Educator put on leave

The chancellor of the Coast Community College District, which governs OCC as well as other local community colleges, has been put on administrative leave pending an investigation of unknown allegations.

At their regular meeting this week, which fell during winter break for the colleges, the district’s board members voted behind closed doors to put Ken Yglesias, the district’s top administrator, on indefinite leave. Vice Chancellor of Human Resources Joe Quarles will take his place temporarily.

Board President Jim Moran said he could not comment because “it’s a personnel issue and a closed-session item.”

“What has been announced is in a document that went out to the presidents [of the colleges],” he said. “The chancellor is on leave. Dr. Joseph Quarles is the acting chancellor for the college district.”

At that same meeting, the board also hired investigative firm Barboza & Associates and computer firm Data Triage Technologies, whose website promises to “assist the client in retrieving electronic evidence.”

Moran would only say that the firms were hired “for college business.”

Other board members refused to comment altogether, deferring to Moran as their spokesman.

Yglesias has been chancellor of the district since May 2004, when he replaced retiring Bill Vega. He had been with the district since 1985, when he was hired as a dean at Coastline Community College, then appointed president of Golden West College in 1995.

In his previous career, he had been a high school teacher and an officer in the foreign service.

Efforts to reach Yglesias for comment were unsuccessful.

MICHAEL ALEXANDER may be reached at (714) 966-4618 or at michael.alexander@latimes. com.