City Attorney Dennis Herrera News Release 

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ForImmediateRelease:January2,2014Contact:MattDorsey(415)554‐4662

City College wins reprieve, as court enjoins ACCJC from terminating accreditation 

Herrera grateful to court ‘for acknowledging what accreditors callously won’t: that the 

educational aspirations of tens of thousands of City College students matter’ SANFRANCISCO(Jan.2,2014)—ASanFranciscoSuperiorCourtjudgehasgrantedakeyaspectofamotionbyCityAttorneyDennisHerreratopreliminarilyenjointheAccreditingCommissionforCommunityandJuniorCollegesfromterminatingCityCollegeofSanFrancisco’saccreditationnextJuly.UndertermsoftherulingJudgeCurtisE.A.Karnowissuedlatethisafternoon,theACCJCisbarredfromfinalizingitsplannedterminationofCityCollege’saccreditationduringthecourseofthelitigation,whichallegesthattheprivateaccreditingbodyhasallowedpoliticalbias,improperprocedures,andconflictsofinteresttounlawfullyinfluenceitsevaluationofthestate’slargestcommunitycollege.JudgeKarnowdeniedHerrera’srequestforadditionalinjunctiverelieftopreventtheACCJCfromtakingadverseaccreditationactionsagainstothereducationalinstitutionsstatewideuntilitsevaluationpoliciescomplywithfederalregulations.AseparatemotionforapreliminaryinjunctionbyplaintiffsrepresentingCityCollegeeducatorsandstudentswasdenied.Inissuingtheinjunction,thecourtrecognizedthatHerrera’sofficeislikelytoprevailonthemeritsofhiscasewhenitproceedstotrial,andthatthebalanceofharmsfavoredthepeopleHerrerarepresentsasCityAttorney.Onthequestionofrelativeharms,JudgeKarnow’srulingwasemphaticinacknowledgingthecatastrophiceffectdisaccreditationwouldholdforCityCollegestudentsandthecommunityatlarge,writing:“Thereisnoquestion,however,oftheharmthatwillbesufferediftheCommissionfollowsthroughandterminatesaccreditationasofJuly2014.Thoseconsequenceswouldbecatastrophic.WithoutaccreditationtheCollegewouldalmostcertainlycloseandabout80,000studentswouldeitherlosetheireducationalopportunitiesorhopetotransferelsewhere;andformanyofthem,thetransferoptionisnotrealistic.Theimpactontheteachers,faculty,andtheCitywouldbeincalculable,inbothsensesoftheterm:Theimpactcannotbecalculated,anditwouldbeextreme.”

CityAttorneyDennisHerrera—Page2“I’mgratefultothecourtforacknowledgingwhataccreditorshavesofarrefusedto:thattheeducationalaspirationsoftensofthousandsofCityCollegestudentsmatter,”saidHerrera.“JudgeKarnowreachedawiseandthoroughdecisionthatvindicatesourcontentionthataccreditorsengagedinunfairandunlawfulconduct.GiventheACCJC’sdubiousevaluationprocess,itmakesnosenseforustoracetheclocktoaccommodateACCJC’sequallydubiousdeadlinetoterminateCityCollege’saccreditation.”JudgeKarnowadjudicatedfourseparatepre‐trialmotionsintoday’srulingfollowingtwodaysofhearingsonDec.26and30.HerrerafiledhismotionforpreliminaryinjunctiononNov.25—threemonthsafterfilinghisinitiallawsuit—blamingtheACCJCforproceduralfoot‐dragginganddelaytactics,whichincludedafailedbidtoremovethecasetofederalcourtanditsmonths‐longrefusaltohonordiscoveryrequests.JudgeKarnowgrantedinpartanddeniedinpartHerrera’smotion,issuinganinjunctionthatappliesonlytotheACCJC’sterminationdeadlineforCityCollege’saccreditation,andnotstatewide.ApartfromHerrera’smotion,AFTLocal2121andtheCaliforniaFederationofTeachersalsomovedforapreliminaryinjunctiononNov.25,citingadditionallegaltheories.Thatmotionwasdenied.AthirdmotionbytheACCJCaskedthecourttoabstainfromhearingtheCityAttorney’slawsuitforinterferingwithcomplexaccreditingprocesseslargelygovernedbyfederallaw;or,failingthat,tostayHerrera’sactionpendingtheoutcomesofCityCollege’saccreditationproceedingandACCJC’sowneffortstorenewitsrecognitionwiththeU.S.DepartmentofEducation.Afourthmotion,alsobytheACCJC,requestedthatthecourtstriketheAFT/CFT’scaseunderCalifornia’sAnti‐SLAPPstatute,whichenablesdefendantstodismisscausesofactionsthatintendtochillthevalidexerciseoftheirFirstAmendmentrightsoffreespeechandpetition.(SLAPPisanacronymfor“StrategicLawsuitsAgainstPublicParticipation.”)BothoftheACCJC’spre‐trialmotionsweredenied.TheACCJChascomeunderincreasingfirefromstateeducationadvocates,abipartisancoalitionofstatelegislatorsandU.S.Rep.JackieSpeierforitscontroversialadvocacytodramaticallyrestrictthemissionofCalifornia’scommunitycollegesbyfocusingondegreecompletiontothedetrimentofvocational,remedialandnon‐crediteducation.Theaccreditingbody’spoliticalagenda—sharedbyconservativeadvocacyorganizations,for‐profitcollegesandstudentlenderinterests—representsasignificantdeparturefromtheabiding“openaccess”missionrepeatedlyaffirmedbytheCalifornialegislatureandpursuedbySanFrancisco’sCommunityCollegeDistrictsinceitwasfirstestablished.Herrera’saction,filedonAug.22,allegesthatthecommissionactedtowithdrawaccreditation“inretaliationforCityCollegehavingembracedandadvocatedadifferentvisionforCalifornia’scommunitycollegesthantheACCJCitself.”ThecivilsuitoffersextensiveevidenceofACCJC’sdoublestandardinevaluatingCityCollegeascomparedtoitstreatmentofsixothersimilarlysituatedCaliforniacollegesduringtheprecedingfiveyears.Notoneofthosecollegessawitsaccreditationterminated.TheCityAttorney’scaseis:PeopleoftheStateofCaliforniaexrel.DennisHerrerav.AccreditingCommissionforCommunityandJuniorCollegesetal.,SanFranciscoSuperiorCourtNo.13‐533693,filedAug.22,2013.TheAFT/CFTcaseis:AFTLocal2121etal.v.AccreditingCommissionforCommunityandJuniorCollegesetal.,SanFranciscoSuperiorCourtNo.534447,filedSept.24,2013.DocumentationfromtheCityAttorney’scaseisavailableonlineat:http://www.sfcityattorney.org.

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