Quick Take
The Cabrillo College governing board voted Monday night to censure trustee Steve Trujillo after determining he violated board policies on four occasions. The censure, which bars him from leadership roles and committee service for three years, follows prior disciplinary action in 2023.
Cabrillo College’s governing board censured trustee Steve Trujillo on Monday night, after finding he violated several board policies including promoting an “anti racist ethos” when he singled out a Black employee to comment on President Donald Trump’s comparison of Barack and Michelle Obama to apes at the February board meeting.
The board found that he violated board policy on four occasions from October to February after investigating complaints made against him by community members and district employees. Trujillo was also censured by the board in 2023 for offensive social media posts.
At the February board meeting, Trujillo brought up Trump’s racist social media post and asked the employee – who was sitting in the crowd – to speak to them. The employee declined. At the following board meeting, in March, several employees denounced Trujillo’s behavior and the inaction of the board in responding.
On Monday night, Trujillo didn’t apologize, but said he’s in touch with an American Civil Liberties Union attorney and will sue anyone who supports the censure.
“I can take anybody here who is going to vote in favor of, according to the ACLU, anybody who votes in favor of censoring me, and sue you,” he said. “Guess what? The ACLU has a more than 70% success rate in terms of taking on people who take on the rights of the elected accused.”
During the March meeting, the board created an ad hoc committee composed of trustees Donna Ziel and Ken Wagman, who investigated the complaints and then made recommendations as a result of their findings.
They recommended the board censure Trujillo and for Trujillo to create a separate social media accounts that don’t affiliate him with Cabrillo College in order to separate his personal opinions from those associated with the school. They also wrote that Trujillo must comply with board policy when making public statements.
By censuring Trujillo, he can’t be an officer of the board, such as chair, vice chair or secretary, and he can’t be on a subcommittee for three years.
During the discussion, trustees and Superintendent/President Jenn Capps told Trujillo it was inappropriate for him to threaten to sue them, and trustee Adam Spickler repeatedly told him to stay on topic during his response. Trustee Francisco Estrada expressed disappointment in Trujillo’s behavior.
“I can’t tell you how disappointed I’ve been in your performance,” said Estrada. “We have other failings here at the college. The college needs us. They need a lot of help. I told you one day, ‘Steve, I need you to be my partner for South County.’ And you’re not.”
In addition to the February incident, the board found the Trujillo violated board policy on three additional occasions. In one incident, on Oct. 24, Trujillo called the Watsonville city manager and urged that the police department be able to respond to Cabrillo’s Watsonville Center within three minutes for any emergency call.
He did that without authorization or approval from the board or the superintendent. The board found that Trujillo violated board policy, which calls on trustees to “maintain focus on policy and refrain from interfering with college operations” and “… [supporting] the Superintendent/President … by maintaining a climate of ‘no surprises’.”
In another incident, on Oct. 29, Trujillo posted on Nextdoor about “fascist stooges who hate America and pissy pants Vance heads the list,” he referred to a reporter as “ignorant” and “racist” and described people as “lowlife MAGA bastards.” The board found he violated board policy, which calls on trustees to “refrain from offensive language and avoid bringing the college and board’s reputation into disrepute.”
On Nov. 20, Trujillo filed a complaint against then-President Matt Wetstein and Vice President of Human Resources Angela Hoyt over Trujillo being allowed to enter final interviews of the new president hiring committee via Zoom. Trujillo called Wetstein demanding a Zoom link, which Wetstein said he was working to provide. Trujillo filed the complaint before giving Wetstein sufficient time to provide the link, the board said. Trujillo filed the complaint with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, which doesn’t have jurisdiction over such issues.
The board found Trujillo violated board policy, which includes promoting “a healthy working relationship with the Superintendent.”
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