Editor’s note: The following letter was received before Carlos R. Guerrero was appointed to the College of the Canyons board of trustees. Late on Friday (Sept. 13), COC released the names of the applicants who applied to fill the vacancy created in Area 5 when Joan MacGregor resigned unexpectedly. Only three individuals applied. It did not take long for those of us who pay attention to COC to decide the odds-on favorite to be appointed, Carlos Reyes Guerrero. Guerrero is a professor of Chicano studies and department head at Los Angeles City College. More important, he has “experience” with the union, American Federation of Teachers. He is a union member who will undoubtedly lead the union leaders at COC to endorse him. The three trustees (Edel Alonso, Sebastian Cazares, Jerry Danielsen) are puppets for the faculty and classified unions. They are quite likely to select Guerrero and wish the other two applicants good evening. In 2020 the COC Faculty political action committee funded the campaigns for Alonso, Cazares, and Danielsen who ran as a slate with over $50,000. Alonso and Cazares prevailed in 2020.  The Fair Political Practices Commission has open investigations involving Alonso, Cazares, Danielsen and the COC Faculty PAC for their failure to make complete and accurate reports regarding the funding schemes of their 2020 campaigns. When trustee Michele Jenkins died in late 2022, Cazares, Alonso and MacGregor selected their friend Jerry Danielsen to complete her term. The COC faculty endorsed Danielsen over 12 other applicants, many of whom were clearly more qualified. In 2024 the COC Faculty Association and the California Teachers Association have already endorsed and are funding the campaigns for Michelle Kampbell, Alonso, Andrew Taban and Danielsen.  Enough is enough. If Guerrro is appointed in District 5, the community will have lost control of the district to the teachers’ unions for decades. At this point I hope that public pressure prevails and the trustees will send the vacancy to an election in the late-winter, early-spring. The residents of District 5 deserve to select their own representation. Steve Petzold  Former Santa Clarita resident Douglas County, Georgia The post Steve Petzold | Unions Officially in Control of COC appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.