KESQ 5/19 – Former Palm Springs mayor Ron Oden appointed new College of the Desert Trustee

Children born the year COD passed Measure B are now reaching college age, and still do not have a robust, permanent campus in the west valley.

At a meeting this week, College of the Desert Board members are planning to act on a resolution to “conduct comprehensive forensic audits” due to concerns over campus development projects throughout Coachella Valley as well as “vulnerable and inefficient” Technology (IT) systems. The resolution intends to address concerns regarding “the cost of developing campuses and…

Garcia and trustees don’t seem to be listening — or perhaps they’re simply incapable of fixing some of these problems. The terms of two of the board’s five members, Chair Rubén AríAztlán Pérez and Aurora Wilson, are up this year. Voters need to think seriously about whether they deserve to continue.

The College of the Desert board of education will hold a presentation with updates on the Palm Springs campus and Roadrunner Motors in Cathedral City. The campus has been in development since 2004 with almost $1 billion raised in tax revenue for construction. It will be located on a 27-acre site right across the street…

As The Desert Sun’s Jonathan Horwitz reported two weeks ago, COD Trustees voted 3-2 at that meeting to extend the contract of, and give a pay raise to, Superintendent/President Martha Garcia. Voting in favor were Ruben Perez, Bea Gonzales and Aurora Wilson. Trustees Bonnie Stefan and Fred Jandt voted no. Garcia’s annual base salary will increase…

iting health reasons, Fred Jandt, College of the Desert Area 3 Trustee, on Monday evening submitted his resignation to Superintendent/President Martha Garcia and Chair Bonnie Stefan, Uken Report has learned. His resignation is effective March 31. “Recently I have experienced a change in health status,” Jandt stated in his letter to Garcia and Stefan. “It is my judgment…