Trump’s ties draw concern from faculty

Proposed contract with lobbyist group that is close to president held from board meeting agenda

OAKLAND >> A Peralta Community College District board vote on a controversial contract with a lobbying group was pulled at the last minute from Tuesday’s agenda after faculty expressed concerns over the firm’s ties to anti-immigrant policies.

The board was scheduled to vote at its 7 p.m. meeting on a one-year, $120,000 contract with American Defense International, a New York and Washington D.C.-based military defense lobbying firm. But Chancellor Jowel Laguerre requested it be removed this week.

Since this weekend, faculty members have questioned why the district would contract with ADI and its chairman, Van Hipp Jr., pointing out his ties to President Donald Trump, Fox News, and his leadership in 2012 of the Americans for Securing the Border, a group that asked Republican politicians to pledge to build a more secure border with Mexico.

“My initial alarm bells had to do with (Hipp Jr.) who I happen to know of as an extremely conservative (person) and I would argue anti-immigrant security expert,” said Blake Johnson, a history instructor at Laney College. “It seems to be inappropriate for the Peralta District to employ somebody we know has private and public political views that I think are in opposition to the will and interest of our community.”

Ironically, the college board on Tuesday is also set to vote on a resolution denouncing President Trump’s threat of rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program. Approved by President Obama, the program protects young immigrants brought to the country illegally from deportation.

The diverse district with colleges in Berkeley, Alameda and two campuses in Oakland has many undocumented students enrolled in classes.

Reached Tuesday afternoon, Chancellor Laguerre conceded that district administrators should have done a better job of reaching out to faculty before bringing the contract to the board. The chancellor was introduced to ADI by board trustee William Riley and gave Hipp Jr. a tour of aviation center at College of Alameda over the summer. The firm previously had a contract with the district in 2002 to secure homeland security funds after the 9/11 attacks.

Johnson and other faculty members questioned whether the timing of the visit was strategic given that most faculty are away for the summer. Tuesday’s meeting is the first since the spring semester.

On Tuesday Laguerre said the district “needs to take a step back” as it develops its legislative agenda and which firms will represent the district’s needs in Washington D.C.

According to the proposed contract on the meeting agenda, ADI would provide lobbying and consulting services to include securing federal funding for aviation programs, training for veterans, and cyber security. In August, the district paid ADI $10,000 for preparing their proposal to the district, the chancellor said.

A major component of the district’s legislative agenda is the DACA program, Laguerre said. The chancellor said he talked to Hipp Jr. on Tuesday morning, and was assured that the longtime Republican who supports President Trump is not opposed to DACA. Attempts to reach ADI were not successful. Trump also considered Hipp Jr. as a candidate for secretary of the Army, according to media reports.

“He really works on both sides of the aisle. I think he seems to have a good program in terms of how he would go about helping us,” Laguerre said. But, he added, “most likely we’ll do a (request for proposals) and see who comes to help us. We do need somebody who can deliver and who can bring in federal contracts” while keeping in line with the district’s values.