Posts Tagged 'Raghu P. Mathur'
Raghu Mathur Can't Be Trusted to Lead Laguna Hills
Posted by Lassie on November 5, 2012
Raghu Mathur
I wrote a few weeks ago about Raghu Mathur's history of wasting taxpayer dollars (https://ocpolitical.com/2012/10/16/raghu-mathur-a-history-of-wasting-taxpayer-dollars/) Mathur wants to lead Laguna Hills as a city councilmember, but Laguna Hills can't afford him. Today, I'll show you why Mathur's record as Irvine Valley College President and as South Orange County Community College District Chancellor just demonstrates that he can't be trusted as a leader in Laguna Hills or anywhere else.
On his campaign web site (http://www.mathurforlagunahills.com/philosophy.html), Mathur promises, "I believe in solving problems while respectfully listening to and working with everyone…I will restore civility, trust and openness to Laguna Hills City Council governance." His record shows respect, working with everyone, civility, trust, and openness are the furthest things from his record.
In 1999, the LA Times reported that the community college accreditation agency strongly rebuked the leadership, stating "Irvine Valley College and its district . . . are organizations in crisis–primarily a governance crisis. . . . A multiplicity of deep and bitter divisions characterize virtually all entities and relationships. . . . The district had become wracked by malfunction and misfortune."
Five years prior, in 1994, Mathur became the only person ever to have been censured for lying in the history of Irvine Valley College, according to the OC Weekly.
In 2002, free speech restriction policies were implemented after Mathur was appointed Irvine Valley College President amid protests from students and faculty and continued after he was appointed Chancellor of South Orange County Community College District. Courts ruled the policies were unconstitutional because the district was muzzling free speech: http://articles.latimes.com/2002/mar/19/local/me-speech19
In 2004, Mathur was given a vote of "no-confidence" by the faculty for a third time, described as a "vindictive and dictatorial bully, intolerant of criticism" who "in pursuit of personal power, he has sold out his former colleagues" at SOCCCD: http://articles.latimes.com/2004/may/17/local/me-mathur17
In 2010, when Mathur was voted out by the SOCCCD Board of Trustees 5-2 and he was given a golden handshake of over $250,000, the settlement imposed a gag order forbidding discussion of the separation agreement. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/mathur-231052-college-valley.html
Mathur opposed the incorporation of Laguna Hills. Why does he now want to lead something that he doesn't believe should exist? Is he planning to drive the city off the cliff? Will he try to get Laguna Hills dissolved?
Laguna Hills can't afford Raghu Mathur, and Raghu Mathur can't be trusted to lead Laguna Hills.
Posted in Laguna Hills, South Orange County Community College District | Tagged: Raghu P. Mathur | 1 Comment »
Raghu Mathur: A History of Wasting Taxpayer Dollars
Posted by Lassie on October 16, 2012
Much has been written about the Laguna Hills City Council race, but voters should beware of the absolute waste of taxpayer dollars by Raghu P. Mathur.
On his campaign web site, Mathur says, "Our City needs to provide better oversight over all income and expenditures. As your Council Member and with your input, I will seek prioritization of our taxpayer resources based on assessment of the services our citizens need. I will make these issues my top priorities."
Here's some excerpts from an interview Mathur did with OC Political (https://ocpolitical.com/2012/10/11/first-in-a-series-of-interviews-with-south-county-candidates-laguna-hills-city-council-candidates-dr-raghu-mathur-bill-hunt-andrew-blount-and-dore-gilbert/):
"Raghu says that fiscal responsibility is essential in this economy, with a $16 trillion national debt and a broke California, that leaves only the local level. He wants to prioritize all goals and expenditures and consider public sentiment and input in determining which projects are most important for residents. He said the city needs to address compensation, particularly city management. Raghu gave the example of the City Manager whose compensation is over $460,000 per year, including a car for personal and family use…He wants all negotiations regarding compensation to be conducted in an open setting, sunshined through the public agenda along with the fiscal implications of the proposal. Raghu wants the same sunshine process for any counter-proposal from the union. He would consider bringing in an outside negotiator or auditor so there is no potential conflict of interest with management."
