Capo School District Update - Investigation or Sham?

The objectivity of Judge Start Waldrip has been challenged. The Capistrano Unified School District’s Board of Trustees recently chose Waldrip as an independent investigator regarding alleged district wrongdoing. The CUSD Recall Committee on Aug. 20 released a statement, saying the investigator has a conflict of interest.

The committee sent a letter to the CUSD trustees demanding they immediately relieve the judge of his investigative duties. The committee discovered Waldrip was a senior partner with the law firm of Rutan & Tucker, CUSD’s primary law firm. Waldrip worked at Rutan & Tucker for 13 years, from 1967 to 1979. The press release stated, “This obvious conflict of interest disqualifies Judge Waldrip from acting as CUSD’s independent investigator.” Following is additional text from the recall committee’s press release.

“The CUSD Recall Committee also demanded that the CUSD trustees abandon the pretense of conducting (and paying for) their own independent investigation. The CUSD trustees should not waste another penny of taxpayer money directing their highly paid lawyers to engage another highly paid consultant to conduct an “independent investigation.”

“Numerous allegations of illegal and criminal acts committed by CUSD leaders now exist. Compelling evidence supports those allegations. The CUSD trustees cannot ignore these facts.

“An independent investigation into these matters is already under way – the Orange County District Attorney is conducting it. Therefore, we demand that CUSD abandon its own “independent” investigation and instead:

a) Invite the district attorney to come into CUSD to investigate;

b) Confirm that Supt. Fleming and each of the trustees will cooperate fully and submit to one-on-one interviews with the district attorney’s investigators;

c) Confirm that all CUSD files, computers, books and records will be made available for immediate inspection by the district attorney’s investigators; and

d) Instruct every CUSD employee and official to cooperate fully and to come forward with any information they have relating to these serious allegations.

“Continued failure by the trustees to invite the district attorney to investigate these matters suggests strongly that the CUSD leadership does not really want a full and complete investigation.”