Ortiz’s win was confirmed Nov.4, by LRCCD Associate Vice Chancellor of Communications and Research Susie Williams after pulling just over 53 percent of the vote, according to election results posted in The Bee.

“I feel strongly that I can contribute to what is a great board now,” Ortiz said to the Express.

Throughout her campaign, Ortiz described community colleges as critical components to higher education opportunities for the poor and working class.

She said schools like City College provide “one of the most important accesses to higher education avenues for those students who may not have had the opportunity to do well in high school.”

Much of Ortiz’s campaign activity, however, was raising money to pay legal fees accumulated over the late filing of her candidate statement. The county registrar’s decision to let Ortiz file late incited claims of favoritism and the petition brought by Ken Barnes. Barnes argued the county registrar of voters inappropriately allowed Ortiz to file for the race after the Aug. 6 deadline.

Ortiz was allowed an extension because a county registrar staff worker mistakenly told her the filing deadline was Aug. 11. At a hearing, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Allen determined through state law that the registrar had legal discretion to grant Ortiz’s extension. On Aug. 20, cleared Ortiz’s name to appear on the ballot.

Paul Frank, City College political science professor, supported Sumner’s decision to let Ortiz run for trustee. He said the district is well-managed, and he hopes disagreement resonating from the lawsuit does not spill over into the board.

“We have rules [and] we have back-ups to those rules,” Frank said. “If we can’t agree on those rules, that’s why we have judges.”

“[Los Rios] is a board that is well respected,” Ortiz said. “It is a board that has a healthy relationship with its chancellor.”

An experienced lawmaker, Ortiz served on the Sacramento City Council in the early 1990s and as a California Senator in 1998. She is now the vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. She attended McClatchy High School and has lived in the Curtis and Oak Park areas.

Oritz will serve as the Area 6 board trustee, which includes Midtown, Campus Commons, East Sacramento, River Park, Arden Arcade, and parts of Carmichael and Rancho Cordova, for the LRCCD. The board governs more than 90,000 students among the district’s four colleges: American River, Cosumnes River, Folsom and Sacramento City colleges.

Related posts:

1. SCC, district receive state award
2. Voting irregularities from spring semester still plague student trustee election
3. Los Rios District spreads its wings

Express file photo Allison Valenzuela

Associated Student Government President Steve Macias has been reinstated in full, following a failed recall attempt and a suspension approved by his fellow ASG members.

More than 600 students voted in the two-day recall election held on Oct. 27 and 28 and more than half voted to remove Macias and ASG Student Affairs Commissioner Monica Guzman from office, according to ASG Vice President Debby Dixon.

The election was declared null and void by City College on Nov. 2, however, due to a violation of an open-meeting law called The Brown Act under California Government Code Section 54954.2 which states:

“The agenda shall specify the time and location of the regular meeting and shall be posted in a location that is freely accessible to members of the public.”

The violation concerned the ASG’s failure to appropriately post the agenda for the special meeting that led to a vote to hold the recall election, ASG Vice President Debby Dixon admitted.

“I messed up the students’ voice,” Dixon said. “I forgot to put the time on the agenda set for the special meeting — just that technicality.”

The same day Macias survived the recall election results he was also suspended and stripped of his duties as president, according to City College Public Information Officer Amanda Hamilton.

“In the absence of his participation as president, the ASG Senate voted to suspend his duties indefinitely so that ASG activities can continue,” Hamilton said.

As quickly as Nov. 5, the suspension of Macias was overruled and he was reinstated in full, according to ASG Commissioner of Public Relations Justin Turner.

“A couple of the members of the ASG have began the process of impeachment,” Turner said. “President Steve Macias has broken constitutional bylaws such as … not being present at meetings, even prior to the recall.”

According to Hamilton, an application form to impeach Macias was submitted to the ASG Judicial Branch on Nov. 2.

As far as Guzman’s position as Student Affairs Commissioner, she has been officially voted out by the ASG board because of unexcused absences, according to Turner.

Guzman is being replaced with former Public Relations Commissioner Richard Martinez, who was nominated and accepted by the board.

“We have no idea where she is,” Turner said. “She had too many unexcused absences before the recall election hit. We just removed her and appointed someone new.”

Related posts:

1. New ASG president and vice president appointed
2. ASG president resigns
3. City College recall election results in limbo