Santa Barbara City College President Erika Endrijonas Garners Lawsuit

Career College Administrator Erika Endrijonas, currently President-Superintendent of Santa Barbara City College, has a lengthy history of getting the institutions into legal messes has wasted no time in repeating history in her first year at SBCC.

According to filings in the Santa Barbara Superior Court filed on July 11, 2024, Erika Endrijonas, Art Olguin, Attorney Mark M. Hathaway and the Santa Barbara Community College District, are being sued by a John Doe.

This lawsuit follows two other incidents in the past year at Santa Barbara City College where Endrijonas provoked the ire of the community. On Oct 13, 2023, The Channels (SBCC Student run newspaper) published an article documenting community discontent with Endrijonas's messaging regarding political events in the middle-east.

Endrijonas causes controversy over message sent to SBCC community | October 13, 2023

This was followed by public comments from trustee Veronica Gallardo publicly expressed her distrust for Endrijonas in February 2024.

"A closed session is an allotted period of time for the board to discuss matters that are disclosed and confidential to the public. The evaluation of the superintendent-president was an item within the board’s closed session on Thursday.

“I will be recusing myself from item 3.2 because [Jonathan Abboud] and the board cannot be trusted, and neither can Erika [Endrijonas],” Gallardo said.

Jonathan Abboud sits on the board as president, as well as Erika Endrijonas who is the City College superintendent-president."

Trustee openly criticizes the board’s members at tension-filled meeting The Channels | February 25, 2024

This was not the first time concerns about Endrijonas had been voiced. Earlier in 2023, Endrijonas had been a finalist in the initial search for a President-Superintendent. However after substantial public comment and feedback, the board re-opened applications and extended the search again due to public push-back regarding the finalists. Endrijonas was only hired after the board finally circled back and decided to give her another chance, with several trustees still voting NO on her appointment.

"The board decides to extend the superintendent-president search" March 24, 2023.

Prior to this Endrijonas was President-Superintendent of Pasadena City College, where her bullying behavior resulted in the PCC Academic Senate and Full-Time Faculty Union voting that they had no confidence in her leadership, and the newly elected Board of Trustees declining to extend her contract.

During her transition into Santa Barbara City College, Endrijonas benefited from a near total black-out on her less than ideal hiring.

Erika Endrijonas Beneficiary of Santa Barbara News BlackOut June 5, 2023.

Prior to her time at Pasadena City College, Endrijonas was the President of Los Angeles Valley College, where she garnered lawsuits and accreditation complaints against the college. The building project that was supposed to be her major accomplishment has since been exposed as a massive racketeering scheme resulting tens-of-millions-of-dollars in lawsuits.

Pinner files a more than $35 million lawsuit against the LACCD for wrongful termination over VACC March 27, 2024 LA Valley Star

Corruption and fraud beset long-delayed L.A. Valley college theater project, lawsuit alleges August 4, 2022, The Los Angeles Times

Erika Endrijonas Legal Mess Lands In Federal Court Aug 5, 2023

Erika Endrijonas faces new questions in LACCD fraud May 2, 2023

Dozen LAVC Cinema Student Narratives challenges Erika Endrijonas’s LACCD Success Story May 5, 2023

Shegerian & Associates Wins $2.9 Million in Employment Suit Against LACCD On Behalf of Iranian Immigrant Dec 20, 2018,