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Thursday, April 3, 2014

Displaced Dean Faces State Senate Hearing

Emir Jose Macari will be appearing before the State Senate Rules Committee on April 9th at 1:30 for a hearing on his reappointment to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commision.

Originally appointed in 2010 by Governor Schwarzenegger, Macari was renamed for a second term by Governor Jerry Brown in June of 2013. The assignment requires Senate confirmation.

Ten other members of the commission were reconfirmed on April 2nd, without being called for questioning. Opposition to Macari surfaced and a new hearing was set so his testimony can be heard.



Macari was put on leave and relieved of his duties as a CSUS Dean on December 3, 2013, just days after a libel suit he filed was dismissed. Macari claimed that he was harmed when public records about his tenure at Louisiana State University and his application for his position at CSUS were published on the web.

On January 31, 2014, Macari was replaced by an interim Dean. A search is now underway for a new College executive. Macari's removal from the executive ranks came shortly after the conclusion of a Federal Civil Rights retaliation trial in which Macari was the named defendant, along with the CSU. Macari was dismissed as a defendant in that action after filing for bankruptcy in 2012.

The trial in Federal Court ended when the plaintiff rested and the defense failed to secure a favorable ruling on a series of motions seeking to limit and exclude evidence. Over three days, the jury heard testimony about Macari's conduct while in office and about management practices at CSUS.