State senator wants Joseph Castro investigated over Fresno State sexual harassment claim
A state senator on Friday jumped into the growing call for officials from the California State University system to investigate what CSU President Joseph Castro knew about sexual harassment claims at his former Fresno job.
Senator Connie M. Leyva, D-Chino, said she is troubled by the report that Castro was president at Fresno State when he, the school’s human resources department and its Title IX office received at least a dozen complaints against Frank Lamas, the university’s former vice president for student affairs, according to a report from USA Today.
Castro himself received at least seven of the 12 complaints, which include that Lamas stared at women’s breasts, touched women inappropriately and made sexist remarks, as well as berated, belittled, and retaliated against employees.
“To that end, I call for an immediate and thorough investigation by the CSU Board of Trustees — and any other authority that may have jurisdiction — to determine the accuracy of the information that appears in the USA Today story,” Leyva said in a statement on Friday. “If those allegations are proven to be accurate, I would then ask Chancellor Castro to immediately resign from his position since it would call into clear question his ability to lead the California State University system and its thousands of employees.”
Castro praised Lamas in performance reviews and endorsed him for a lifetime achievement award before the university quietly paid Lamas to leave the university following an investigation.
That investigation launched after an employee accused Lamas of implying he would help her get promoted in exchange for sexual favors, according to the report. Despite that accusation forcing Lamas to leave, Castro told staff and the public that Lamas chose to retire at the end of the year and thanked him for his time at the school, the report said.
Leyva said the investigation could reveal the need for a Senate Education Committee hearing.
“As the head of the entire CSU system, Chancellor Castro must prioritize the safety of students, staff, faculty and the entire CSU community and — if the information in the story is corroborated through an outside investigation — it would be evident that his ongoing behavior and favoritism further endangered the safety and well-being of countless students and others, possibly causing Title IX violations by the university,” her statement said.
Lamas agreed to never seek employment in the CSU system again, but left with a settlement at the end of 2020 finalized by Castro and university counsel Darryl Hamm that paid him a full year’s salary — $260,000.
Lamas has denied any wrongdoing.
In an interview with The Bee Friday afternoon, Castro said, “I have great respect for Sen. Leyva. She and I have worked closely together on higher education issues. I understand that she would like to talk with me and I welcome the conversation with her so that I can share information about this and answer any questions she has and as it relates to an investigation, this is something that I will be discussing with the Board of Trustees and in the end it’s their decision about whether to do so, but I would be open to that and I will let her know that as well when we speak.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2022 at 2:01 PM.
