New Haven trustee under DA investigation over residency allegations
New Haven trustees rebuked Gonzales, others, and rejected paying his legal bills; County supes schedule special closed session on Coliseum sale
☕️MORNING BUZZ
—A New Haven Unified School District trustee is under investigation by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office for allegedly living outside the district he was elected to represent, raising questions about his eligibility to serve and exposing new tensions on the school board.
Three sources with knowledge of the matter confirmed the subject of the probe into Trustee Michael Gonzales.
Existence of the investigation had not been publicly known until Gonzales himself acknowledged it during an Aug. 12 school board meeting.
A spokesperson for the DA’s office would neither confirm nor deny that an investigation is underway. Gonzales did not respond to an email for comment.
“It was just an inquiry. I have not been charged,” Gonzales said at last week’s meeting. “All I ask is justice prevail. I’m not asking anything from anybody. Let the district attorney decide what is what.”
Gonzales was elected to the New Haven school board in 2020 and is also employed as an elementary school teacher in Hayward.
State law requires elected officials to live within the jurisdiction they serve. Violations can result in forfeiture of office, a four-year ban on holding public office, and potential criminal or civil penalties of up to $1,000 and six months in jail… MORE BELOW.
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—More inside:
CITY NEWS: More from Union City: School board calls out Gonzales, superintendent, and legal counsel for placing the district at risk.
Hayward approves tree ordinance, some voice concerns about felling trees near the airport, city-owned golf course.
Livermore, Pleasanton approve new four-year contract with firefighters union.
COUNTY NEWS: Supervisors take a break from vacation for closed session regarding Coliseum sale.
