The Hayward school board will have a new member as early as February after an appointment process was approved during a special meeting on Tuesday night.
Hayward school boardmembers formally declared Dr. Luis Reynoso’s recently won seat was forfeited and deemed vacant. The school district determined Reynoso could not serve a fourth term on the board after he won a seat last November at the Chabot-Las Positas Community College Board of Trustees.
School district attorneys said the pair of elected offices are incompatible and pose a conflict of interest. The community college district and school board have overlapping jurisdictions, they added.
“The law is clear that a public official cannot serve on these two boards,” said Mary Hernandez, the school district’s counsel.
“The issues have already been interpreted by the attorney general,” said another school district attorney, Conor Kennedy.
Reynoso had maintained that he intended to serve both districts. He was sworn-in to the school board seat on Dec. 14. A day later, Dec. 15, Reynoso took the oath of office at the community college district.
Under the election code, Reynoso forfeited the first seat when he took the oath for the second. “The minute the oath took place, resignation was automatic,” Kennedy added.
Reynoso put up little legal resistance to the school board’s move, although he could seek the opportunity for relief from the state attorney general’s office.
Despite a vigorous public plea to keep the school board seat, Reynoso signaled to supporters that a legal remey might be too costly for the financially-strapped school district, but, perhaps, also for himself. Reynoso, instead, called for the recall of school board president April Oquenda and Ken Rawdon prior to Tuesday’s special meeting.
Already deemed off the school board prior to Tuesday’s special meeting, Reynoso, nonetheless, spoke during public comment. “Let me defend myself,” he told the school board. “Schedule an open meeting. Let me bring my lawyer so he can bring the other side. If it’s so legal, table it.”
Rawdon said it was a distraction by Reynoso to hold two offices, along with assertions that he and Oquenda, in addition, to Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne, had racist intentions to remove the board’s lone Latino member.
The time spent on Tuesday’s special meeting could have been better used to discuss matters important to students, Rawdon said. “But once again, we’re forced to deal with distraction over distraction, which this has been, from Dr. Reynoso.” He added, “Now I hope with whoever we appoint, we can go ahead and actually do the work that this board is supposed to be doing.”
The search to fill the seat will begin immediately. An application period for qualified candidates will run through Jan. 25, the board decided. Eligible candidates will be announced on Jan. 27. The board will conduct interviews during the first week of February, Wayne said, and an appointment could be made the same night. That individual would be required to run for a full term on the school board in November 2022.
ebcitizen.com 
What compels a person — an elected official no less — into thinking it’s alright to hold two election position at once when there’s ample documentation and FPPC authority saying otherwise? This is bizarre behavior — borderline clinical. What part of “incompatible offices” doctrine does he not understand?
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This is actually one of the most unbiased pieces of reporting that you have done in all of the time that I have been aware of you. Except for the last 3 paragraphs and your response to your commentator.
You write: Rawdon said it was a distraction by Reynoso to hold two offices, along with assertions that he and Oquenda, in addition, to Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne, had racist intentions to remove the board’s lone Latino member.
I was at that same meeting and I am certain there should be a “no” between the words “had” and “racist” in your last sentence.
In a similar manner, do you expect to agree with ALL of the comments? Of course not, I would hope.
Perhaps him leaving HUSD will leave you with a more unbiased lens as we all know that he fed you information that should have very well kept confidential until an appropriate time. The fact that you have not disclosed the close nature of your relationship with him (friend? mole? source? family member? guru?) and that you continued to post his leaks as fact is not lost on anyone in close proximity to HUSD.
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Easy, peasy. Just appoint a Latinx to fill the vacancy. Believe a least 2 members of the board speak Spanish and have deep roots in the Mexican/Spanish culture. Superintendent speaks Spanish. Why was it so important to have a divisive Buffon as the anointed representative of the community?
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Pay no attention to Shareen, she is often an apologist for local political machine corruption. You keep doing you Steven, I greatly appreciate your work. It’s 1000% a fact that you cover much of what the EBT refuses to cover, so thank you.
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Pretty likely that Shareen is trying to be a good citizen, then looked to scapegoat someone/anyone due to the ugly side of politics. I’ll give Sharen this – thank you for paying attention.
I’ve never met him, but look at the incredible service that Taveras provides. I mean, who does this?
Shareen, we both owe this guy a compliment and a thank you.
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Did I raise the Latino angle? Members of the public did. This article, like all of them, are just about presenting you with the news and facts. I’ll tell you something about my editing skills. You wrote the first two sentences and then forgot about it and wrote something else. Let me ask you this: why do you bother reading? Why do you expect to fully agree with every story? I know why. It’s because I’m the only person covering this story and many others in your city and area. Take my perspective into account. You’re acting like an asshole to a guy who spent all of Tuesday evening watching this meeting and writing the story and for no money. Let all of you contemplate that. Because I could just quit and you’ll know nothing. You’re not suppose to agree. That’s the point! You’re suppose to discuss and debate the issues. I’m not part of the debate and if you want to imagine some sort of motive other than getting you to read and participate in your city, you’re the bad person. You need to work on your people skills
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You need to work on your reporting skills. You forgot the facts.
Reynoso was repeatedly informed by both Los Positas and HUSD that holding two positions where illegal, give all documentation, and ample time to respond. He refused. OVERWHELMING public support was to get rid of this nutcase who has been on the board 20 years yet refuse to take responsibility for the mess. NO ONE who called in who had actual facts agreed with him staying. Reynoso called in and LIED as well as Sandra Macias, using the race card and their lies to try to back up why he should be able to break the law.
Why do you keep writing these articles from the racists POV? It is VERY disturbing Reynoso and Macias think Hispanic voters will support them because they speak Spanish. Is it because they think they are too stupid to understand otherwise? One Hispanic speaker called in and brilliantly called out Reynoso for the racist tRump wannabe he is.
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