Orange Unified Trustee Ortega’s Employment Contract Not Being Renewed

Orange Unifed Trustee John Ortega
Orange Unified Trustee John Ortega

Earlier this month I wrote about Orange Unified School District Trustee John Ortega, who was named Chief of the Mt. San Jacinto College Police back in March of 2011, being placed on Administrative Leave by the school in December for an undisclosed reason. We had learned from anonymous campus sources that Ortega had been placed on leave for allegedly having sexual relations with more than one member of his staff.

On Tuesday the Orange County Register reported that Mt. San Jacinto College would not be renewing his contract as police chief. From the OC Register story.

Mt. San Jacinto College trustees decided Feb. 9 not to renew John Ortega’s 16-month employment contract, which expires June 30. He will remain on leave until then, pending further board action, spokeswoman Karin Marriott said.

Ortega is the second police chief at Mt. San Jacinto College forced off the job in as many years. His predecessor, Kevin Segawa, was sentenced to a year in jail after pleading guilty to receiving gifts and loans from a towing company to which he directed business.

It will be interesting to see whether this Republican elected official will continue to sit on paid leave as a community college employee for the next four months, or save his employer the hassle of firing him. This should prove to be a revealing test of his ‘conservative’ credentials as well as personal ethics.