Partly cloudy. High 66F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..
Partly cloudy early then becoming cloudy with a wind-driven rain after midnight. Low 58F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
Updated: November 4, 2025 @ 9:38 am
Ron Galatolo
A case involving former San Mateo County Community College District Chancellor Ron Galatolo has been continued again as the defense needs more time to review the material obtained from an earlier warrant search after the California Supreme Court refused to hear a case regarding the material obtained in the search, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
However, defense attorney Charles Smith said it was the prosecution that made the request.
Galatolo faces 21 felony counts and is accused of directing district construction project contracts to people he received valuable gifts from and with whom he shared financial interests. He also allegedly misreported tax information.
He was arrested in April of 2022 at San Francisco International Airport after returning from vacation in Europe. The arrest resulted from a multiyear investigation after a whistleblower complaint in 2019. Galatolo began as chancellor in 2001 and resigned suddenly in 2019 amid revelations about the investigation and after the district board offered him an emeritus title to use while exploring ways to create a four-year program at the district. He was later terminated from the position that paid $467,000.
In March, the Court of Appeal denied a defense appeal of a judge’s order upholding the decision of the special master to allow for electronic records seized pursuant to a search warrant to be turned over to the prosecution, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The records seized were under dispute because they are files from a lawyer involved in the community college district at the time Galatolo was employed there, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
In a separate $1 billion civil suit filed in February on behalf of the district, construction firms are accused of showering Galatolo and another administrator with lavish gifts from concert and sporting tickets to expensive international travel and even an apartment near the Eiffel Tower. Karim Allana, the CEO of Allana, Buick & Bers, one of the multiple firms named in the lawsuit, disputes the claims and said the suit misconstrues the relationship between he and Galatolo.
The district operates three colleges in San Mateo County; Cañada College, College of San Mateo and Skyline College.
Galatolo is scheduled to return to court July 31 to set a preliminary hearing date.
Note to readers: This story has been changed to reflect the fact that the California Supreme Court refused to hear the case. In addition, the defense attorney said the prosecution made the motion to continue.
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