Students Demand Unpaid Leave for CCSF Chancellor as Trustees Meet Privately
Governing Board • San Francisco City CollegeOctober 5, 2026
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City College of San Francisco students used a rare special meeting on Oct. 5, 2026, to demand that trustees place Chancellor Messina on unpaid leave while allegations about her compensation are investigated. Ten speakers made the case before the board voted to enter a closed session on an undisclosed item. More than three hours later, trustees returned with no reportable action, leaving every student demand unanswered.
- Ten speakers, one message: put Chancellor Messina on unpaid leave pending a compensation investigation
- Student workers push to raise the 15-hour weekly cap to 20, citing pay of about $15,000 a year
- Lab aide cuts reopened: speakers blast a recent board vote against restoring $600,000
- Union organizer says she filed a state labor charge alleging retaliation for organizing
- Closed session lasted more than three hours and ended with no reportable action
Students Make the Case Against the Chancellor
1 big thing: Every public speaker connected recently reported allegations about Chancellor Messina's pay to the board's duty to oversee her. They framed the issue as fairness to the college's lowest-paid workers.
The basics: Speakers cited recent San Francisco Chronicle reporting. Commenters alleged unapproved pay, a stipend, moving costs and unrecorded vacation time. These are allegations made during public comment, not findings. No district official responded to them in open session.
Where things stand: The most direct request came from the aspiring CCSF Student Worker Union.
"I'm asking the board to place Chancellor Messina on unpaid leave until the investigation into her compensation is completed," said Madison Rush, lead organizer of the aspiring CCSF Student Worker Union. She also asked trustees to remove the chancellor and refer the matter to authorities if any allegations have merit.
"The chancellor should not be held to a gentler standard than the lowest-paid workers at this institution," Rush said.
Student workers Rihanna Montero and Homia Jones repeated the call for unpaid leave. Student leader Brianna Smith asked for accountability and a full investigation. Student organizer Esther Mondesir asked for more transparency about how student funds move through the district.
"A student worker's annual salary is just around $15,000, while Messina was already approved for a $350,000 salary," said Rihanna Montero, student worker, Student Health Services, and peer educator, Project Survive.
Oversight under fire: The sharpest criticism was aimed at trustees. The board's only direct employee is the chancellor.
"This is what happens when you allow your one employee to do their own oversight," said Evangela Brewster, Student Vice Chancellor. She also asked that any investigation be independent of both CCSF and the City of San Francisco.
Public commenter Lydia Hernandez said trustees have an obligation not to blindly approve items that appear on their calendar. CCSF student Jason Flagg focused on fiscal stewardship.
"It's her job to make sure that this school is fiscally responsible. So it's imperative that she herself be fiscally responsible," said Jason Flagg, CCSF student.
The other side: No trustee, district staff member or representative of the chancellor answered the allegations in open session. The strongest call for restraint came from the critics themselves.
"We are not trying to do a witch hunt. We want to make sure it happens correctly," Brewster said, stressing due process.
Public commenter Angelica Campos acknowledged the speculation about the closed-session agenda. She urged trustees to weigh the impacts of their actions.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: On a motion by Trustee Heather McCarty, seconded by Trustee Vick Van Chung, the board voted by roll call to enter closed session. Board President Aliya Chisti voted yes. Trustee Anita Martinez was absent, and no "no" votes were announced. The published agenda listed no specific subject. Under California's open-meeting rules, closed sessions are limited to certain matters, such as personnel and litigation.
Board President Chisti had estimated an 8 p.m. return. The board instead reconvened at 9:25 p.m.
"There were no reportable actions taken in closed session today," said Board President Aliya Chisti.
For students, the result is no change to the chancellor's status. For trustees, the pressure is now public, organized and on the record.
What's next: The agenda is available here: Special Closed Session Meeting Agenda – Oct. 5, 2026. Speakers' calls for an independent investigation remain pending, with no announced timeline.
Student Workers Push for More Hours, Restored Lab Aide Funding
Why it matters: Speakers said CCSF student workers earn about $15,000 a year in one of the country's most expensive cities. They also said recent budget cuts have already cost some lab aides their jobs.
Where things stand: Students said their weekly work hours are capped at 15. The Student Worker Union wants that cap raised to 20.
"We are capped at 15 hours when most community colleges are allowed 20 hours," said Tamara Jones, student worker, Student Worker Union.
Jones said the union has repeatedly asked to meet with the chancellor and has been turned down each time. She also asked that student workers be treated more like staff, with comparable protections.
Homia Jones, student worker, Queer Resource Center, described the pay ceiling bluntly.
"We earn $1,200 a month at most, $15,000 a year," she said. She added that multiple lab aides have already been laid off. She also cited the long commutes many student workers face.
The $600,000 question: Brewster reminded trustees that they recently voted against adding $600,000 back to the lab aide budget. She said students had urged the board not to pass the budget. She also compared the cuts to the chancellor's alleged moving costs.
"$15,000 for the chancellor to receive moving costs, that's one lab aide position," Brewster said.
Mondesir asked trustees to reconsider and reinstate the lab aide fund and to protect it going forward. She also asked that students help draft any resolution. Smith tied more work hours to better completion and attendance rates, and she asked that lab aide funding be reviewed again. Hernandez said many student workers were not employed this semester.
Retaliation claim: Rush told trustees she has a pending unfair practice charge against the district before the Public Employment Relations Board, or PERB. PERB is the state agency that rules on public-sector labor disputes.
"My filing shows I was suspended without due process within 24 hours of emailing the chancellor's office to ask for a good faith meeting," Rush said. She said the suspension cost her wages from her job at the Women's Resource Center. These are allegations in a pending charge. The district did not respond in open session.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The board took no action on hours or funding because neither was on the open-session agenda. Student workers, including lab aides and staff at campus resource centers, remain capped at 15 hours. The PERB charge adds legal exposure to an organizing fight that is still taking shape.
What's next: No date was set to revisit the hour cap or the lab aide budget.
Minor Items
- Attendance: Board President Chisti opened the meeting at 6:02 p.m. Trustee Martinez and Student Trustee Wong were absent.
- Adjournment: Board Vice President Luis Zamora moved to adjourn, and Trustee Chung seconded. The motion carried by roll call.
Looking Ahead
Student workers framed the meeting as the start of sustained pressure, not the end. Expect the chancellor's compensation, the 20-hour cap and lab aide funding to return when trustees next take up budget and governance items.