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City College of San Francisco chancellor on paid leave amid funds probe

City College of San Francisco chancellor on paid leave amid funds probe

Rule Changes San Francisco, CA local

Board investigates allegations of unapproved pay, vacation time and travel by Kimberlee Messina

October 8th, 2026: Special Meeting to Name Acting Chancellor

Overview

Updated Oct 18

City College of San Francisco Chancellor Kimberlee Messina was placed on paid leave Tuesday while an independent investigator reviews seven allegations that she misused college funds. Her own executive assistant filed the complaint in September.

Acting Chancellor David Yee, appointed after Messina's leave, told a campus meeting he took the job 'to help students' and will reassess after Thanksgiving. The college has cycled through 13 chancellors in 11 years while facing financial instability and accreditation threats.

Why it matters

A college that has gone through 13 chancellors in 11 years is again without its sitting leader while trustees weigh an acting chancellor and the investigation runs.

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Key Indicators

13
Chancellors in 11 years
CCSF has cycled through 13 chancellors in 11 years amid financial and management problems.
7
Allegations in complaint
Executive assistant Mary Grace Esteban's September 4 complaint raised seven allegations of unauthorized spending and procedural violations.
$350K
Board-approved annual salary
Messina's contract salary, which the complaint says she may have exceeded.

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People Involved

Kimberlee Messina
Kimberlee Messina
Chancellor, City College of San Francisco
On paid administrative leave during independent investigation
ME
Mary Grace Esteban
Executive assistant to the chancellor
Complainant; still employed at CCSF
 Aliya Chisti
Aliya Chisti
President, CCSF Board of Trustees
Overseeing the investigation
DY
David Yee
Vice Chancellor for Academic and Institutional Affairs
Acting chancellor; said he will serve until reassessment after Thanksgiving

Organizations Involved

City College of San Francisco
City College of San Francisco
Public community college
Under investigation of its chancellor

San Francisco's public community college, serving tens of thousands of students across multiple campuses.
BT
CCSF Board of Trustees
Governing board
Overseeing investigation and interim leadership

Elected board that governs City College of San Francisco and hires the chancellor.
AFT 2121
AFT 2121
Faculty union
Calls for independent investigation

The faculty union at City College of San Francisco.

Timeline

May 2025 October 2026

11 events Latest: October 8th, 2026 · 1 month ago Showing 8 of 11
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Special Meeting to Name Acting Chancellor

    Latest Board action

    Trustees were scheduled to consider appointing an acting chancellor at a special meeting. No appointment was publicly reported in coverage through Oct 8.

  2. Yee addresses council as acting chancellor

    Public statement

    Acting Chancellor David Yee told the Participatory Governance Council he took the job to help students and likened his role to a substitute teacher. He said he will reassess after Thanksgiving.

  3. Trustees schedule meeting on acting chancellor

    Board action

    Board scheduled a special meeting for Thursday to consider appointing a permanent acting chancellor.

  4. Messina placed on paid leave

    Board action

    The board placed Chancellor Messina on paid administrative leave and named David Yee temporary acting chancellor.

  5. Board holds special meeting on discipline

    Board action

    Trustees met with a single agenda item: public employee discipline, dismissal or release.

  6. Investigation becomes public

    Reporting

    The San Francisco Chronicle reported the investigation; Inside Higher Ed and other outlets followed within days.

  7. Board president responds to complaint

    Communication

    Aliya Chisti told Esteban the college would hire an independent investigator to review the allegations.

  8. Executive assistant files complaint

    Complaint

    Mary Grace Esteban filed a complaint with seven allegations of unauthorized spending and procedural violations in the chancellor's office.

  9. Legal Counsel Contract Amendment Withdrawn

    Investigation detail

    Messina asked trustees in August and September to drop a contract requirement that general counsel Amy McLellan pass the California bar. The proposed amendment was withdrawn without a vote, the Chronicle reported.

  10. Messina hired as chancellor

    Hiring

    After the Cortez pick collapsed, the board hired Kimberlee Messina with a $350,000 annual salary and three-year contract.

  11. Board announces Cortez as next chancellor

    Hiring

    Trustees announced Carlos Cortez as CCSF's next chancellor, but never held a vote on his appointment.

Scenarios

1

Messina ousted, college hires 14th chancellor in a dozen years

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: San Francisco Chronicle; local higher-ed observers noting the pattern of previous chancellor Mark Rocha resigning after being placed on leave

The independent investigation finds the allegations credible, the board moves to terminate Messina's contract, or she resigns preemptively. The college then launches yet another search for a permanent chancellor, extending the cycle of instability.

2

Investigation clears Messina, she returns to duties

Possible Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: Board President Aliya Chisti, who has publicly stated the leave is non-disciplinary and interim

The independent investigator finds insufficient evidence of wrongdoing, or concludes the issues were procedural rather than intentional. The board reinstates Messina with corrective measures, and she resumes her role as chancellor.

3

External oversight imposed on CCSF finances

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Faculty union AFT 2121 leadership; accreditors given the college's history of financial instability

The investigation's findings, combined with the college's decade of financial troubles, trigger intervention from the state chancellor's office or the accrediting commission. CCSF is placed under formal oversight, probation, or a special review requiring outside financial management.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

March 2020

Mark Rocha's Exit from CCSF (2020)

The board placed Chancellor Mark Rocha on paid administrative leave in March 2020, citing a confidential personnel matter. He resigned days later with a settlement of about $340,000.

Then

Senior vice chancellors ran the college until an acting chancellor was named; a run of interim leaders followed, ending with interim Mitchell Bailey before Messina was hired in 2025.

Now

It set a precedent for a CCSF chancellor leaving after the board placed them on leave.

Why this matters now

Messina's leave follows the same first step the board took with Rocha in 2020: paid administrative leave before any public finding.

May 2025 - June 2025

Carlos Cortez Selection Fiasco (2025)

Trustees announced Carlos Cortez as next chancellor in May 2025, but the Chronicle revealed the board never actually voted on him. Reporting also surfaced a 2024 DUI arrest in Florida.

Then

Cortez's candidacy collapsed; the board hired Messina in June 2025.

Now

The episode drew scrutiny to the board's hiring process; Messina, the chancellor it hired instead, is now on leave pending an investigation.

Why this matters now

It shows the board's pattern: rushed announcements, incomplete vetting, and a leadership churn that continues regardless of who holds the job.

Sources

(7)
+1
SFist Inside Higher Ed The Guardsman San Francisco Chronicle New York Post We Are San Francisco The Guardsman