and its choice to state "what would have been prudent to say, not what had been honest to say" in the report response.Terry said he wanted to see "the response to what took place, which was a mistake that needed an apology.""It seemed like a dishonest response to the campus community," he said.

Sierra College trustees have whittled down their initial draft response to a Placer County grand jury report to reflect more concise language that they "partially agree" and "partially disagree" with the majority of the grand jury's findings.

The preliminary draft response, originally prepared by Sierra Joint Community College District trustees and subcommittee members Nancy Palmer and Scott Leslie, was revised and cut down to five pages during Tuesday's board meeting."

I thought that having all that verbiage in there wasn't necessary to answer the grand jury's questions," trustee David Creek said Wednesday. Creek provided copies of a suggested draft revision at Tuesday's meeting that included cutting back a number of paragraphs throughout the draft.

The board has until mid-June to submit its formal response to the grand jury report released in March.

The Journal's Loryll Nicolaisen can be reached at lorylln@goldcountrymedia.com

Sierra reply ripped by its critics

Sacramento Bee
Minugh -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, May 4, 2006

They sought closure, but what they got instead, some members of the Sierra College community say, was salt in the wound.

Nearly 100 faculty, staff and community members showed up Tuesday to hear the Sierra Joint Community College District board of trustees craft a response to a March report by the Placer County grand jury. Over 52 pages, that report disputed trustee Aaron Klein's earlier allegations of misconduct by the Sierra College Foundation and former President Kevin Ramirez.

In five hours of painstaking deliberation, the board penned a five-page response that some critics decried as "vanilla," "watered-down" and overly protective of Klein.

Those critics said they are concerned that the board blew an opportunity to show humility and remorse that would've helped heal wounds reopened by the release of the grand jury report.
"What I saw was (trustees) jockeying to protect themselves legally, rather than admitting a mistake was made," said Johnnie Terry, president of the faculty senate. "I'm worried it was not enough. ... It's an avoidance of the truth of the matter that could exacerbate things more."
Trustees - including Klein - counter that the response was fair and well thought out.
"I think you can't please everybody," Klein said Wednesday. "I think what the board issued was balanced, responsible and fair."

The grand jury's report included eight findings, the most significant of which essentially exonerated Ramirez of any wrongdoing associated with errors made in campaign finance filings for three bond measures in 2004, and contended that Klein failed to exercise due diligence before leveling allegations against Ramirez and the foundation that were "utterly without merit."

On Tuesday, however, trustees said they disagreed with the finding regarding Ramirez because they didn't know whether he had been involved or had known about the filings.
In what trustee Dave Creek called "an olive branch," trustees added to their written response that "it does seem unlikely that he did."

Trustees agreed that Klein failed to exercise due diligence and said he should have first requested a closed session with the full board to discuss his concerns.

Though they also decided that Klein's complaint was premature, it has helped the college establish a higher standard of complying with campaign contribution laws, trustees said.
Trustees disagreed with the grand jury that Klein's charges were "unfounded, misleading and full of unsubstantiated allegation" because the trustees lacked knowledge of how the Fair Political Practices Commission would resolve such a matter.

Trustees also responded to four of five recommendations made by the grand jury. Falling short of issuing an apology, as suggested, the board wrote that it "deeply regrets the disruption this matter has caused the college community."

Trustees also said they had already met the jury's recommendation of recognizing "in some tangible way" Ramirez's contributions to the college.

They said they had awarded Ramirez emeritus status, hung his portrait with those of other past presidents, and acknowledged his service in a statement released in January 2005 when Ramirez stepped down as president amid controversy.

The responses - based on a draft written by trustees Scott Leslie and Nancy Palmer - were hashed out paragraph by paragraph, and voted on in small segments. Nearly all were approved unanimously.

Anthony Maki Gill, president of the classified employee senate, said he felt the response was carefully crafted to be "legally accurate," but that it was not sufficient to address the emotional turmoil felt by many on campus.

"I don't think those responses demonstrated personal responsibility or accountability for their actions," he said. "They were sitting (on) the fence."

Cheryl Maki, a former mayor of Auburn and Maki Gill's mother, said she was appalled by the board's actions. At Tuesday's meeting, she spoke angrily to the board and directly to Klein, saying she had supported him in his campaign for a seat on the board and that he should feel ashamed of his actions.

She said Wednesday that she also supported Leslie and had given money to Palmer's campaign. But she said she felt trustees had shirked their duties by hiding behind legal language and protecting themselves.

"Obviously, it's a very emotional issue for me," she said. "I feel responsible, almost, for their actions."

