StanCOG CEO should resign or be fired over excessive spending | Opinion

It’s simple: Rosa De León Park — who was put on $25,000-a-month paid administrative leave Monday night — must resign from her post as executive director of the Stanislaus Council of Governments. If she will not, then she must be fired.

A report by the Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury released last Wednesday does not identify the executive director by name, but does clearly accuse that executive of rampant and lavish spending of public funds on luxury hotels, rental cars, airfare and misuse of credit cards. The grand jury initiated its investigation in October 2024.

For almost three years, Park allegedly rented BMWs, Mercedes Benz and Jeep Grand Cherokees to commute from her Stockton home to her Modesto office at a cost of more than $100,000, according to a report by Modesto Bee staff writer Ken Carlson. The grand jury report also noted frequent upgrades to first-class flights, and stays at hotels that charged twice the price for rooms at hotels that hosted the conferences she was attending.

Park, according to Transparent California, had total pay and benefits package of $484,000 in 2022. The generous contract allowed Park to cash in unused vacation up to twice a year. If she did not use her nine weeks of vacation, Park could have cashed in $27,864 every six months, according to the grand jury report.

The StanCOG policy board, meeting behind closed doors Monday night, opted on an 11-5 vote to place Park on paid administrative leave while the agency determines its next steps.

Stanislaus County Supervisor Channce Condit, one of the “no” votes on that effort, made a separate motion to put Park on unpaid leave, but it failed.

“I voted ‘no’ as a matter of principle to uphold accountability, ensure transparency and maintain public trust until this matter is fully resolved,” said Patterson Councilmember Carlos Roque.

Park should not be paid while on administrative leave because of the seriousness of the charges outlined in the grand jury report, which includes allegations of her rude treatment of staff.

Park’s attorney, Kevin Rooney of Stockton, disputed the grand jury report in an emailed statement to The Modesto Bee.

“Ms. De Leon Park was disappointed to read the many inaccuracies and misrepresentations contained in the civil grand jury’s report, particularly after she and her staff worked cooperatively and collaboratively with the grand jury to provide voluminous and accurate documentation responsive to their inquiries,” he said.

The grand jury began its report by noting “excessive turnover of over 50%” had resulted in late payments of Measure L funds, in addition to tardy reports to public agencies and not completing its annual audit.

“We believe all of the above have major implications and all have merit,” the report says.

Following a closed-door meeting last Wednesday, the StanCOG board of directors released a statement on Thursday.

“What the civil grand jury found is deeply troubling. We are a public agency that is trusted to safeguard taxpayer dollars and deliver results for our community,” the statement reads. “This alleged level of waste and mismanagement demands immediate action.

“We are deeply disturbed by the supposed waste, mismanagement and lack of accountability within StanCOG’s management. If true, these actions are unacceptable.”

What the grand jury reported

A 40-page report titled “Transportation and Funding for the People: Is the StanCOG Planning Agency Mismanaging Funding and Their Own People?” include examples of overspending by Park.

▪ A review of Park’s credit card for a seven-month period found that 62 transactions were missing receipts, including 19 missing receipts in one month. No hotel or restaurant receipts were found for five months in 2020, 2022 and 2023; and none since May 2024. Missing receipts by the executive director “were commonplace and remains an ongoing problem,” the report says.

▪ The executive director rented cars “virtually non-stop” from mid-2021 to the end of 2024 at a cost of more than $100,000. In one month, a rental car was driven 7,081 miles. Park does get an annual allowance of $4,800 to compensate her for using her personal car on agency business.

▪ Four StanCOG board members traveled to Washington, D.C., at a cost of $1,000 for each round trip. The executive director took a different flight at a $2,000 round trip cost, which included upgrades.

▪ Many of Park’s hotel rentals were at nonconference hotels, at a cost of about double the conference hotel’s rate for those luxury rooms.

▪ The grand jury noted a 2024 Modesto Bee story that the then-Stanislaus County CEO spent taxpayer money on expensive hotels, fancy meals and massages for him and a companion. He forfeited $20,000 of his back pay. “The parallels of that situation and StanCOG are unmistakable,” the report said. “This event was scandalous and a betrayal of the people’s trust and a waste of taxes. He resigned his office and reimbursed the county for the unauthorized expenses.”

Grand jury recommendations should be considered

We believe the grand jury’s recommendations for fixing the problems created by Park are robust and should be considered as potential solutions for StanCOG. Those recommendations include giving oversight to the county’s auditor-controller; travel expenditures and project funds should be audited monthly, quarterly and annually; and the executive director position should be eliminated in favor of a daily operations officer.

StanCOG is responsible for developing and maintaining the Regional Transportation Plan, allocating federal and state transportation funds in support of that plan, and providing a platform for community input. It also allocates funds from Measure L, a 2017 half-cent tax to improve local roads and streets, improve connectivity and reduce congestion. The measure is expected to generate $938 million over 25 years.

The StanCOG policy board is made up of representatives from the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors (5), Modesto City Council (3) and one member for the other eight city councils in the district.

The civil grand jury is correct in underscoring that the excessive spending should have been uncovered much earlier.

“In a perfect world, no problem should ever get this big, and more so, it should not be a civil grand jury discovering these facts,” the report said. “Rather, the obvious and continuous weaknesses and underperformance should be the triggers for a meaningful response from members of the governing oversight bodies.”

It is time for StanCOG to act decisively.

This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 1:58 PM.