Two former Santa Clarita Valley educators — one a former school district governing board president and the other a principal — returned to court on Thursday, both receiving future dates to appear once again.
Bill Bolde, 65, who was at the helm of Saugus High School for over a decade before retiring from the district in 2017, was arrested in December after investigators alleged he had, while principal, perjured himself and had a conflict of interest while he established a student exchange program in China.
“Bolde helped set up a student exchange program with a high school in Gaoxin, China, as well as creating a nonprofit organization to administer the program,” read a statement from the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office at the time of the arrest in December. “He is charged with having a conflict of interest because he was still principal at Saugus High School while he had an employment agreement with the nonprofit. Bolde also is charged with lying on disclosure forms.”
Bolde is scheduled to return to court on April 11 for a prelim setting. During a prelim setting, the judge and opposing counsels agree on a date for a preliminary hearing — when the bench decides if there’s enough evidence for the case to go to trial.
Also appearing in court on Thursday, Paul De La Cerda, a former Saugus Union School District governing board president, has been charged with overbilling his employer for trips he took when he was dean of East Los Angeles College.
Between March 2017 and 2019, the defendant is accused of overbilling East Los Angeles College roughly $1,575 for several hotel stays. He allegedly forged documents he submitted for reimbursement.
De La Cerda began his tenure on the Saugus Union School District board in 2005 and served three consecutive terms of four years, plus one additional year to align the election cycle years. He also served in 2008-2010 in a marketing position for The Signal.
Both De La Cerda and Bolde are represented by the same attorney, David D. Diamond, and the former board president is also set to return on April 11 for a prelim setting.
