Sweetwater trustee Arlie Ricasa to resign

Sweetwater Union High School District trustee Arlie Ricasa, who had initially been charged with 28 felony and misdemeanor counts in the South Bay’s schools corruption case, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor today, December 18.

Early today, U-T reporter Greg Moran tweeted that Ricasa “entered her plea in South Bay Superior Court as more than a dozen supporters quietly looked on…. Ricasa pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. She won't get any jail time…. She will have to resign her seat on the board by tomorrow.”

On the heels of these tweets, the Reader contacted deputy district attorney Leon Schorr about the unexpected turn of events:

Schorr wrote, “I can confirm that Ms. Ricasa pled to one count of Government code section 89503 with a factual basis as follows: ‘I received, reviewed, understood and biannually voted on Sweetwater's conflict of interest code delineating the Form 700 reporting requirements sent to the Sweetwater Board by the Superintendent. In 2009, I was an elected School Board Member for the Sweetwater Union High School District. I accepted gifts from Rene Flores (SGI) in 2009 with a value of $2099 and I did not report them. The maximum amount one may lawfully receive from one source per year is four hundred and twenty dollars ($420); Rene Flores provided these gifts with the intent to influence my vote on business awarded to Seville Group Inc.’

“She is resigning her position on the Sweetwater board. Her sentencing date is April 9th at 130 pm in dept 16.”