A longtime Ventura County congressman has sued a South Coast university, claiming it’s failed to live up to promises it made in establishing a public administration center in his name on campus.
In 2018, California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks opened the new Elton and Janice Gallegly Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement. The center is intended to host speakers, house his papers, and to serve as a key element in Cal Lutheran's Master of Public Administration program.
Gallegly represented the region for 26 years.
The suit says the university hasn’t done a good job in holding promised events, like guest speakers. Gallegly is demanding an accounting for money raised for the project. And, the former congressman is also upset with the university’s plans to remove a replica of his Washington, D.C. office from the center.
Cal Lutheran officials say they haven’t seen the suit yet, but have been working to revitalize the speakers series. And, they say with limited space in the center, they need to remove the office replica to make room so researchers can access Gallegly’s large collection of congressional papers.
Cal Lutheran is the parent of KCLU radio.
