Fact #3:

HBCSD School Board members hired an “expert” on school design based in San Jose, CA to advise the FPAC members during the 2013 facility meetings. The district's "expert" had a legal complaint against him in San Diego.

(1)  Legal Complaint against Paul Bunton of BCA Architects by San Diegans for Open Government, Case #37-2012-00101391-CU-MC-CTL in San Diego Superior Court. 

“On or about July 30, 2012, plaintiff San Diegans for Open Government filed Case No. 37-2012-00101391-CU-MC-CTL in San Diego Superior Court against respondent and other named defendants who also had contracted to perform services to the District [Southwestern Community College District (District)] for the same project.  According to the complaint, respondent had sought to provide architectural services to the District, a public agency.  In the weeks and months leading up to making of the contract with the District, respondent gave food, entertainment, and other gifts of substantial value to the District’s vice president for business and financial affairs (vice president), and the senior director of business, facilities, and planning (senior director).  These District’s officials would be involved in the making of the contract or would make recommendations that would carry substantial weight by District’s final decision maker as to whom to award the contract.  As a quid pro quo exchange, these officials would affirmatively lobby and encourage the District’s governing board to enter into a contract with respondent.”

“The complaint also alleged that respondent engaged in a civil conspiracy to bribe public officials.”  …”Respondent, for its part in the stipulation, agreed to pay $250,000 to the District.  Respondent however did not report this settlement to the Board within 30 days.”

“Third Cause for Discipline, False Statement on Renewal Application, Business and Professional Code sections 498 and 5579."...  “Respondent has subjected his architectural license to discipline for submitting a false statement under penalty of perjury on an application to renew his architectural license…”  “On or about July 31, 2013, respondent submitted an application to renew his architect license.  He signed this application “under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that all of [his] representations on [the] knowledge and belief.”  On this application, he answered “no” to the following question: In the preceding renewal period, have you been disciplined by a public agency or have been convicted of a crime in any state, the USA and its territories, …?”  However, on March 26, 2012, in The People of the State of California v. Paul Curtis Bunton, San Diego County Superior Court Case No. CD239827, respondent pled guilty to aiding the commission of a misdemeanor (Pen Code 659), a misdemeanor.”

NOTE: BCA Architects have since rebranded themselves as Studio W Architects.  https://studiow-architects.com/about/  

NOTE: HBCSD school board members chose Studio W Architects to create their 2024 plans for a renovated Valley School campus. Was hiring Paul Bunton to do the design work on Valley School a way for school board members to also "thank" Paul Bunton for recommending rebuilding North School versus renovating?

(2) March 13, 2013 – Consulting Agreement for Facilities Planning Advisory Committee Expert B-46/12/13 , Agreement for Educational Consulting Services 

"RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the Board of Education approve the Consultant Agreement with BCA Architects to act as an expert on school buildings for the Facilities Planning Advisory Committee to consult at a cost not to exceed $5,000.00” 

NOTE: BCA Architects is Paul Bunton, AIA

“BACKGROUND: The Facilities Planning and Advisory Committee [FPAC] is researching the options of modernization, new construction and property acquisition/exchange for the North School site, in order to report their findings to the Board of Education.  The committee requires a school architect expert opinion to provide relevant data to the committee for their consideration.”

        “FISCAL IMPACT: The cost of $5,000 is budgeted to Capital Facility Fund #25”

NOTE: BCA Architects and Paul Bunton were based in San Jose, CA. Why would HBCSD choose Paul Bunton to be their “Expert Advisor” for the FPAC versus an architect who wouldn’t have travel down from San Jose, CA to advise the committee?

(3) June 12, 2013 – Proposal to Close Out Division of State Architect Projects at Hermosa View School and North School B-76-12/13 

NOTE: HBCSD also paid Paul Bunton an additional $2,300 to close out a project with the DSA from 1998! Total paid to Paul Bunton for two - 2 hour meetings to advise the FPAC members $5,000 + $2,300 = $7,300.

“RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the Board of Education approve the proposal from BCA Architects to assist the District with obtaining Division of State Architect (DSA) closeout of projects at Hermosa View School and North School at a cost not to exceed $2,400.00.”

“BACKGROUND: District received notification that three past construction projects, two at Hermosa View School and one at North School were not closed out with DSA.  The architect Y’Deen & Associates was responsible for closing these projects, but did not.  Staff has compiled information to close out the projects, but needs the assistance of an architect to complete the close out. The District received four proposals: PM Solutions - $15,000.00; Another Perspective, Inc. - $12,480.00; Dougherty & Dougherty - $10,000.00; BCA Architects - $2,400.00”

NOTE:  According to the DSA client #F19-45 (HBCSD) list of applications, the last time construction work was done at North School was in 1998, DSA application #A-100604.    It is interesting that apparently fifteen years after the fact, the DSA was NOW notifying the district that certain projects still needed to be closed out.   From 2001 onward, HBCSD architects were Dougherty and Dougherty.

NOTE: The three other bids for this job were four to six times higher than the bid that BCA Architects submitted.   It seems that the other bids were not serious ones.  They seemed to have been submitted just to satisfy the district’s need to get competitive bids but the bidders were not interested in taking the job.  Another possibility was that the other firms were told by the district admin ahead of time that they should bid high so that the district could award the “job” to BCA Architects.

NOTE: It seems that Y'Deen Architects were and are still in business in Brea, CA in 2013. Why wouldn't HBCSD save $2,300 and have Y'Deen Architects close out the project with the DSA and finish the job they started in 1998?

NOTE: Was the proposal to close out the DSA projects from 1998 actually a ruse to throw an additional $2,300 to Paul Bunton for his work as the district's EXPERT advisor to the FPAC?

See information in Other Facts #4: HBCSD's hired “expert” to advise the 2013 Facilities Planning Advisory Committee (FPAC) on their facilities recommendation to school board members estimated only a $4 million dollar difference between renovating and rebuilding North School. The truth was rebuilding North School would cost almost 3x the cost of renovation and take two years longer than the district's "expert" estimated. on the FPAC.

See information in Other Facts #5: HBCSD paid their hired "expert" to advise the Facility Planning Advisory Committee members $7,400 for attending two meetings and providing an estimate to demolish and rebuild North School that was completely off reality.  

See information in Other Facts #6: HBCSD's hired “expert” to advise the Facilities Planning Advisory Committee (FPAC) was supposed to have given FPAC members a tour of North School, but he apparently left off the kitchen and multipurpose room at North School.