Michael Tolar asked the district to examine the allegations, interview former employees with relevant knowledge and make information available to the community. He also urged the board to improve public access to its meetings through online video and streaming.

The concerns involve decisions about public money and the records needed to evaluate those decisions. They deserve a clear, documented response.

Campaign contributions and Del Terra contract decisions

Tolar said he had evidence of contributions to Trustee Oscar Valladares from an agent of Del Terra. He referred to a California Fair Political Practices Commission filing involving Northstar and Del Terra and alleged that Valladares had not disclosed the contributions when voting on a Del Terra contract.

He also asked Trustee Rosaelva Lomeli whether her campaign had received contributions from Valladares and how she had established the source of those funds.

Whether any contribution or vote violated applicable law requires verification of the relevant filings, meeting records and legal requirements.

Board votes, contracts and district spending

Tolar questioned votes he described as occurring in July and November 2025 involving Valladares, Lomeli and, in November, Trustee Yarisma Rocha. Readers can review the November 12, 2025, Del Terra contract agenda item and recorded vote directly.

He also raised concerns about the departures of Dr. Arturo Reyes and Dr. Flores, the associated costs to the district, and the handling of Del Terra payments and contracts. He alleged that Reyes had stopped payments for work not performed and that a terminated contract was subsequently reinstated.

Those are substantial allegations. A documented district response would help the community evaluate the decisions and spending he questioned.

Background sources cited in our earlier reporting include the 2018 FCMAT audit of Montebello Unified School District and 2023 Whittier Daily News reporting on Rio Hondo’s continued contracting with Del Terra. These sources provide context; they do not establish all of the allegations in Tolar’s comment.

A call for investigation and public access

Tolar asked the district to conduct a “fair and thorough investigation” and interview past finance staff and others with relevant knowledge. He also called for meetings to be available through YouTube or streaming so residents could more easily follow board business.

“The community has a right to know,” Tolar said.

Public confidence depends on understandable decisions, accessible records and answers to specific questions about public spending. A transparent review would help establish what happened, resolve disputed claims and identify any corrective action warranted by the evidence.

Rio Hondo’s students, employees, alumni and community deserve that clarity.

The allegations above are attributed to Tolar’s public comment. The underlying campaign filings, contracts, payment records and voting records have not been independently verified for this draft. Public comment alone does not establish wrongdoing.

Public comment transcript

The following reproduces the supplied transcript, including apparent transcription errors and repetitions. It has not been checked against the audio. Timecodes are retained as supplied. The speaker identifies himself as Michael Tolar at the beginning of his remarks.

00;00;00;08 – 00;00;04;29 — Trustee Lomeli
Next we have Michael Tolar.

00;00;05;01 – 00;00;13;24 — Trustee Lomeli
Just a Reminder, you have two minutes. Thank you. Perfect. I'm sorry. Give me one second.

00;00;13;26 – 00;00;33;22 — Michael Tolar
Good evening. My name is Michael Tolar. I'm a resident of Whittier and a graduate of Rio Hondo College. I'm an active member of this community, and I have some serious concerns that I would like the district to respond to. I have evidence that Trustee Valladares received contributions from an agent of Del Terra as evidence in this filing against Northstar and against Del Terra as early as 2018.

00;00;33;25 – 00;00;56;07 — Michael Tolar
When I was a student here, Trustee Valladares did not disclose this fact as he voted to approve Del Terra's contract. In this filing, you'll also find that a contribution was made to a school board candidate at Montebello where Del Terra was involved in yet another financial scandal. I've made copies of this legal stipulation by Northstar to the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

00;00;56;09 – 00;01;16;21 — Michael Tolar
Trustee Lomeli. Did your campaign receive any contribution from Trustee Valladares? If so, how do you know where that money came from? Trustee Valladares and Lomeli were the two two votes to approve in July of 2025. In the board meeting. Then in November, you brought that agenda back and voted to approve it, this time with the help of Trustee Rocha. Why?

00;01;16;24 – 00;01;43;00 — Michael Tolar
But I time Del Terra already accumulated more charges for their part in the water district scandal. These contributions and the subsequent votes with this, without disclosing that you've received money from these vendors, of course, is illegal. Not recusing yourself from that vote is also improper at this point. The only way we can move forward is for the district to conduct a fair and thorough investigation into these allegations.

00;01;43;02 – 00;02;09;09 — Michael Tolar
Interview past staff in finance and areas who have intimate knowledge of irregularities, particularly during Dr. Arturo Reye’s this tenure here. The community has a right to know how much these two trustees cost us when they fire Doctor Reyes and Flores. Doctor Flores was fired six months after this very board renewed her employment contract. Doctor Reyes terminated these payments to Del Terra that were outrageous and unacceptable for work not performed.

00;02;09;11 – 00;02;31;07 — Michael Tolar
He was fired. And at the very first board meeting after his release, that terminated contract was put back in place. How much did that cost us? I wish I was here, not I wish I was not here speaking to you today. I wish none of this had happened, but because these two trustees consistently act against the best interests of this institution and the community, I am here.

00;02;31;07 – 00;02;59;03 — Michael Tolar
I ask again that Rio Hondo conduct their own investigations and make the funding public. And while we're on, you know, the the the subject of transparency, making these meetings, you know, putting them on YouTube, streaming them, right, so the community knows what's going on. Right? So this community is watching you. I'm watching you. And we'll do whatever we need to bring back transparency and integrity to Rio Hondo, even if that means we fill candidates to oppose you.

00;02;59;05 – 00;02;59;24 — Michael Tolar
Thank you.