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By Erik Galicia
For the second time in eight years, a convicted sex offender ran unopposed for the Associated Students of Riverside City College presidency.
Albert Jaramillo, 45, was charged in 2011 and convicted in 2014 of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14.
His past was exposed to unknowing ASRCC members during a recent Inter-Club Council meeting when a student expressed concern in the Zoom chat. Jaramillo said he addressed the student’s comments with other council members after the meeting.
ASRCC held a live forum allowing students to question election candidates May 12, before the election closed the following day. According to sources, no one questioned Jaramillo about his conviction during the meeting.
“This is public knowledge,” he said. “I’m not going to say, ‘Hey, my name’s Albert, I’m on the Megan’s Law.’ If you confront me, I will address it.”
Some administrators and ASRCC members were aware of his conviction, he said.
But some students are calling for Jaramillo to address it during a second live forum.
According to an anonymous source, Student Activities coordinator Deborah Hall has been approached about such a forum but said the proposal must go through RCC administrators and the Riverside Community College District Human Resources Department.
Hall said via email that a written response to Jaramillo’s situation is in progress but did not agree to an immediate interview May 13.
Jaramillo said he is willing to address the matter during a live forum with the student body, but will not go into detail about his conviction.
Tristin Morales, Jaramillo’s running mate, said he was aware of the conviction before they decided to run for office.
“It was not my place to really say anything to the students since it is his personal life,” he said.
Morales said he is not judging Jaramillo for his past and bases his view of his running mate on the person he has become during his time with ASRCC.
A similar situation played out in 2013, when a Viewpoints staff member found a flyer on campus that exposed then ASRCC President Doug Figueroa as a convicted sex offender. Figueroa was convicted of kidnapping a child under the age of 14 “with intent to commit lewd or lascivious acts.”
RCC administrators were aware of Figueroa’s conviction as well.
Jaramillo said he served three months in county jail for his crime and was placed on probation for three years. He then served two years in prison for a probation violation, which he said was related to him not informing his probation officer of where he lived.
The presidential candidate, who is still on parole, was released from prison in October of 2018 and began attending RCC during the winter 2019 term. He quickly became the Inter-Club Council representative for the Transitioning Minds Club and has served as the Inter-Club Council director for the past two years.
According to a source, there are minors in the Inter-Club Council with whom Jaramillo interacts. Jaramillo said that although he understands safety concerns, he is not a threat.
RCCD Police Chief Shauna Gates said minors are sometimes present on campus due to RCC’s Gateway to College Program. Offenders may sometimes be given clearance to be around minors if provisions allow, but that is decided by their parole officers, she added.
Jaramillo was allowed to be on campus during RCC’s Halloweentown in 2019, which attracts many children. Jaramillo said he provided a letter to RCCD police stating that he had permission from his parole officer to be on campus.
Gates said she would look back in the department’s records for the letter and follow up. The RCCD Police chief also said the department’s obligation is to ensure Jaramillo is registered with campus police every time he registers for courses at RCC.
Jaramillo said his parole officer has noticed all the positive things he is doing and has been easing restrictions on him for some time.
“With my charges come a ton of restrictions,” he said. “I have shown my parole officer that I am not a problem. I’m not a threat to society.”
Jaramillo added that he constantly discloses his activities to his parole officer, many of which require him to be around minors, and is given clearance to attend the events.
His assigned parole officer could not be reached May 14.
Jaramillo also said he has undergone counseling as a parole requirement and has been reduced to the lowest level of supervision.
“Everyone’s talking about safety, but no one’s talking about what I’m doing right,” he said.
Jaramillo was on the committee that provided emergency ASRCC stimulus checks to students during the fall semester. He has earned the Veteran of the Year Award and serves on the Call to Action Task Force to combat anti-Black racism.
“But no one sees any of that stuff,” he said. “They see the charges and raise their walls and say, ‘He’s a threat.’”
Although his election had not yet been announced as of May 13, Jaramillo said he would not step down from the presidency.
“No other student stepped up to be student body president,” he said. “You have a student who has a criminal past — who society wants him to never see the light of day — still stepping up and still volunteering to be student body president.”
Hi y’all. An open forum with the President of RCC Dr. Anderson and his admin are hosting an open forum today at 12pm. Please attend and express your concerns. Zoom link is on the ASRCC Instagram.
I see so many people worried about there safety. But how many of y’all are doing drugs, how many of you are out late at night at clubs and rave. How many of you drive like idiots and show no regard to your life or those on the road. Yet when someone has been labeled your all of a sudden scared for your safety. That’s bull crap, your judgemental and want people who have a past to never forget what they’ve done. You want that person to feel less than you and to be cast aside.
How is this relevant? Do you have specific data to support your ridiculous argument assuming every college student parties? No? This grown man at 35 decided to prey on a child. This shouldn’t be an argument. He can attend college OFF CAMPUS. there’s actual public record of him committing a crime! Why is this up for a debate? People get fired for tweets these days and you’re saying that because all college student “do drugs” we should ****? That because we “all” party? We should let a on campus? So ridiculous
Once a pedo always a pedo. They can not be rehabilitated they only change their wolf clothing to keep everyone fooled.
My thought exactly. This individual has everyone fooled and shouldn’t be trusted. Why? For the most brazen attitude he’s displayed obviously not caring for us as students.
I feel so betrayed that I had to find out through the school newspaper and not through RCC itself. The school or those in charge are not doing their duty to protect women or even mon from potential dangerous situations. The man was in his late 30s when he sexually abused a minor. To say that him being around minors at RCC is okay is extremely irresponsible.
Likewise! I had to find out through a Facebook post. I wrote to the Deans and administration. This can’t slide anymore. We attend college thinking we are safe from the outside world this is clearly a violation of our best interest. People want to argue that we should just leave and go elsewhere? As if we have the easy means to do so? As if we should just **** and let it happen? No! Policies need to change! This 45 year old is not a good example and most definitely doesn’t represent. I’d like to get involved if anyone is interested in making this change in our school policy. I wanna thank the students who have spoken up and have been ignored by the “sane” adults running our school. ASRCC has also failed at their mission statement. Shame on them and that “man’s” running mate for not taking initiative to say something. Please note that I’m not asking for this individual to be expelled but to step down and not run again attend college OFF our campus. Other colleges like Lake Michigan Community College has actual bans on sexual offenders. That most likely won’t happen here but a policy can chance. Thank you all!
Jaramillo is brazen. The way in which he addresses his conviction gives me the impression he does not have an understanding of the severity of his crime. This is not someone whose judgment I trust. While formerly incarcerated individuals absolutely have the potential for reform and deserve the opportunity to become productive members of the community, Jaramillo has demonstrated behaviors that show his immaturity and lack of insight.