The San Mateo County Community College District is asking voters to approve Measure V, an $848 million bond for Cañada College, College of San Mateo and Skyline College. It comes only months after former Chancellor Ron Galatolo was sentenced to jail, and the Palo Alto Daily Post reports few new safeguards have been added since the scandal.

The Galatolo case

Galatolo led the district from 2001 to 2019. After a trial of more than 40 days, a jury convicted him of four counts of falsifying tax documents and four counts of perjury, The Almanac reported. The jury deadlocked on 18 other felony counts. On July 31, Superior Court Judge Leland Davis III sentenced him to eight months in county jail, two years of probation and 100 hours of community service. Prosecutors had alleged he took kickbacks from district contractors and went on undisclosed luxury trips.

The Daily Post reports that four construction companies that allegedly bribed Galatolo have agreed to pay the district $20 million, under a civil lawsuit alleging the firms were paid from 2005 and 2014 bond money.

What the district says is different

The 2014 bond, Measure H, used broad language like “replace aging infrastructure.” Measure V lists projects for each college and caps square footage; a new Skyline College athletic center, for example, could be no larger than 100,000 square feet. Board member John Pimentel said past buildings changed “significantly” from what was first envisioned. He also pointed to a whistleblower hotline created after the scandal, whose tips are investigated by an internal auditor. But the Daily Post found the district’s auditor resigned Sept. 8, and the job is now posted.

Chancellor Melissa Moreno said a citizens’ oversight committee found past bond money was spent properly. “He went to jail, and he’s paying for whatever he did before I got here,” she said. Former committee member Chris Robell said the committee meets about four times a year for a few hours and is chosen by the board, so it is not a reliable check.

The cost

With interest, the district estimates repayment at $1.35 billion. Measure V would extend an existing tax of $18 per $100,000 of assessed value through 2049, or about $386 a year on a $2.15 million home. For the full measure, see our Measure V explainer.

How to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.