According to CalMatters Housing, the Cal State university system has placed the former president of Cal State San Bernardino into a consultant role that will pay him over three hundred forty thousand dollars for the coming year. Tomás Morales stepped down from his position after the university settled a discrimination and harassment lawsuit for twelve million dollars. Despite the settlement and the allegations against him, Cal State determined that Morales remained in good standing, which made him eligible for this executive transition program.
The transition assignment will have Morales working on international education initiatives and global partnerships for the Cal State system over the next twelve months. During this same period, he's also expected to provide guidance to the incoming president of San Bernardino. The Cal State Chancellor defended the decision by noting that this salary level is standard for executives in the transition program and that Morales was also granted the honorary title of president emeritus.
The original lawsuit came from two former administrators at San Bernardino who alleged they faced discrimination, harassment, and retaliation after raising concerns about a gender pay gap. One of these women publicly criticized the decision, saying it sends the message that male executives are protected when they mistreat women and that the university prioritizes protecting itself over accountability. A faculty union chapter also called for an investigation and asked that Morales be denied these transition benefits.
According to CalMatters, Morales earned among the highest salaries in the entire Cal State system before his departure, and the number of university employees earning more than his transition salary is quite small. The board of trustees approved the arrangement without any questions or discussion from its members, and Cal State has not yet disclosed what position Morales will hold after his year-long consulting period ends.
What I am seeing locally here in the Bay Area and throughout the East Bay is growing frustration with how major institutions handle accountability. When people see significant settlements paired with continued benefits for those accused, it understandably shakes confidence in the fairness of the system. Whether you're a buyer or seller in this market, institutional trust matters because it affects everything from property values to community stability, and stories like this one tend to ripple through local conversations and sentiment.
