Is Sexual Harassment Accepted at LACC?

Sexual harassment has no place in school, according to the Los Angeles Community College District. Los Angeles City College’s recent decisions say otherwise.

In the spring semester of 2026, LACC invited professor Michael Eric Dyson to speak during Black History Month for a second time — the same man who was accused and investigated for sexual harassment and misconduct at Georgetown University in 2020.

And on March 11, LACC hired Johnel Barron as dean of student services, despite a 2017 lawsuit filed against him by former employee Raquel Gonzalez at Los Angeles Southwest College, alleging sexual harassment, retaliation and gender discrimination. The suit was dismissed without prejudice on Jan. 5, 2018.

These are not the decisions of an institution that takes harassment seriously.

“LACCD remains unequivocally committed to a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment of any kind in our classrooms and workplace, and to fostering a campus climate that promotes respect and civility,” former Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez and then-Board of Trustees President David Vela wrote in a Dec. 8, 2023, districtwide letter.

That statement rings hollow. There is a clear disconnect between what the Los Angeles Community College District presents to the public and the values that guide LACC’s decisions. A zero-tolerance policy means nothing if it isn’t applied when it matters most.

This pattern of looking the other way does not end with Dyson and Barron. While accusations of Cesar Chavez’s sexual abuse of minors and young women have prompted swift action from institutions across the region, LACC’s initial lack of response was notably vague.

While other institutions and organizations acted immediately, LACC’s plans for the administration building that bore Chavez’s name were not made clear to community members. Talks were happening the day The New York Times article dropped, and the actual decision for LACC came from the Racial Equity and Social Justice Committee Advisory, according to Vice President of Student Services Olga Diaz.

Since students returned from spring break, the name Cesar Chavez has been removed from the administration building, including a conference room on the building’s second floor. It is now called the Student Services Conference Room.

Chancellor Alberto J. Román issued a districtwide letter acknowledging the allegations but made no mention of the Cesar Chavez Administration Building or the $72.62 million replacement building currently under construction at LACC.

“[On March 24,] the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education unanimously approved steps to celebrate Farm Workers Day, rename schools, revamp instruction, and remove murals and statues that previously focused on Cesar Chavez, following the revelations of his repeated sexual abuse and assault of women and minors, including civil rights icon Dolores Huerta,” according to an LAUSD Board of Education statement authored by board member Kelly Gonez and cosponsored by all other board members.

LAUSD acted swiftly, and so did the City of Los Angeles.

Mayor Karen Bass signed a proclamation that renamed Cesar Chavez Day, shifting the focus away from the labor rights activist to center on farmworkers instead, according to a press release published by the City of Los Angeles on March 19. Farmworkers Day will be celebrated on the last Monday of March.

Meanwhile, LACCD is proceeding with the construction of the Cesar Chavez Administration and Workforce Building at LACC. In Chancellor Román’s letter, he writes that LACCD’s values “demand that we confront harm honestly, even when it challenges long-held narratives or revered figures.” While other local leaders have taken action to remove Cesar Chavez’s name from schools and buildings, LACCD has made no public announcement or plans to do the same.

As it stands, the district says it will “center survivors and uphold a culture of safety and accountability.” But at LACC, administrators invite a person who’s been repeatedly accused of sexual harassment to come onto our campus and speak to students. But that’s not all, college leaders hesitated to remove a known abuser’s name from buildings and chose to hire a person who’s been sued for sexual harassment and gender discrimination as a dean.

Our school’s actions speak louder than the district’s words ever could.