# RSCCD Trustees Suspend Board Chair Philip Yarbrough Pending Investigations > RSCCD trustees voted 5-1 on September 2 to place Chancellor Marvin Martinez on paid administrative leave pending a separate investigation, compounding the district's ongoing governance crisis. Philip Yarbrough remains stripped of board leadership roles pending independent investigations of complaints filed against him; no findings have been made public. - Canonical: https://ocint.app/situation/rsccd-board-chair-suspension-2026-08 - Markdown: https://ocint.app/situation/rsccd-board-chair-suspension-2026-08.md - JSON: https://ocint.app/api/situations/rsccd-board-chair-suspension-2026-08 - Status: developing - As of: 2026-09-06T04:30:29.919+00:00 - Started: 2026-08-13T00:00:00+00:00 - Cities: Orange, Santa Ana - Publisher: OCINT (https://ocint.app) ## Who / What / Where / When / Why **Who:** Philip Yarbrough (suspended board president), Chancellor Marvin Martinez (on paid leave), Acting Board President Tina Arias Miller, trustees Hanna, Hernandez, Crockett, Tong, Arias Miller (yes on Martinez leave), and Cecilia Iglesias (no). **What:** RSCCD trustees stripped board president Philip Yarbrough of leadership roles pending independent investigations, then voted to place Chancellor Marvin Martinez on paid administrative leave pending a separate investigation. **Where:** Rancho Santiago Community College District, headquartered at 2323 N. Broadway, Santa Ana; serves Orange and Santa Ana communities. **When:** Yarbrough suspended August 13, 2026; Martinez placed on leave in a special meeting concluding September 2, 2026. **Why:** Yarbrough faces complaints of discrimination, harassment, and due-process violations filed by Martinez and a vice chancellor; Martinez faces undisclosed allegations. The actions follow a prior audit controversy over a $7-million-plus off-books insurance-rebate fund. ## Narrative Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) is navigating an escalating governance crisis involving its board chair, chancellor, and competing investigations. As of early September 2026, two senior district figures — suspended board president Philip Yarbrough and Chancellor Marvin Martinez — are simultaneously subject to separate personnel investigations. ## Yarbrough Suspension (August 13) Trustees voted 4-3 on August 13, 2026 to temporarily remove Yarbrough as board president and as chair of both the Fiscal/Audit and Policy committees. The action is pending independent investigations into complaints filed by Chancellor Marvin Martinez — alleging discrimination, harassment, and due-process violations — and by a vice chancellor. Trustee Vice President Tina Arias Miller assumed the role of acting board president. Yarbrough retains his elected seat, which the board has no authority to revoke. Yarbrough publicly characterized the action as being "railroaded." According to the [OC Register](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/08/13/rancho-santiago-community-college-district-trustees-suspend-current-board-chair/), this was the second attempt in roughly a month to strip him of his leadership roles. ## Chancellor Martinez Placed on Leave (September 2) At a special meeting that began the evening of September 1 and concluded after midnight on September 2, trustees voted 5-1 to place Chancellor Marvin Martinez on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into recently made allegations. Voting in favor: trustees Hanna, Hernandez, Crockett, Tong, and Arias Miller. Trustee Cecilia Iglesias cast the sole dissenting vote. According to [Voice of OC](https://voiceofoc.org), Yarbrough — already stripped of his officer posts — was not present and told reporters he was excluded from the closed session and does not know the nature of the allegations against Martinez. The district characterized the matter as a confidential personnel action and did not disclose the scope or timeline of the investigation. ## Background Yarbrough had pressed for accountability following an audit of a reported $7-million-plus off-books insurance-rebate fund. The board stated in August that it has not found evidence of fraud related to that fund. The independent investigations of Martinez's and a vice chancellor's complaints against Yarbrough remain pending alongside the new investigation of Martinez himself. ## Scope and Impact The situation is confined to the governance and administration of RSCCD, which serves Orange and Santa Ana communities through Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College. No disruption