Santa Barbara City College Board Votes to Censure Trustee Veronica Gallardo

Gallardo Keeps Board Seat but Ineligible for Committee Membership, Board Officer Roles, and Conference Travel for the Next Year

At Thursday's SBCC Board of Trustees meeting, Veronica Gallardo's in-person supporters held signs saying “Let Veronica Speak” and “This Is America,” making allusions to their and Gallardo’s viewpoint that the board’s resolution to censure her went against her First Amendment rights. | Credit: Callie Fausey

Tensions were high in Santa Barbara City College’s board room on Thursday night. Discussion for Agenda item 15.1, a resolution to censure Trustee Veronica Gallardo, began when the sun was still in the sky and didn’t end until it dipped over the horizon. The decision to censure Gallardo was almost unanimous, save for Gallardo’s “no” vote and the student boardmember abstaining.

Gallardo has been on the Board of Trustees since 2012 and currently represents Area 3, Santa Barbara.

Gallardo was accused of multiple board-policy and code-of-ethics violations, including rude and disrespectful behavior toward Interim Superintendent/President Kindred Murillo, missing 19 meetings and being late to 14 others from July 2021 to July 2023, and interfering with college operations by attempting to “micromanage” and make unilateral demands of Murillo, among others.