1/23/14 –  As reported last week,  Banning City Manager Andrew Takata has resigned from his position. But today, only a week after his resignation, new, very serious questions are emerging about Takata’s  background.

The City of Banning had responded to a Public Record request from December 2013, which asked for the contract and resume of Andrew Takata. Prior to Takata’s resignation the Banning Informer began to conduct a thorough verification of Takata’s resume – with rather shocking  results.

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CAL STATE FULLERTON :  NO RECORD OF “BACHELOR’S DEGREE” FOR ANDREW TAKATA

To take a position as City manager, a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree is required. At the time of his hiring by the City of Banning in 2010,  Takata submitted a resume which can be found here.

His resume indicates that he obtained a “B A“  in “Business Administration” from California State University Fullerton in 1977.  We attempted to verify Andrew Takata’s degree with the University, which is done online exclusively through studentclearinghouse.org, a non-profit organization.

A few days later, we received an email response stating that “the school was unable to locate either a degree or enrollment record for the subject of your verification request.” (view)

While this response is rather shocking, it does not provide enough confirmation to draw a solid conclusion. Therefore, on January 21, 2014, this author drove to Fullerton to double check with the University’s Administration office. The University office checked their database in our presence and could not find any record of an Andrew Takata ever being enrolled, let alone having a degree.

To cover all the bases, they also checked for “Andrew J. Takata” , “Andy Takata”, “Andy J. Takata” and even hand searched the list of every graduate of 1977. Finally, they just ran the last name “Takata” and there was only one person by that last name. That person has a different first name and is currently enrolled.

Subsequently, the University Administration office reiterated that no Andrew Takata  has ever enrolled or graduated from the University at any time.

 

TEACHING CREDENTIALS FOR ANDREW TAKATA

In his resume, Andrew Takata claims to have “Teaching Credentials” and  states that he worked as a “High School Math and Science Teacher” at Los Altos High School during 1979 – 81.

The “California Commission on Teacher Credentialing”  which regulates teaching credentials, does not have a record of an Andrew Takata having teaching credentials in the State of California. To search their database, follow this link , then click “search” in the upper left corner.

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TAKATA RESPONDS 

After gathering the facts, The Banning Informer gave Andrew Takata an opportunity to comment.

Takata responded : “I have provided the City copies of the information I currently have in my possession which includes my CSU Fullerton Diploma and one of my teaching credentials. The other can be obtained and/or verified through the Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District.”

However, the image of the CSU Fullerton Diploma produced by Takata appears to be  made of stone. It is nothing more than a commemorative and/or anecdotal replica of a possible original. Cal State Fullerton does not issue stone certificates. Consequently this form of a certificate would be of little, if any, evidentiary value in a Court of Law.

Stone certificates are exclusively manufactured by commercial vendors. They can be ordered online for $ 89.95 – all one needs to do is provide an “image” of a certificate,  the authenticity of which remains unverified. For example, see this vendor here : http://www.laserengravedmemories.com/en/engraved-wood-diploma.html

Takata also provided a Community College “Instructor Credentials”  image of a stone-like certificate (view). However, this certificate bears a date of 1982, and does not authorize him to teach High School, which the resume says he did in 1979-1981.

In this context it is interesting to note, that nowhere in his response does Takata state, that the images of the stone certificates represent true and correct copies of the original certificates he was allegedly awarded.

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“SEVERANCE PAY”

The issue of Takata having a “Bachelor’s degree” is particularly important in regards to the “severance package” that is provided for in his contract (view). Takata currently stands to collect somewhere in the $ 280,000 range in severance (14 months salary), according to the contract.

Should it turn out that his “Bachelor’s Degree” does not exist, as Cal State Fullerton has now stated repeatedly, Takata would not be entitled to his severance, and may even be liable for damages he has caused the City. In this case Takata could also be subject to criminal prosecution. It is therefore of utmost importance that the City council get to the bottom of this, before they write Takata a check.

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RESPONSIBLE FOR HIRING TAKATA : MAYOR DEBBIE FRANKLIN

Mayor Debbie Franklin is the only remaining Council member that is responsible for hiring Andrew Takata. Franklin apparently did not do her due diligence , for two reasons :

First, prior to today, there were no copies or images of Takata’s degrees or certificates on file with the City, which means nobody asked to see them, prior to hiring Takata.

Second, it appears that neither Franklin – nor the rest of the previous council (Robinson, Botts, Hanna, Machisic) – bothered to verify Takata’s  degree with Cal State Fullerton.

Had Debbie Franklin done her job, we would most certainly not experience this present predicament.

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CONCLUSION

We will leave it up to you, the reader, to decide whether you want to give credence to  Takata’s grotesque “Flintstone” certificates, or trust the repeated verifications by Cal State Fullerton, stating that Takata was never enrolled there.

Both scenarios cannot possibly be correct. Takata is either an honorable professional with a verifiable degree, or he is a con-artist that has defrauded the City and needs to go to jail.

We are entitled to know the truth. Banning needs to conduct a thorough investigation .

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