Where was this concern for fiscal responsibility and taxpayer dollars when Raghu Mathur took a $700 monthly car allowance, a free computer, free Internet access, and a free cell phone, among other perks while serving as Chancellor of the South Orange County Community College District?
Where was this concern for fiscal responsibility and taxpayer dollars when Raghu Mathur got more than a quarter of amillion dollars in a golden handshake to leave the Chancellor's post, as reported by the Orange County Register: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/mathur-231052-college-valley.html? Part of that settlement imposed a gag order forbidding discussion of the separation agreement. Is that what an open setting with sunshine looks like to Mathur?
Where was this concern for fiscal responsibility and taxpayer dollars when Raghu Mathur sued the South Orange County Community College District during his time as President of Irvine Valley College? Mathur's lawsuit against the district was filed six months after he so badly lost a lawsuit against a professor and against a college administrator that the judge ordered Mathur to pay $34,000 in attorney's fees to the professor and the administrator, as reported by the Los Angeles Times: http://articles.latimes.com/2000/sep/13/local/me-20300. How much money did SOCCCD spend on attorneys to defend themselves against Mathur's suit?
Laguna Hills just can't afford Raghu Mathur.
Posted in Laguna Hills, South Orange County Community College District | Tagged: Raghu P. Mathur | 6 Comments »
Five File for Laguna Hills City Council: Wild Race Set with Blount, Gilbert, Hunt, and Mathur
Andrew Blount
Bill Hunt
Dore Gilbert
Raghu P. Mathur
With the retirements of Councilmen Joel Lautenschleger and Allan Songstad, for the first time in the history of Laguna Hills, the majority of the City Council will not be members of the inaugural City Council that took office in 1991. Five candidates have filed to replace Lautenschleger and Songstad, and all but one is a major contender.
In alphabetical order by last name (with their ballot designations), the candidates are:
Andrew Blount (R) – Small Business Owner
AJ Djowharzadeh (R) – Small Business Owner
Dore Gilbert (R) – Physician/Army Reservist
Bill Hunt (R) – Small Business Owner
Raghu P. Mathur (R) – University Administrator/Educator
We can quickly rule out AJ Djowharzadeh (R), who won 6% of the vote in his 2010 bid for Laguna Hills City Council.
The major contenders are:
Blount is a businessman who's launched real estate, financial analysis, and software companies. Blount's gathered the endorsements of various elected officials, including District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, Assemblyman Jim Silva, and various City Councilmembers from across Orange County.
Gilbert is a former Trustee on the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, serving from 1981-2010. He is a doctor who joined the Army at the age of 60 and is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve.
Hunt is the former Orange County Sheriff's Lieutenant who unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Sheriff Mike Carona in the 2006 election. As an OCSD Lieutenant, he served as the de facto Chief of Police for San Clemente. Carona demoted him after the election, and Hunt elected to leave the department instead. After Carona resigned in 2008 in the face of a 66-count federal corruption indictment, Hunt sought the appointment to be Orange County Sheriff, but the Board of Supervisors appointed Sandra Hutchens instead. Hunt unsuccessfully challenged Hutchens in the 2010 election. He now owns a private investigation business in Laguna Hills. Hunt's gathered the endorsements of various elected officials, including Senator Mimi Walters, Assemblyman Don Wagner, the majority of the Laguna Hills City Council, and various City Councilmembers from South Orange County.
Mathur is the former Chancellor of the South Orange County Community District, the former President of Irvine Valley College, and a former Trustee on the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, serving from 1983-1992. Mathur has gathered the endorsements of various elected officials, including District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, Orange County Board of Education President Dr. Ken Williams, and several City Councilmembers from across Orange County.
Posted in Laguna Hills | Tagged: AJ Djowharzadeh, Allan Songstad, Andrew Blount, Bill Hunt, Don Wagner, Dore Gilbert, Jim Silva, Joel Lautenschleger, Ken L. Williams Jr., Mike Carona, Mimi Walters, Raghu P. Mathur, Tony Rackauckas | 2 Comments »