In an unexpected move, the San Francisco Community College District Board of Trustees opted not to choose the queer and nonbinary person it had announced would be its next chancellor. The board selected no one at its May 29 meeting, leaving it doubtful whether a new leader will be in place by July 1.
As the Bay Area Reporter reported May 27, the board announced to great fanfare in a news release that Carlos O. Cortez, Ph.D., the former chancellor of the San Diego Community College District, had been chosen, and that his nomination would be ratified at last Thursday’s meeting. Cortez’s tenure was to start July 1.
However, when the board emerged from closed session to discuss the matter, it removed consideration of Cortez’s candidacy from its agenda.
“No reportable action was taken during closed session,” board President Anita Martinez, a straight ally, said, according to a video of the meeting. “Therefore, we will remove item 6A from the open session agenda, and continue with the rest of the meeting.”
A district spokesperson didn’t immediately return requests for comment. Neither has Cortez, who told the San Francisco Chronicle after the fateful meeting that he is not sure where his candidacy now stands. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trustee Alan Wong, a straight ally, stated to the B.A.R. June 3 he is declining to comment “since this is a closed session and confidential personnel matter.”
The B.A.R. asked the district and the board why the item was removed, where Cortez’s candidacy stands, and what will happen now with no chancellor ready to go once gay interim Chancellor Mitchell Bailey’s term is up at the end of this month.
Martinez didn’t answer those questions in a statement she gave to the B.A.R. June 3.
“We remain committed to a transparent and inclusive process in selecting our next chancellor,” she stated. “We believe that broad support and shared vision are essential in choosing a leader who will guide our institution into its next chapter.”
Martinez continued that the selection process is “ongoing” and “reflects our dedication to collaborative practices and the importance of selecting a candidate who is widely supported by our community.”
“We hope to reach consensus soon and to welcome a permanent leader or to appoint an interim chancellor to oversee operations,” she continued. “We are optimistic about the future and the strength of our institution. We will keep you posted via updates on our website.”
Bailey was one of those who was a finalist for the chancellor position.
Rounding out the others in contention were Rudy Besikof, Ed.D., president of Laney College in Oakland; Kimberlee Messina, Ed.D., president of Spokane Falls Community College in Washington state; and Henry Yong, Ed.D., Ed.S., chancellor of the Yosemite Community College District.
The first openly gay male to lead the district, Bailey became interim chancellor last spring after former chancellor David Martin announced his plan to resign at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year. At that time Bailey told the B.A.R. he was not seeking the permanent position, but he changed his mind and made a run for it.
While Bailey is the college's first gay male leader, he's not the first out interim chancellor; that distinction belongs to lesbian Susan Lamb, who was tapped for the position in 2015, as the B.A.R. reported. The B.A.R. reached out to Bailey through a spokesperson, who stated he is on vacation and is thus unavailable for comment.
The Chronicle reported last year that layoffs and budget cuts in an attempt to achieve fiscal stability made former chancellor Martin unpopular with parts of the faculty union.
The 50-year-old Cortez, who was the first chancellor in the state's community college system to identify as queer and nonbinary, is an alum of the University of Southern California.
He would have been the district’s fifth permanent head since 2012. The Chronicle reported his career has not been without controversy. In 2022, while in San Diego, he was forced to cancel his welcoming ceremony after he invited “The Color Purple” author Alice Walker to speak. Walker has been dogged by allegations of antisemitism, including for a poem that referred to the Talmud, the central text of Rabbinic Judaism, as “poison.”
In January 2024, court records show he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Florida, the paper reported. He pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge.
The City College board is next expected to meet June 26.
Updated, 6/3/25: This article has been updated with comments from CCSF board President Anita Martinez.
