Lapse in ethics can’t be ignored

The only thing surprising about the recall effort against Coast

Community College District trustee Armando Ruiz is that it took so

long to come together.

A notable group of people -- which includes fellow trustee Jerry

Patterson, former Newport Beach mayor Jean Watt and Newport-Mesa

school board trustee Martha Fluor -- is behind the effort, which has

already signed a notice of intention with the Registrar of Voters.

To recap, Ruiz retired from his counseling job at Irvine Valley

College and his position on the board on Oct. 31, three days before

he was reelected to the district board. By taking advantage of a

loophole, he became eligible for a $120,000 pension, double the

amount he would’ve received had he retired from his jobs on different

days.

The move was legal, but it certainly wasn’t ethical, fair or

right. For a man who declared in 2000 that the district’s commitment

should be to quality education and to students, Ruiz’s actions had

little to do with a commitment to students or education. It had

everything to do with selfishness and greed.

Ruiz has said little about his pension since the election, except

to call the controversy a ploy by the district’s teachers union to

replace him with a more liberal candidate.

The fact is, he has little defense for his actions. And it’s time

for the public to call him out for it.

A successful recall won’t bring back the annual $120,000 payment

to Ruiz; he’ll be able to take advantage of his pension for life. It

will, however, give voters a chance to oust someone who clearly has

little regard for the students he claims to serve.