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Contact Information:

Frances Squire
Marketing Director
9900 Cody Street
Coalinga, CA 93210
francessquire@
westhillscollege.com
(559) 934-2134-office
(559) 250-6389-cell
(559) 934-2813-fax

West Hills College board appoints bond oversight committee members for northern area

With the passage of an $11.7 million local higher education bond last June, the West Hills Community College District is required by law to establish a committee of local citizens to oversee spending of the bond proceeds. 

Chancellor Frank Gornick said that the committee must have representatives from specific interest groups.  Members appointed to meet those requirements and the groups they represent are:

• Jose Antonio Ramirez, city manager of Firebaugh, representative of a business organization.
• Gilbert Coelho, a member of the Firebaugh Senior Citizens’ Commission, representing a senior organization.
• Rosa Elena Espinoza, a North District Center student involved with the College Migrant Assistance Program (CAMP) and the college Chicano theatre group, representing currently enrolled students.
• Dr. Oscar Sablan of Firebaugh who serves on the WHCCD Foundation board, representing a college organization.
• An active member of a bona-fide taxpayer’s association is still being sought to serve on the committee.

Gornick also said that there must be a minimum of two members of the community-at-large.  Filling those positions are:

• Miguel Arias, president of the Mendota Unified School District Board of Trustees and a member of the Mendota-Firebaugh Rotary Club.
• Vernon Gordon, a retired WHCCD board member and farmer who serves with the Tranquillity Chamber of Commerce.
• Sean Howard, owner of Tierra Linda Farms in Firebaugh.
• William Pucheu, owner of Pucheu Brothers Ranch, Inc., and secretary of the San Joaquin-Tranquillity Lions Club.
• Gilbert Rossette, superintendent of the Mendota Unified School District.

The group is required to meet at least once each year to review bond projects and expenditures.  Gornick said he anticipates that the board may actually meet more frequently than that due to a high level of local interest in the college and its projects.

WHCCD passed two additional bond measures on the November ballot—one for the Coalinga/Huron area and another for the West Hills College Lemoore area (including Riverdale, Stratford and Avenal).  Those measures also require citizens’ bond oversight committees.

Gornick said that anyone interested in serving is invited to contact his office at 559.934.2102 or email donnaisaac@whccd.edu.

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West Hills Community College District serves the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and is part of the California Community College System.  Its two colleges, West Hills College Coalinga, which includes North District Center, Firebaugh, and West Hills College Lemoore, serve more than 6,000 students on campus and online each semester.