By: Lauren Ramirez and Ulysses Villa
Long Beach State students and alumni gathered over 600 signatures calling for the removal of part-time Chicano and Latinx studies professor, Julio Perez due to previous sexual misconduct allegations.
The petition’s organizers stated how discouraging it was to hear Perez “was placed inside a classroom as a professor with a position of power” despite his removal from Orange County Labor Federation (OCLF) four years ago.
At this time, Perez has not been charged with any crimes.
This past October, over a dozen Orange County city officials, and residents signed a letter to petition for Perez’s termination as a CSULB professor due to sexually harassing women at OCLF in 2017.
Currently, Perez remotely teaches one Chicano studies course and has Zoom office hours available, according to the CSULB website.
The Daily-Forty Niner reached out to Julio Perez for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Jeff Cook, CSULB associate vice president of strategic communications said the university is investigating the issues raised about Perez, and “how practices and procedures can change in the future as appropriate.”
University officials could not comment on updates regarding Perez’s employment status.
Irlanda Martinez, a former UCLA Dream Summer member, worked with OCLF through the Dream Center’s fellowship program to get hands-on experience as a labor organizer.
During Martinez’s time at OCLF, she faced an inappropriate, non-consensual encounter with Perez and shared her story with the CSULB Liberal Arts department via email.
Correction from source: Martinez was an OCLF intern in the summer of 2014, not 2017.
Photo courtesy: Irlanda Martinez
Photo courtesy: Irlanda Martinez
“Julio had a lot of influence over labor organizers in Orange County, at the time,” she said. “It was scary and intimidating, so I minimized the situation and brushed off what happened.”
Martinez also said Perez needs to be held accountable for his inappropriate actions and does not believe CSULB should have hired him.
“The university has to implement a better system and realize who they’re hiring,” she said. “Perez was accused by so many women at OCLF, and should not be teaching in a class full of young, impressionable women or men.”
This is a developing story and further updates will be included soon.