Ref Rodriguez

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Ref Rodriguez

| image = Ref Rodriguez, 2017 (cropped).jpg

| image_size =

| image_upright =

| smallimage =

| smallimage_alt =

| alt =

| caption = Rodriguez in 2017

| order =

| office = Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education for the 5th district

| term_start = May 19, 2015

| term_end = July 23, 2018

| predecessor = Bennett Kayser

| successor = Jackie Goldberg

| office1 = President, Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education

|term_start1 = July 7, 2017

| term_end1 = September 19, 2017

| predecessor1 = Steve Zimmer

| successor1 = Monica Garcia

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1972}}

| birth_place = Cypress Park, Los Angeles

| alma_mater = Fielding Graduate University (PhD)
Loyola Marymount University (B.A.)

| module = {{Infobox criminal

| child = yes

| criminal_charge = One felony count each of conspiracy{{cite web|url=https://ktla.com/news/local-news/ref-rodriguez-pleads-guilty-to-conspiracy-resigns-from-los-angeles-school-board/|title=Ref Rodriguez Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy, Resigns From Los Angeles School Board|date=July 23, 2018|author=Espinosa, Elizabeth|website=KTLA}}
25 misdemeanor counts of assumed name contribution{{cite web|url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/lausd-president-cousin-charged-campaign-contribution-case/23728/|title=LAUSD President, Cousin Charged Campaign Contribution Case|date=September 13, 2017|website=KNBC}}

| criminal_penalty = Three years’ probation, 60 days of community service

}}

Refugio Rodriguez (born 1972) is an American educator and politician, who served as President of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education in 2017. He served as a member of the Board from 2015 until his resignation in 2018, and currently serves as an adjunct professor at Santa Ana College.{{cite web|url=https://www.utla.net/news/ref-rodriguez-resigns-school-board|title=Ref Rodriguez resigns from school board|date=July 23, 2018|website=United Teachers Los Angeles}}

Early life and career

Rodriguez grew up in Cypress Park, Los Angeles and was the first of five children of Mexican immigrants to graduate from college, earning a bachelor's degree from Loyola Marymount University and a PhD from Fielding Graduate University.{{cite web|url=https://www.laprogressive.com/lost-honor-ref-rodriguez/|title=The Lost Honor of Ref Rodriguez|website=LA Progressive|author=Leibner, Joshua|date=10 April 2018 }}

He returned to his home neighborhood after college to co-found Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC), a public charter school program, with Jacqueline Elliot.{{cite web|url=https://archive.kpcc.org/news/2017/10/31/77203/lausd-was-asking-about-rodriguez-linked-charter-sc/|title=LAUSD was asking about Rodriguez-linked charter school deals in 2015. Did they say 'stop'?|author=Stokes, Kyle|date=October 31, 2017|website=KPCC}}{{cite web|url=https://www.educationnext.org/wealth-wisdom-charter-school-pioneer/|title=A Wealth of Wisdom From a Charter School Pioneer|author=Young, Caprice|website=Education Next|date=6 June 2018 }} He also lectured at Loyola Marymount University and was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing in 2013.{{cite web|url=https://boe.lausd.net/rodriguezbio|title=Ref Rodriguez Biography|website=LAUSD}}{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=18139|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905163901/https://www.gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=18139|archive-date=September 5, 2015|date=July 11, 2013|title=GOVERNOR BROWN ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS}}