Trustees defended their effort to write a response that was concise and directly addressed the grand jury's findings. They pointed to the spirit of cooperation shown by trustees at the long and often emotional meeting.

"I feel very good about it," Les-lie said Wednesday. "I was very pleased to work out a compromise that all seven board members would be happy with."

He criticized the timing of the grand jury's report - and suggested that it might not have been an appropriate investigation for the 2005-06 jury because too much time had passed. But he said the board had a legal obligation to respond.

Leslie said he hopes the Sierra community now can focus on other pressing issues, such as the Measure B bond campaign on the June 6 ballot, expanding satellite campuses and maintaining academic excellence.

"Dealing with these issues is what's going to move the college forward, not talking about an old issue," he said.

Klein said that he, too, was happy with the board's response and that he felt grateful trustees disagreed with grand jurors that his allegations were without merit.

Trustee Barbara Vineyard said she felt the board's response was too weak in some regards - particularly in how it dealt with the merit of Klein's allegations - but that it would've been impossible to get stronger language past all trustees. "Too much argument tends to agitate more," Vineyard said.

Vineyard also said that regardless of the board's response, she felt the grand jury report itself was a critical part of the healing process because it vindicated many people who felt Ramirez had been treated unfairly.

The board's response will be reviewed by trustees in the coming days for minor adjustments and then submitted to the grand jury next week for its final report.

Sierra board takes flack

Auburn Journal

Trustees make final edits to grand jury response; Klein offers no apology
By: Loryll Nicolaisen, Journal Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 3, 2006 12:04 AM PDT

ROCKLIN - Sierra College trustees got an earful from disapproving staff and residents Tuesday during a board meeting to review and revise a formal response to a Placer County grand jury report.

"This is an academic institution, the foundation of which is truth," said Barbara Fairchild, history department chairwoman. "People get failed at this school for lying, inventing."

Fairchild, like those who spoke before her during a special meeting of the Sierra Joint Community College District board, scolded trustees."

You are in charge of a college," she said. "We expect you to hold near and dear the things that cannot be bought or sold."

Trustees met in special session Tuesday to discuss a drafted response to the Placer County grand jury report. Sierra College instructor Joe Medeiros described the draft response as "lame" and expressed his distaste for new members of the board and board president Jerry Simmons.

"This college desperately needs you gone ... This kind of junk does not belong where honesty, fairness and integrity reigns," he said.

The meeting went on for hours into Tuesday night, and no action to approve the draft or revised draft had been made by the Auburn Journal evening deadline.

The board has until mid-June to submit its formal response to the grand jury report released in March. The report states charges made by Sierra trustee Aaron Klein against then-Sierra Joint Community College President Kevin Ramirez were "utterly without merit" and asked for an apology from Klein for harming Ramirez's career.

Although Ramirez was praised in the draft response, there was no apology given.

In the complaint filed Dec. 20, 2004 against Ramirez, Klein stated that Ramirez violated campaign finance law, using a "money laundering scheme" by accumulating funds from the Sierra College Foundation and directing them on to the Measure E bond campaign.

In the preliminary draft response, prepared by two board members and released less than 24 hours before Tuesday's meeting, trustees and subcommittee members Nancy Palmer and Scott Leslie, said, among other things, that the board wishes the grand jury hadn't waited as long as it did before investigating Klein's complaint."

At this late date, the report is not particularly helpful as it is requiring that the college focus on contentious issues of more than one year ago regarding Sierra College's retired president, instead of spending the same time working to move the college forward," the draft reads.

The draft response also notes that conclusions reached by the grand jury report would have been different had all trustees been interviewed. Trustees who did speak to the grand jury weren't given the opportunity to express opinions or give answers to all elements of the report, "which the board believes led to inaccurate information in the report," the draft reads.

Trustee Leslie said he and Palmer did the best they could, understanding that they were just two trustees drafting something that would represent the board as a whole.

"We did not try to guess how all seven board members would react," he said. "Nancy and I... didn't want Sierra College to be dragged down by this grand jury report."

Palmer said drafting the response was a less-than-desirable task but one that needed to be taken on.Although writing the draft response "has not been easy," Palmer said, " I stand by what we printed."

Trustee David Creek said the draft was "verbose" and that it "seems defensive," and provided copies of a suggested revision. His suggestions included cutting back a number of paragraphs throughout the eight-page draft."

I'm suggesting that the best thing for this college is terse replies and getting on with business," he said.

The Journal's Loryll Nicolaisen can be reached at lorylln@goldcountrymedia.com.