San Francisco's city attorney is taking legal action to stop the agency that certifies two-year colleges in the western U.S. from revoking the accreditation of the city's community college.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed a lawsuit on Thursday alleging that politics, not performance, is behind the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges' decision to sanction City College of San Francisco.
"Nothing about the actions I've filed today should distract or delay City College from doing everything in its power to solve the problems threatening its survival," Herrera said in a press release. "But neither should these steps tempt accreditors to consider -- for even one moment -- retaliating against City College for legitimate challenges to their conduct and authority under the law."
The commission notified City College last month that it would lose its accreditation next summer for failing to meet quality assurance standards. Because unaccredited schools are ineligible for state and federal funding, the revocation would likely force the college of 85,000 students to close.
Herrera is asking a judge to block the commission from taking action.
The commission's executive director, Barbara Beno, did not return a telephone call seeking comment.
