Bay Area

Peralta Colleges Chancellor Steps Down, Citing Conflicts with Board of Trustees

Published

6 years ago

July 30, 2020

Peralta Colleges Chancellor Regina Stanback Stroud, who has only held the position for nine months, will step down next month amid claims that the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees undermined her leadership and exhibited racial discrimination against African American staff.

In a scathing resignation letter, Stanback Stroud listed a series of 11 accusations against the Board of Trustees, including, “Hostile conduct towards others and each other,” “violations of confidentiality at closed board meetings,” and “fostering a culture of contempt by modeling disrespect and contempt for executive administration…”

“They are not true,” Trustee Board President Julina Bonilla told the San Francisco Chronicle. She declined to make specific responses as some of Stanback Stroud’s accusations, by law, would require investigations.

Stanback Stroud claimed in her letter that the Board interfered with “fair and effective hiring practices,” as she attempted to fill vacant leadership positions at the district level, and added that the Board colluded with unions “against the interest of the district.”

Peralta Faculty Union President Jennifer Shanoski contradicted Stanback Stroud’s charge of collusion in a statement to the Chronicle. “From a labor perspective, we’ve never had a worse relationship than with this chancellor,” Shanoski said.

According to the Chronicle, the unions had filed a complaint against her over a communications matter and the failure to reveal plans on what employees can expect this fall in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Allegations of racist and ‘hostile’ behavior

In a July 19 letter to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s office in Sacramento from the president of the Peralta Association of African American Affairs (PAAAA) alleged that the board’s actions toward Stanback Stroud were not only abusive but racially motivated.

“We have observed an increase in racism toward the Chancellor by some Board members,” said the letter written by PAAAA President Lawrence VanHook, a Laney College professor, referring to concerns expressed in April.

Stanback Stroud claimed that the Board’s “hostility and contempt toward administration, particularly a pattern practice against African American executive staff” undermined the Chancellor’s authority as outlined in the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.

Thus far, no evidence has been provided to support the allegations.

On Friday, Bonilla and board vice president Cindi Napoli-Abella Reiss issued a joint statement, signed by Stanback Stroud.

“We want to assure everyone in the Peralta Community that our organization is strong,” the letter states. “While this situation is not ideal, there is no doubt that we will continue to serve students and our community with dedication and compassion.”

A district in distress

When Stanback Stroud was hired in a unanimous vote from the Board of Trustees in Fall 2019, it was no secret that she faced a district in distress. The former president of Skyline College said she had come out of retirement to work for the Peralta District because she had felt “called” to serve her home community.

White responds with a brief speech, expressing gratitude while symbolically passing on her duties to the new chancellor Regina Stanback Stroud. pic.twitter.com/S0bIhGtrYC
— The Citizen (@peraltacitizen) October 9, 2019

In a now-foreboding statement during the September 2019 Chancellor’s forum, Stanback Stroud said that she hoped to address the internal culture of the colleges and that she was “not willing to be abused,” — emphasizing that she would not tolerate any bullying of any kind, especially towards leadership.

Just a few months earlier, amid widespread concern for the district’s fiscal health, the Board had requested an evaluation from the Fiscal Crisis Management Team (FCMAT). The subsequent report cited an “excessively high” fiscal health risk and referenced a culture of favoritism and miscommunication — among other alarming issues. The California Community College Board of Governors warned that the district could face fiscal insolvency or an emergency takeover from the state if the financial issues were not resolved.

The FCMAT report came as no surprise to some faculty and staff who had long been critical of the district’s administrative culture and budget priorities while declining enrollment and high turnover at the executive level of Peralta College leadership had further impacted public trust and credit rating over the years.

In early 2019, Chancellor Jowell Laguerre prematurely stepped down amid widespread criticism and accusations of fund mismanagement. His contract was due to end in 2020 but the board voted unanimously to accept his “early retirement.”

Just a few months later, vice-chancellor of general services Sadiq Ikharo was placed on permanent leave following Laney College’s failure to meet fire safety standards — ultimately resulting in over half a million dollars spent in temporary safety expenses.

The district announced July 29 that Vice-Chancellor Carla Walter will serve as acting chancellor while the board undertakes the search for Stanback Stroud’s replacement. The board aims to appoint an interim chancellor by Oct. 1.

Written by Saskia Hatvany with contribution by Wanda Ravernell.

. @PeraltaColleges chancellor abruptly resigns, effective August 15. Closed session board meeting today —> agenda items include: evaluation of the chancellor, public employee discipline/dismissal/release. Public comment @ 11 am. https://t.co/XbfPTsgAyN
— The Citizen (@peraltacitizen) July 18, 2020

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Oakland Post: Week of May 13 – 19, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 13 – 19, 2026

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8 minutes ago

May 15, 2026

Oakland Post

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Marin City Public Housing Residents Demand a Voice in County’s Renovation Plans

Representation has been a continuous struggle for the Residents Council, she said in an interview with the Post News Group. In 2014, the tenants took the county to federal court over this issue, and prevailed, resulting in an MOU that was in effect from 2014 to 2024, said McLemore. “Now, they are not responding to our rightful requests to participate. They are not giving us a legal justification for their position.”

