www.montereycountyweekly.com june 22-28, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 19 In James Camper’s telling, he’s wanted to be an attorney forever—“since I was knee-high.” But it seemed unlikely. “It started off as a distant dream. I come from limited resources, from a small town in the Deep South.” Camper’s aspiration eventually began to look attainable. He graduated from Atlanta Metropolitan State College, then moved to Los Angeles with hopes of practicing employment law in employee-friendly California. He got a job working for Uber’s corporate office onboarding new drivers, and enrolled at Pacific Coast University in Long Beach, where he attended two years of law school. Then the pandemic struck, and he transferred to Monterey College of Law, planning to complete his Juris Doctor degree at an institution prepared to teach virtually. He was laid off and stopped paying his tuition payments, while struggling to collect unemployment, he says. Camper is exactly the type of student MCL aims to serve. Dean Mitch Winick declined to speak about details in this story, citing student confidentiality protections. But he has long championed efforts to increase diversity among California lawyers, including on the basis of income. He advocates for changes to the bar exam. In May of 2020, MCL determined that no student would be dismissed for financial reasons due to the pandemic. The college offered emergency grants of $1,500. But even a generous institution has its limits. “It certainly is not your fault that EDD is backlogged, but in all fairness, it is not the law school’s fault either and yet we are being asked to fund your education while you are out of work and awaiting EDD payments,” Winick wrote to Camper. “This is not a financial arrangement our nonprofit law school is set up to provide.” As early as October 2021, Camper was advised that he would not graduate due to his outstanding debt: “You have not met the graduation requirement of being in financial good standing,” MCL’s attorney, Chris Panetta, wrote to him in an email. Camper, meanwhile, continued falling behind on his tuition payments, but continued his coursework. He registered to sit for the bar exam. Just a few weeks before the test, Camper received an email from the California State Bar: “You have not been issued a Juris Doctor degree by Monterey College of Law.” Therefore, he would not qualify to take the exam. What ensued was a battle over how to interpret California Assembly Bill 1313, passed unanimously by the State Legislature in 2019. The Educational Debt Collection Practices Act prohibits institutions of higher education from withholding student transcripts if a student owes the school money. “The problem with withholding transcripts is that it can be a barrier to a student getting a job or license, or furthering their education at another institution, thereby potentially leading the student into a greater cycle of debt,” per an Assembly analysis. Camper claims MCL is violating AB 1313; MCL claims they comply by releasing transcripts, strictly speaking, and there is no requirement to grant a degree. (Camper’s research revealed a host of similar institutions that interpret AB 1313 to require they grant degrees, regardless of student debt.) In February of 2022, Camper sued MCL. His belief is that with a JD, he’ll earn enough to pay what he owes, although he’s missed a lot of milestones. A legal battle, in which Camper is representing himself, has followed in Monterey County Superior Court. In May of 2021, Camper agreed to a payment plan. When he missed a payment, the college filed a countersuit against him for breach of contract. By October of 2022, Camper and MCL agreed to a settlement with a payment plan; he would pay $37,849.57 over two years. Then he missed the first payment—due to severe injuries from a scooter accident, according to court papers—and the college filed a motion seeking a court order requiring him to pay up. A judge is set to rule on the matter Friday, June 23. If he loses, Camper says he’ll appeal. “I just want to be a lawyer, I just want to make myself proud and make my family proud,” he says. “I really didn’t think it would be this long or arduous a road.” He might not be able to become an attorney, but he gets to act like one in a legal saga. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@mcweekly.com. Paper Chase A former Monterey College of Law student takes on his alma mater in court. By Sara Rubin Hole in Three…Squid is well aware that borders are a human construct—there are no borders in the sea, at least so far as marine creatures are concerned—but Squid also gets why you landlubbers have them: It’s all about resources—who gets access to what, who has to pay the bills, etc. Squid just can’t turn Squid’s gelatinous head away from the drama surrounding the sinkhole that sunk in the Safeway parking lot in Del Rey Oaks on March 23. The borders of Del Rey Oaks, Monterey and Seaside all converge in the parking lot, and while DRO originally agreed to foot the bill for the emergency repairs, to the tune of about $34,000, it still remains unclear which city will ultimately have to pay. On June 5, DRO City Manager John Guertin met with three officials from the city of Monterey, including City Manager Hans Uslar, as well as an official from the city of Seaside to talk about which city should be on the hook. Furthermore, Guertin says, Monterey officials are going to do some scoping work to see if there is further, unrepaired damage to any pipes and confirm whose pipe was responsible. As of June 16, Guertin still hadn’t heard back. Here’s what sticks in Squid’s maw: The amount of resources being brought to bear by cities in order to not pay the bill may well exceed $34,000. Whee! Wishful Thinking…Squid shrimpishly admits to briefly getting pulled into those Tony Robbins “Personal Power” infomercials back in the ’90s. Squid even considered attending a live event until Squid found out there’s fire-walking involved. (Squid has a strict “no calamari” policy.) Squid is reminded of Robbins after hearing about a situation in neighboring San Benito County, where the board for Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital voted on May 22 to file for bankruptcy. “Goals are like magnets. They’ll attract the things that make them come true,” Robbins once said, and it appears the San Benito County Board of Supervisors set a goal to rope Salinas Valley Health in Monterey County into saving Hazel Hawkins. They’ve made noises about the two hospitals partnering, even suggesting SVH purchase Hazel Hawkins. SVH issued a statement saying it is open to offering guidance and technical advice, if Hazel Hawkins leaders want it. So far, those leaders have publicly stated they’re not interested in advice. Besides, as Squid has learned, due to its governing structure as a special district, SVH can’t buy a hospital in another county—even if its leaders wanted to or had the resources. Whatever game-playing is going on between San Benito County supervisors and the Hazel Hawkins board, it appears the supervisors’ magnet is about as useful as Squid’s collection of “Personal Power” cassette tapes. the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “It is not the law school’s fault either.” Send Squid a tip: squid@mcweekly.com
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