SAN MARCOS — Calls for accountability dominated the Palomar College Governing Board meeting Tuesday evening. All while classified staff and faculty hosted a solidarity rally right outside the Palomar library.
The meeting came amid months of tension between faculty and classified staff and Palomar College’s governing board over labor concerns and the handling of Board Policy 3000. Faculty and staff say the board has sidelined shared governance and presented inconsistent explanations for policy changes, causing growing calls for accountability from campus unions and the community as a whole.
On Dec. 16, Council of Classified Employees (CCE) President Anel Gonzalez stated that the council has made a resolution of no confidence in Trustees Yvette Acosta and Jacqueline Kaiser. No confidence resolutions are a rare thing for Palomar College, with the last in 2019, the unions called for the removal of former Superintendent/President Joi Lin Blake over fiscal issues, hiring, and shared governance violations.
“As students, workers, and community members rally outside tonight, they are calling attention to the board’s failure to serve Palomar students and community. On behalf of the Council of Classified Employees, AFT Local 4542, I will now read an abridged version of a resolution of no confidence in Trustees Kaiser and Acosta,” said Anel Gonzalez.
Palomar Faculty Federation (PFF) Co-President Lawrence Lawson also presented a resolution of no confidence in Trustees Kaiser, Acosta, and Holly Hamilton-Bleakley.
“PFF rejects the manner in which the governing board majority justified the deletion of BP 3000. Obscuring important details of their concerns, being untruthful about other college’s BPs on anti-racism, rendering untransparent their overall deliberation process and potentially violating closed session provisions of the Brown Act. Therefore be it finally resolved that PFF expresses no confidence in the leadership of Palomar Community College District governing board members Kaiser, Acosta, and Hamilton-Bleakley,” Lawrence Lawson said.
Both CCE and PFF teamed up to host a solidarity rally that started around 15 minutes before the start of the governing board meeting at 5 p.m. The meeting was hosted in a conference room on the fourth floor of the Learning Resource Center (LRC) also known as the Library. Chants of ‘Vote her out,’ in regards to former President of the Board Kaiser, could be heard inside the meeting room.
During the public comments of the meeting, curriculum specialist Cheryl Kearse delivered a rendition of the poem “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” accusing the majority of the board of undermining campus protections, choosing to ignore worker concerns and politicizing governance. Kearse reprimanded Trustee Kaiser directly, arguing that trustees should focus on representing the college rather than partisan interests and pointing out the delayed cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), vacancies in the college, and overall rising living costs.
The board also held its annual leadership election. Trustee Kaiser nominated Trustee Holly Hamilton-Bleakley as the new president of the Palomar College Governing Board. The board voted unanimously to appoint Hamilton-Bleakley as its new president. For the vice president position, Trustee Acosta was nominated by Hamilton-Bleakley and seconded by Kaiser. Student Trustee Ariel Fridman nominated Trustee Roberto Rodriguez for the vice president role that led to a 2-2 tie after Hamilton-Bleakley abstained. They went on to vote for Trustee Acosta to fill that position in a successful 3-2 vote making her the new vice president of the board.
After former Superintendent/President Star Rivera-Lacey departed from Palomar College, Vice President of Instruction Tina Recalde was approved to be appointed as the interim superintendent/president.
The board revisited the BP 3000 topic. In the November meeting, a subcommittee was formed consisting of Trustees Judy Patacsil and Hamilton-Bleakley. Since that meeting, they have met three times including once with former college President Rivera-Lacey. The two said they have met with PFF, CCE, administrators and Student Trustee Fridman and want the work to be substantive, not performative.
PFF Co-President Lawrence Lawson used an agenda item that he had requested to criticize the board’s handling of BP 3000, the anti-racism policy adopted in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. Lawson disputed previous statements from board members that no other community college in the state of California had a comparable board-level policy. Lawson then cited Pasadena City College’s BP 3400 as an example of a similar policy.
“Several members of the board majority noted that no other college had such a board-level anti-racism policy. That was untrue,” Lawson said. “Students, faculty, and staff deserve an explanation, and this is your chance to correct the record.”
Hamilton-Bleakley personally thanked Lawson for the materials he had presented and went on to give the written response given by legal counsel on behalf of the board. The statement cited guidance from the Community College League of California, which does not offer a recommended model anti-racism policy, as part of their reasoning related to BP 3000.
Dec. 18, 2025 @ 1:44 a.m. — corrections have been made to this story, this is the most current version.