..."consequences would be catastrophic..."       Judge Karnow

 City College of San Francisco was granted an initial reprieve by Judge Karnow on December 26, 2013. The judge ordered a preliminary injunction which prevents the July 31, 2014 disaccreditation of City College from occurring until a trial is held on the merits. The Judge justified his ruling by noting: “Without accreditation, the college would almost certainly close and about 80,000 students would either lose their educational opportunities or hope to transfer elsewhere; and for many of them, the transfer option is not realistic. The impact on the teachers, faculty and the city would be incalculable.” The City Attorney Dennis Herrera brought suit against the accreditation committee alleging that the Accreditation Commission evaluated City College with "unfair, biased or illegal procedures."  Basically, this injunction reassures current students and the greater CCSF community, that classes will continue to be offered in an accredited institution without fear of closure on July 31, 2014. While the merits of the case will be argued on a later date, students, teachers and staff do not need to worry about the College shutting down in the next six months. 

The main City College campus sits directly in District 11. A disaccreditation would have dire consequences for not only the students, professors and staff, but also neighboring businesses. Both plaintiffs and defendants asked for more, but the Judge favored the continuation of the College rather than shutting it down in July and resurrecting it again, should the City Attorney's office prevail at trial. Irreparable harm and cost to the community and taxpayers would have resulted from a denial of the City's request for an injunction. Suits were also brought by the Teacher's Union (AFT 2121) and students at CCSF alleging similar wrongdoing. Read the SF Appeal's coverage here. For further information, download Memorandum Order CGC13 - 533693 granting the injunction.