Published

5 days ago

May 10, 2026

Oakland Post

The largest housing complex in Marin County, Golden Gate Village residents are for predominantly Black and low-income. Courtesy image.

Tenants say the County of Marin is ignoring federal law requiring resident council participation

By Ken Epstein

Marin City public housing residents say the County is illegally depriving them of their rights to participate in renovation decisions that affect the future of their housing, raising deep concerns over whether the county ultimately will find a way to displace them.

According to regulations established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Marin City public housing residents have the right to organize, elect resident councils, and hold public housing agencies accountable for involving them in management decisions.

Without resident participation, the Board of Housing Commissioners, made up of the five Marin County Board of Supervisors and two resident comissioners, has approved a $226 million project. The plan calls for renovation of the 296 units in Golden Gate Village (GGV) and focuses on interior improvements. The project is scheduled to start in July.

Residents’ concerns have a long history, said Royce McLemore, president of the Golden Gate Village Residents Council and a 50-year resident of Marin City,

With no current MOU mandating training and participation of residents, the legal basis for all the redevelopment decisions made by the county since 2024 is questionable, said Terrie Green, executive director of Marin City Climate Resilience. “We are experiencing voicelessness. If residents had a voice, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” she said.

County decisions include a plan, in line with federal regulations, to convert GGV from public housing to a public-private enterprise that allows for private investment. The Marin Housing Authority has created a limited partnership that includes Burbank Housing – which will renovate the units and manage the property – and Wells Fargo Bank, the investor.

This change in federal policy regarding public housing, which includes a shift to a Section-8 voucher system, has resulted in gentrification across the country, particularly affecting African Americans in cities such as San Francisco.

Shifts in criteria of what is considered affordable could also end up pricing residents out of their living units. At present, low income in Marin County is officially considered $156,000. But the median household income in Marin City is significantly lower at $68,846.

Damian Morgan, a community advocate with Marin City Climate Resilience, questioned why the county is renovating apartments without fixing toxic infrastructure that is impacting the lives of people in GGV.

Morgan said tenants have filed a class action lawsuit because of unsafe conditions at Golden Gate Village.

Residents are also concerned that the County still does not have an adequate family plan for temporary displacement while their apartments are being renovated. Although the County has suggested other community apartments as alternatives, nothing concrete has developed except vacant public housing units that have the same toxic conditions, such as mold and mildew.

Green said it doesn’t make sense. “…Why are we moving people around into temporary housing that’s uninhabitable, when you should be dealing first with the infrastructure, the foundational work, replacing old and rusted water pipes and new sewers.”

Morgan questions the County’s motivation for neglecting infrastructure repairs. “They’re remodeling the units but leaving the decayed infrastructure in place. I feel like they’re just setting this up for it to fail.”

“What slowed it down a little is that GGV is a historic preservation district, but I think what they’re striving for is demolition by neglect,” he said. “The neglect has always been on their part.”

Architect Ora Hatheway said her concern is about cutting corners. “You have to deal with the land issues. You have to deal with grading and drainage, and that’s being brushed under the rug.”

In an interview with KGO TV, Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters responded to some of these concerns. She said residents are guaranteed the right to return to their homes.

“This is a concern that we take seriously,” she said. “Every resident will move back into their own unit, and we’ve given this to them in writing. Before they leave their unit, we will sign a document together that guarantees their right to return.”

In response to residents who feel left out of the planning process, she said community input has focused on those affected by the first phase of the project. “So other residents may not have heard quite as much or felt like they had as much contact. But if there are residents who have concerns, we’re happy to hear from them. You can contact my office or the housing authority directly,” she said.

While County leaders may be giving some updates to some tenants, they are not sitting at the table with the Residents Council nor giving residents a voice in decision-making, said McLemore.

Without a voice in decisions, tenants are worried that Black people may be forced out of public housing, resulting in gentrification, she said in an interview with ABC 7. It’s still paternalistic, she said. “It’s still that ‘We know what’s best for you.’’’

Several years ago, the Residents Council proposed a land trust plan that would give tenants homeownership rights. Though the plan had broad support throughout the county, it was rejected by the Board of Supervisors

In the final analysis, Green said, for Marin City tenants the fight is not just for decent housing but to maintain their community with dignity under conditions of mutual respect.

“We’re talking about people who came here to work in the shipyards during World War II to bring about peace and safety to this country,” she said. “Look at the discrimination we’ve faced down through the years. Look at the life-span issue of Marin City folks – almost 20 years less than the rest of the County.”

“We want educational equity so our children will have decent schools. We need a land trust, property ownership, so we can have wealth creation. Marin City needs the same quality of life as other communities in Marin County.”