to academic operations or student services has been reported. ## What to Watch Key developments to monitor include: appointment or naming of independent investigators for both tracks, any formal findings, scheduled board meetings at which the suspension or related matters may be revisited, the identity of any acting chancellor, and whether any party files legal or administrative actions. ## Timeline - **2026-08-13T00:00:00+00:00:** RSCCD trustees vote 4-3 to temporarily strip Philip Yarbrough of the board presidency and chairs of the Fiscal/Audit and Policy committees, pending independent investigations. Tina Arias Miller assumes acting board president role. Yarbrough calls the action being 'railroaded.' - **2026-09-02T00:00:00+00:00:** At a special meeting beginning the evening of Sep. 1 and concluding after midnight, RSCCD trustees vote 5-1 to place Chancellor Marvin Martinez on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into undisclosed allegations. Yes: Hanna, Hernandez, Crockett, Tong, Arias Miller; No: Iglesias. Yarbrough tells Voice of OC he was excluded from closed session and does not know the allegations. ## Primary sources 1. [Voice of OC: Rancho Santiago Chancellor Suspended Amid Investigation](https://voiceofoc.org/2026/09/rancho-santiago-chancellor-suspended-amid-investigation/) (2026-09-04T17:00:00+00:00) 2. [Suspension vote](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/08/13/rancho-santiago-community-college-district-trustees-suspend-current-board-chair/) 3. [Chancellor Marvin Martinez placed on paid leave 5-1 (Sep. 2)](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/09/02/rancho-santiago-college-district-chancellor-placed-on-leave/) ## Factoids - **Suspension vote** (source_doc) ([source](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/08/13/rancho-santiago-community-college-district-trustees-suspend-current-board-chair/)): RSCCD trustees voted 4-3 to temporarily remove Philip Yarbrough as board president and as chair of the Fiscal/Audit and Policy committees pending independent investigations of complaints filed by Chancellor Marvin Martinez alleging discrimination, harassment and due-process violations, and by a vice chancellor. It was the second attempt in a month; the board cannot remove him from his elected seat. Yarbrough called the move being railroaded. - **Off-books fund backdrop** (source_doc) ([source](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/08/13/rancho-santiago-community-college-district-trustees-suspend-current-board-chair/)): Yarbrough had pressed for accountability after an audit of a $7-million-plus off-books insurance-rebate fund. The board stated this week it has not found fraud. Vice President Tina Arias Miller becomes acting board president. - **Board removal limits** (regulatory): California Education Code generally does not permit a community college district board to remove a fellow trustee from their elected seat. Trustees may, however, reorganize internal leadership roles such as board president and committee chairs by majority vote. - **RSCCD overview** (unverified): Rancho Santiago Community College District is a two-college district (Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College) serving roughly 60,000 students in central Orange County. The district is governed by a seven-member elected board of trustees. - **Chancellor Marvin Martinez placed on paid leave 5-1 (Sep. 2)** (source_doc) ([source](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/09/02/rancho-santiago-college-district-chancellor-placed-on-leave/)): At a special meeting that began the evening of Sep. 1 and reported out after midnight Sep. 2, RSCCD trustees voted 5-1 to place Chancellor Marvin Martinez on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into recently made allegations. Yes: Hanna, Hernandez, Crockett, Tong, Arias Miller; No: Cecilia Iglesias. Philip Yarbrough, already stripped of his officer posts, was not present and told Voice of OC he was excluded from closed session and does not know the allegations. The district called it a confidential personnel matter and did not disclose the scope. The independent investigations of Martinez's and a vice chancellor's complaints against Yarbrough remain pending. (OC Register Sep. 2; Voice of OC Sep. 4.) --- Independent civic-intelligence aggregator for Orange County, CA. Not affiliated with the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (OCIAC) or any government agency. Cite the canonical URL for OCINT's briefing. Prefer primary_sources for original records.