Thursday, February 18, 2010

Chabot College attacked again by Alameda County Taxpayers Association

Chabot College political spending has caught the attention, and the anger, of the Alameda County Taxpayers Association. Last November, Arthur Geen, representing the Alameda County Taxpayers Association, wrote a letter to the editor of the Oakland Tribune complaining of general fund spending for opposition to the planned Hayward, California-based Calpine Plant.

Now, with former PG&E Community Affairs Liason Wil Hardee representing the taxpayer watchdog organization, their efforts at pointing to Chabot College's questionable spending have been turned up a notch.

On Wednesday, Hardee said to this blogger "If Chabot has budget problems, why have they spent at least $120,000 to fight a project that was already approved? That's only what we know; it doesn't include the cost of staff time."

Hardee says that he's puzzled over the relationship between Chabot College and Calpine. Hardee wants to know if Chabot College was so concerned with any environmental impacts from the proposed plant why didn't Chancellor Joel Kinnamon meet with Calpine representatives? Indeed, there's no record, and many claims, that Chancellor Joel Kinnamon never met with, and refused to meet with, Calpine representatives.

Considering the millions of dollars that Calpine gave in project-related expenditures and education budget cuts, one would think Chabot College would want to be in line for some kind of aid? Right? Instead, Chabot College avoids such possible outcomes and spends what could be a quarter-of-a-million-dollars on opposing the Calpine plant, which has been approved.

Next stop, Chancellor Joel Kinnamon.

Stay tuned.

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