Last updated on April 12, 2024
Six out of the seven members of the Board of Trustees voted in favor of Cabrillo College changing its name at an open session on November 14.
The new name will be selected by August 2023 and will be implemented at the start of the 2024 fiscal year; which refers to the 12-month budgeting period beginning on July 1st. The funding for the name change will come from external sources and fundraising.
The Name Exploration Subcommittee, which includes Trustees Christina Cuevas, Adam Spickler, and college President Matthew Wetstein reiterated their Nov. 10 report. Cuevas emphasized that without the petition submitted by staff, students, and community members this exploration may have not taken place.
The subcommittee wants to focus on mission-driven or geographic references for the new name, have a process that seeks community input, and build reserves to address cost concerns.
The subcommittee is not looking to the Cabrillo Foundation to take on this project. They are looking to work with administration in fundraising efforts, along with seeking funding from foundations that work on racial justice and racial equity.
This moment was viewed live by over 100 people, with multiple people passionately sharing their thoughts, stories, and perspectives in the public comment portion of the meeting.
“On behalf of the Indigenous Club members and students, employees, community members, and allies, we firmly stand in solidarity, and in absolute support of the Cabrillo name change.” student and Indigenous Club member, Amber-Rose Torres said, “We are demanding that the college upholds its values of; equality, inclusiveness, and being, a progressive institution. Change is inevitable but positive systemic change is necessary and crucial to the success of all students.”
Former area-seven trustee Ed Banks said “Sandy [Lydon] points out, the name long ago in this community came to stand for the college, not the colonizer. Further diminishing community support for the college by renaming it.”
When making a decision there was overwhelming support, from most of the trustees. Trustee Steve Trujillo said, “It was a dreadful decision and a terrible misjudgment and we need to right the wrong. I will emphatically state to all of you, please, vote for this recommendation from the name change committee because it’s, the right thing to do.”
Student trustee Deviné Hardy voted in favor of the name change, even though her vote is an advisory vote. As stated in the “Community College League of California: Trustee Handbook” regarding student trustee votes. “The advisory vote does not count in determining if an item passes but may be logged in the official minutes.”
Trustee Rachael Spencer was the only one who opposed the name change. Spencer didn’t agree with the method that the subcommittee used during the surveying process .“The numbers over and over show that the community did not support it and the students don’t support it,” Spencer said.
Trustee Adam Spickler respectfully and passionately disagreed. “I don’t think just simply going back on ‘we need to hear from the majority’. The majority, aren’t invested the way that the folks who have spoken out about the transgenerational harm that’s caused [are]” said Spickler.
