UKEN REPORT – 3/16 – BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING CANCELED WITHOUT EXPLANATION

The College of the Desert’s Board of Trustees meeting originally planned for Friday, March 17 has been canceled due to a lack of a quorum, COD officials have confirmed. They cited “unforeseen circumstances, but did not identify the circumstances.

Trustees Rubén Pérez and Bea Gonzalez reportedly could not be at the meeting, though no reason was given. Trustee Fred Jandt has been attending via Zoom, which would leave only Bonnie Stefan and Joel Kinnamon in the room. Assembly Bill 2449, passed in October 2022, regarding the continuation of remote meetings states that for a quorum to be established members who are being counted as part of the quorum must be physically present. You cannot establish quorum by counting someone that is remotely attending the meeting.

The cancellation of the meeting comes as Jandt was prepared to submit his resignation effective March 31.

The unexpected cancellation of the meeting also caught the attention of Palm Springs Mayor Grace Garner.

It is extremely disappointing that College of the Desert officials canceled Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting due to lack of quorum; especially since our Palm Springs representative Dr. Fred Jandt promised to make himself available if he could participate remotely,” Garner told Uken Report. “The law requires that requests for reasonable accommodations by individuals with a disability be swiftly resolved in favor of accessibility. It is unfortunate that COD has chosen to ignore that legal requirement when one of their own appears to have a need for reasonable accommodation.  In the interest of democracy, I urge COD officials to immediately reschedule this meeting.”

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