This story has been updated.
New connections between a Chula Vista superintendent and a company he allegedly pushed as a potential district contractor have emerged.
Campaign finance records show that Al Renteria, the operator of Dr. Build, donated $100 to Superintendent Eduardo Reyes’ 2018 campaign for school board of the Chula Vista Elementary School District.
Earlier this week, Voice of San Diego revealed allegations that Reyes had pressured a district employee to award school district contracts to Dr. Build.
Reyes told the district’s former chief operating officer, Jovanim Martinez, that he needed to award contracts to Dr. Build on multiple occasions, Martinez told Voice.
“‘We gotta hook this guy up,’” Reyes told Martinez, according to Martinez’s recollection. “‘Just give him a small project.’”
Martinez himself is under investigation within the district. Officials believe he had an unusually close relationship with a separate company seeking to do business with the district. Martinez says the investigation against him is retaliation for not awarding a contract to Dr. Build, as well as not going along with other things district officials asked him to do.
For the initial story, I asked whether Reyes and Renteria had a personal relationship and how long they had known each other.
The district’s spokesperson, Giovanna Castro, said the two did not have a personal relationship. She did not answer multiple questions about how long the two had known each other.
The political donation to Reyes’ 2018 school board campaign is the first connection between the two to emerge.
Reyes’ path to becoming superintendent of Chula Vista Elementary School District has been highly unconventional.
Chula Vista voters elected Reyes to board of education of Chula Vista Elementary School District in 2014 and 2018. For his day job, he worked as director of human resources at Sweetwater Union High School District, as KPBS reported.
Reyes resigned from his seat on the school board in 2021, in order to pursue the then-vacant superintendent’s job.
To some community members’ dismay, he got the job. The school board selected Reyes to become the next superintendent from among 23 candidates.
“This feels like an attempt to criminalize someone who is clearly abiding by a legally established standard,” wrote Castro, the district spokesperson, when asked about the donation. “The idea that Dr. Reyes would be influenced by a publicly disclosed $100 contribution is preposterous.”
Castro did not answer further questions about how long Renteria and Reyes had known each other or how they met.
“As a US citizen and a proud Mexican American with an impeccable reputation, it is my first amendment right to contribute to the campaign of my choosing,” Renteria texted.
Renteria also did not answer questions about how long he and Reyes had known each other.
Update: This story has been updated to include a response from Al Renteria.
Why do some find it so hard ‘to just do right’ ?
You are a fool!
😂😂😂 Is there campaign donation limit for there reasons?
Maybe 10 related donations at $100? To make it significant at $1K 🧐
The department of education is getting shut down and we don’t know what is going to happen with funding and our focus is on a publicly disclosed $100 donation?! Talk about reaching. Is this the Enquirer or VOSD?
The amount of the donation is not at issue – but rather the alleged statement of ‘not knowing’ him. Additionally, IF there is no connection why would any person sitting on the dais be allegedly pushing the COO to send ‘a little project his way’. Food for thought it was this very issue that led to the SUHSD Sup and TrusteeS downfall. Awarding contracts to those who did favors – i.e. donated monies, purchased dinners, slipped little envelopes into a shower basket, delivered palm trees to homes and so much more. It took a great deal of research (fact finding) work and many inside sources dissatisfied with the Pay to Play new norm – but in the end much, not all, was brought to light.
Keep in mind, right leaning SCOTUS has made it legal to own politicians starting in 76-78 and culminating with Citizens United and McCutcheon. This guy came cheap!
Yea right and the oldest profession is prostitution, and American voters are the Johns. Yea that means you buddy!
Well done, VoSD! The entire education community is watching as the situation in CVESD unravels, and no one is surprised by Reyes and his team’s actions. This guy has corruption written all over him… remember this one? https://www.10news.com/news/south-bay-candidate-accused-of-carpetbagging-042516