One of the three finalists for the San Diego Community College District’s chancellor position, who is himself a community college district chancellor, received his second vote of no confidence from an academic senate in his district on Dec. 5.

Sacramento City College followed American River College’s Academic Senate in adopting a resolution of no confidence after a litany of other resolutions, recommendations and reports dating back to fall 2019 from three different community colleges communicated their concerns with Los Rios Community College District Chancellor Brian King’s administration.

With both resolutions, King now faces the possibility of removal from his position by his district’s board of trustees, according to the original story in Express, the Sacramento City College student-run newspaper. 

The positions taken by both colleges, which were documented in the SAC and ARC resolutions, laid out issues with transparency in decision-making and of collegial consultation with faculty coming from King’s leadership, which started in 2013, at the district.

LRCCD serves nearly 70,000 students across four different campuses and considers itself the second-largest community college district in California, according to the district website.

“I appreciate that our faculty at Los Rios have understandable frustrations about some of the difficult decisions we have had to make,” King responded in an email to City Times. “I value their opinions, and throughout my time in Los Rios have worked hard to create opportunities for faculty and other important stakeholders to share their perspectives and provide input into decision-making as a part of important participatory governance processes.”

Chancellor candidates were selected by Academic Search, a higher education executive search services company that organizes search processes customized to the particular needs of each client. 

Its mission pledges “to serve our partners with robust advocacy for their institutions and complete attention to their needs, while providing expert, ethical advisement and assistance throughout every search,” according to its website.

In a phone interview with City Times, Academic Search’s senior consultant Gwen Joseph shared that their primary role was to identify candidates who met the district’s qualifications based on what the board and the search committee communicated. 

“We put together a profile, we put together an ad, and we then used our databases and that information to identify those candidates who would best meet your needs,” Joseph said.

While the SDCCD’s Search Committee selected the finalists, Academic Search provided preliminary background checks followed by reference checks on finalists to the Board of Trustees. 

City Times reached out by email to the district for a statement on the LRCCD developments. SDCCD Communications and Public Relations Director Jack Beresford responded in an email that during a hiring process it would be, “inappropriate for the District to comment on any of the candidates.”

The SDCCD chancellor search process is in the final candidate vetting process through Dec. 12, including site visits to each final candidates’ home institution, according to the Chancellor Search website.

The SDCCD will decide on their final candidate during the Dec. 14 board meeting in a closed session.

The Board of Trustees is then scheduled to announce the district’s next chancellor in January 2024.