A potential conflict of interest in the ranks of San Diego's School Board is now under the scrutiny of district lawyers.
Board Trustee Richard Barrera has accepted the position of Executive Director of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.
The local coalition of unions includes the teachers union.
Barrera, who is in his second term on the San Diego Unified School Board, said he'll recuse himself from voting on matters that the Labor Council takes a position on but he won't resign.
“I was elected with 98-percent of the vote,” Barrera told NBC 7 San Diego. “I believe we are doing a great job. We have a good team.”
“I committed to the voters that I will be here through my term which ends in 2016. I absolutely will not resign this position,” Barrera said.
Barrera says the school district attorneys are researching any conflicts of interest and will soon give their opinion.
Meantime, Barrera is not taking part in any of the board's labor discussions.
Barrera was first elected to the San Diego Unified School Board in 2008 in an unchallenged election after his predecessor, Luis Acle, failed to gather enough valid signatures on a petition to qualify for the ballot in the June 2008 primary election.
He has served as a San Diego regional organizer for both the United Domestic Workers and United Healthcare Workers.
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