Aranguena jumps the gun on Cal Poly acceptance

March 7, 2013

A candidate for the open seat on the San Luis Obispo City Council, who recently withdrew from the race, may have been premature in announcing future plans.

Jeff Aranguena, a local high school teacher, sent out a press release earlier in the week announcing his decision. Aranguena, who previously ran for the council seat in 2012, announced that he was dropping out to attend graduate school at Cal Poly.

“Jeff Aranguena, candidate for San Luis Obispo City Council, announced today that he had been accepted into the Education, Leadership, and Administration Graduate program at Cal Poly, and so will not seek the open seat vacated by Andrew Carter,” the press release announced.

However, Cal Poly officials say no one has yet been accepted into the program.

Applications were due on March 1 and prospective students then have 30 days to provide support documentation before the interview process begins. There are no pre-approvals.

When contacted by CalCoastNews Thursday morning, Aranguena said he had indeed applied for the graduate program.

“I was informed by the program coordinator that my application was accepted upon verification of my proof of employment,” Aranguena said. “It’s an exciting professional opportunity that I’m looking forward to.”

Some political observers have suggested that an Aranguena campaign would have cut into support for fellow Democrat Carlyn Christianson, who recently announced her candidacy for the June mail-in election. Paul Brown, Andrea Miller, and Kevin Rice remain in the race.