Career

= LAUSD Board of Education =

== District 5 election and tenure (2014–2018) ==

In November 2014, Rodriguez announced that he would be running for a seat in the Board of Education and raised $50,000 during the first campaign reporting period.{{cite web|url=https://ktla.com/news/local-news/lausd-board-president-and-his-cousin-charged-with-reimbursing-nearly-25000-to-donors/|title=LAUSD Board President, Cousin Charged With Conspiracy in Alleged Campaign 'Money Laundering Scheme'|date=September 13, 2017|author=Quednow, Cindy Von; Pamer, Melissa; Spillman, Eric|website=KTLA}} He ran against incumbent Bennett Kayser and Andrew Thomas, a professor at Walden University.{{cite web|url=https://laschoolreport.com/district-5-lausd-school-board-race-snapshot/|title=District 5: LAUSD school board race snapshot|date=February 24, 2015|website=LA School Report}} He maintained that he would do more for the District than pander to charter schools.{{cite web|url=https://laschoolreport.com/rodriguez-seeking-an-lausd-seat-as-more-than-a-charter-guy/|title=Rodriguez, seeking an LAUSD seat as more than a 'charter guy'|date=January 20, 2015|author=Romo, Vanessa|website=LA School Report}}

On July 7, 2017, Rodriguez was elected as the president of the Board of Education by a 4–3 vote. The four votes were newly elected members Kelly Gonez and Nick Melvoin, reelected member Mónica García, and Rodriguez himself.{{cite web|url=https://beverlypress.com/2017/07/ref-rodriguez-elected-lausd-school-board-president/|title=Ref Rodriguez elected LAUSD school board president|date=July 13, 2017|website=Beverly Press}}{{cite web|url=https://www.pucschools.org/dr-rodriguez-elected-lausd-school-board-president/|title=DR. REF RODRIGUEZ ELECTED LAUSD SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT|date=July 7, 2017|website=PUC Schools}}

== Campaign contribution scandal (2017–2018) ==

LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacey charged Rodriguez with three felony charges of conspiracy, perjury, and procuring and offering a false or forged instrument. The case was linked back to Rodriguez's bid for the board in 2014, with he and cousin Elizabeth Tinajero Melendrez reimbursing $25,000 to his campaign donors, most of whom were family and friends.{{cite web|url=https://www.the74million.org/article/ref-rodriguez-resigns-in-los-angeles-why-the-school-board-president-stepped-down/|title=Ref Rodriguez Resigns in Los Angeles: Why the School Board President Stepped Down|author=Favot, Sarah; Szymanski, Mike|date=September 20, 2017|website=The 74}} In January 2015, Rodriguez reported in his first campaign disclosure statement that more than $51,000 had come from family, friends, and other people, but half actually had come from himself.{{cite web|url=https://laschoolreport.com/ref-rodriguez-resigns-3-things-to-know-about-the-los-angeles-unified-school-board-members-departure/|title=Ref Rodriguez resigns: 3 things to know about the Los Angeles Unified school board member's departure|date=July 23, 2018|author=Koran, Mario|website=LA School Report}} On September 20, 2017, the United Teachers Los Angeles called for the resignation of Rodriguez.{{cite web|url=https://www.utla.net/news/utla-calls-resignation-ref-rodriguez-lausd-school-board|title=UTLA calls for the resignation of Ref Rodriguez from the LAUSD School Board|date=September 20, 2017|website=United Teachers Los Angeles}}

On September 19, 2017, Rodriguez stepped down as president amid charges of perjury and other felonies. Although stepping down, he remained on the board.{{cite web|url=https://www.foxla.com/news/ref-rodriguez-steps-down-as-lausd-president-amid-charges|title=Ref Rodriguez steps down as LAUSD president amid charges|date=September 19, 2017|author=DeSocio, Jeffrey Thomas|website=KTTV}} On October 24, 2017, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.{{cite web|url=https://ktla.com/news/local-news/l-a-school-board-member-ref-rodriguez-pleads-not-guilty-to-campaign-money-laundering-charges/|title=L.A. School Board Member Ref Rodriguez Pleads Not Guilty to Campaign Money Laundering Charges|website=KTLA|date=24 October 2017 }} On July 23, 2018, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to a felony count of conspiracy and four misdemeanor counts, and as part of a deal with prosecutors, resigned from office.{{cite web|url=https://laist.com/news/do-not-publish-ref-rodriguez-resigns-from-lausd-board-amid-charges-scandal|title=Ref Rodriguez Pleads Guilty To Felony And Misdemeanor Charges, Resigns From LAUSD Board|author=Stokes, Kyle|date=July 22, 2018|website=LAist}} Ten candidates ran to replace Rodriguez,{{cite web|url=https://www.dailynews.com/2019/03/03/meet-the-10-candidates-running-for-the-lausd-school-board-seat-left-vacant-by-ref-rodriguez/|title=Meet the 10 candidates running for the LAUSD school board seat left vacant by Ref Rodriguez|website=Los Angeles Daily News|date=March 3, 2019}} and he was replaced by Jackie Goldberg in 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.dailynews.com/2019/03/05/lausd-election-2019-goldberg-takes-early-lead-in-race-for-district-5-seat-to-replace-ref-rodriguez/|title=LAUSD Election 2019: Jackie Goldberg tops field in LA school board race that appears headed for May runoff|author=Plachta, Ariella|date=March 5, 2019|website=Los Angeles Daily News}}

