Although his 20-year career with San Benito County ended in May
of 2004 amidst allegations of corruption and his eventual firing,
Rob Mendiola landed a job as Gilroy Unified School District
facilities director a year later.
Hollister – Although his 20-year career with San Benito County ended in May of 2004 amidst allegations of corruption and his eventual firing, Rob Mendiola landed a job as Gilroy Unified School District facilities director a year later.
Mendiola was fired in a 4-1 vote by the San Benito County Board of Supervisors after at least two county employees came forward with allegations that the former planning director granted favors, such as hastily rezoning portions of county land for certain developers for personal financial gain.
The county investigated the allegations, along with the planning department, and eventually cleared him of any criminal activity – a fact some locals say reveals Mendiola was fired without cause.
“He was exonerated of everything that came up but he was let go anyway,” said San Benito County Principal Planner Byron Turner, who worked for Mendiola in the planning department.
In November, Mendiola filed lawsuits against Salinas attorney Michael Pekin and the anonymous group Los Valientes for defamation and invasion of privacy and claimed that they waged a smear campaign against him that resulted in his firing.
He’s seeking unspecified punitive damages, attorney’s fees and any other damages the court deems proper, according to court documents pulled by the Free Lance.
When reached for comment Tuesday afternoon Mendiola refused to talk about the lawsuits or his previous position.
“I’m working for the school district now, I don’t comment on my former life,” he said.
But Turner, who has served in his current position for almost three years, said Mendiola was fired for no apparent reason and that he wasn’t guilty of anything besides being the victim of a political firestorm and personal agendas.
“When you work in a position for a long time you’re bound to make enemies,” he said. “I never saw any evidence of any corruption.”
Former longtime Supervisor Ruth Kesler said she stopped attending county meetings after Mendiola was fired because she was so disgusted with the covert action of the Board of Supervisors.
“I just wish it hadn’t happened and being it did they should come out in public and say, ‘This is the reason Rob Mendiola was let go,’ but they haven’t done that,” she said.
Kesler, who served as a supervisor for 12 years, said Mendiola was “the best planner that we have ever had, the very, very best. He was concerned and made sure that everything was looked into. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
Also, she mentioned that he was always at the meetings and on-hand for questions.
Mendiola also attends GUSD board meetings on a regular basis.
Other county employees including Supervisor Pat Loe, the sole member to vote against Mendiola’s firing and Hollister City Manager Clint Quilter, declined to comment on the case.
Mendiola was offered a position as GUSD facilities director in July, during the district’s second round of hiring.
District Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services Steve Brinkman said they spent months searching for a qualified facilities director before Mendiola came along.
Because there are so many lucrative positions in the private sector, it’s difficult to fill the facilities director position, Brinkman said.
A hiring committee comprised of various district officials and a member of the Citizen’s Oversight Committee participated in the hiring process.
The committee asked Mendiola a series of questions and ranked him according to his answers.
The district checked his references, speaking to both equals and subordinates, and he sat through three interviews.
Mendiola was upfront about his previous position and all of his references were impeccable, Brinkman said.
The committee recommended Mendiola and Superintendent Edwin Diaz, who checked Mendiola’s references and knew he was fired from his previous job, signed off on the decision.
Many of Mendiola’s GUSD responsibilities, such as land-use zoning and actual construction, are similar to the work he did as San Benito County’s planning director.
Brinkman said he’s weaving Mendiola into the overseeing of the entire facilities master plan.
He will be more involved in the district’s finances next school year, he said.
