Make California Post a Preferred Source The head of the troubled City College of San Francisco is facing allegations that she gave herself cash, stipends and fake vacation days — on top of a $350,000 salary.
Trustees board President Aliya Chisti told Chancellor Kimberlee Messina that it will “conduct a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into the allegations” of her alleged misconduct, according to a letter seen by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Per the letter, Messina’s executive assistant claimed the college boss received a monthly stipend without board approval and also got a salary that seemed to be above the board-approved amount.
The chancellor’s vacation balance “appears to remain at 25 days despite vacation” taken during August and October of last year, the allegations said.
Travel requests allegedly were not sent to the board for approval but instead to the vice chancellor of finance. A former interim vice chancellor of finance allegedly received improperly characterized payments, as well.
The assistant claimed the chancellor ordered her to use an attendance spreadsheet to review work hours “even though this approach was never previously taken and is not taken in other divisions.” The boss also allegedly directed the assistant to use a City College credit card for a staff group lunch, even though human resources said that was not allowed.
The Post reached out to the college’s public information department, the assistant and Messina for comment.
The Chronicle reported other concerns with Messina.
The college boss allegedly tried to change the contract of the college district’s top lawyer so the lawyer could continue serving as the college’s counsel. The current contract required the lawyer, who is licensed in Massachusetts, to pass the California bar exam last July.
Messina is currently serving out a three-year contract that ends in June 2028.
She is the 13th chancellor in 11 years at the college of nearly 43,000 students, the Chronicle reported, as the institution has gone through a long history of administrative turnover.
The public community college has struggled with persistent fiscal and accreditation crises exacerbated by declining enrollment and a decision in 2017 to eliminate tuition for San Francisco residents.
Messina previously was the president of Spokane Falls Community College in Washington and spent ten years as a tenured faculty member at Santa Rosa Junior College.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Master of Arts in Spanish from California State University, Sacramento and earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at the University of California, Davis.