= Santa Ana College =

In March, 2023, Rodriquez was hired by Santa Ana College as the head of Career Education/Dual Enrollment amid community criticism.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-29 |title=Santa Ana College is apparently trying to hire a felon to work with high school kids |url=https://newsantaana.com/santa-ana-college-is-apparently-trying-to-hire-a-felon-to-work-with-high-school-kids/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=New Santa Ana |language=en-US}}

Controversies

= Conflict of interest case =

On October 13, 2017, a conflict of interest complaint was filed against Rodriguez by a charter school network that he founded.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-edu-rodriguez-checks-complaint-20171016-story.html|title=L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez faces conflict-of-interest complaint over $285,000 in payments|author=Blume, Howard|date=October 16, 2017|website=Los Angeles Times}} A week later, on October 24, 2017, the California Fair Political Practices Commission closed the case, citing his conspiracy charges filed by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office.{{cite web|url=https://lacomadre.org/2017/10/dr-ref-rodriguezs-conflict-interest-case-dropped/|title=Dr. Ref Rodriguez's Conflict of Interest Case Dropped|website=La Comadre|date=October 24, 2017 |last1=Comadre |first1=La }} The conflict of interest case did not have any relation to his felony case.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-edu-rodriguez-conflict-case-closed-20171020-story.html|title=Rodriguez won't have to defend himself against conflict-of-interest complaint — for now|date=October 20, 2017|author=Blume, Howard|website=Los Angeles Times}}

= 2018 arrest =

On March 16, 2018, Rodriguez was arrested at The Paseo at around 4:30 p.m. for suspicion of public intoxication.{{cite web|url=https://www.theeastsiderla.com/news/public_safety/eastside-school-board-member-ref-rodriguez-arrested-for-allegedly-being-drunk-in-public/article_508ee413-f938-591e-9b20-4eac4598030a.html|title=Eastside school board member Ref Rodriguez arrested for allegedly being drunk in public|date=April 5, 2018|website=The Eastsider LA}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dailynews.com/2018/04/04/lausd-board-member-ref-rodriguez-taken-into-custody-for-suspected-public-drunkenness/|title=LAUSD board member Ref Rodriguez taken into custody for suspected public drunkenness in Pasadena|date=April 4, 2018|author=Cain, John|website=Los Angeles Daily News}} He was released without being charged or cited, with Rodriguez thanking the officers for "being kind and seeing this for the non- event that it was.”{{cite web|url=https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018/04/05/lausd-board-ref-rodriguez-arrested-pasadena-public-drunkenness/|title=LAUSD Board Member Ref Rodriguez Arrested In Pasadena On Suspicion Of Public Drunkenness|date=April 5, 2018|website=KCBS-TV}}{{cite web|url=https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018/06/13/video-released-arrest-school-board-member/|title=Only On 2: Video Released Of Arrest Of School Board Member|website=KCBS-TV|date=June 13, 2018}}