Vice Chancellor At San Mateo College District Pleads No Contest

SAN MATEO, CA — A vice chancellor at the San Mateo Community College District pleaded no contest to two felony charges of using district resources for political purposes, the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

Jose Nunez, 69, has been the district’s vice chancellor of facilities for 21 years. He was charged last month with 15 felony counts related to allegations of corruption and improper use of funds.

Nunez admitted to using district funds to help elect Tom Mohr to the district board in 2018 and to help support a bond measure to benefit the district’s projects in 2020. As part of the plea agreement, the remaining charges were dropped in exchange for Nunez’s cooperation in the district attorney office’s investigation into the community college district.

The district has three schools in San Mateo County and serves more than 25,000 students.

Nunez’s attorney, Lyn Agre, declined comment on the plea agreement to Bay City News.

Nunez was placed under administrative leave by the district, Ana Maria Pulido, the director of public affairs, told Patch in a statement when the charges were first announced.

“The College District has an unwavering commitment to integrity, transparency, and accountability and supports the District Attorney's goal of ensuring that these standards are met by all public officials,” Pulido said. “The College District has cooperated with the investigation, and will continue to be available to, the District Attorney's Office."