Re “PCC Hijinks: Would You Believe Chaotic School Subtracts Another Grad Speaker?”
[Editor’s Note: This story originated in the Pasadena City College Courier, at www.pcccourier.com]
[img]2576|right|Dr. Eric Walsh||no_popup[/img]Dateline Pasadena — The city of Pasadena has placed Public Health Director Dr. Eric Walsh on paid administrative leave after videos surfaced online of Dr. Walsh’s controversial religious sermons, according to a statement today by City Manager Michael J. Beck.
Dr. Walsh this week cancelled an engagement to be the speaker at Pasadena City College’s commencement ceremony next Friday amid questions about whether he had been publicly approved by the Board of Trustees.
Dr. Walsh was scheduled to be the speaker after Oscar winner and PCC alumnus Dustin Lance Black said that he had his invitation as commencement speaker revoked after Board members became concerned about nude photos of Mr. Black that surfaced online in 2009.
A scandal has emerged for Dr. Walsh as well because of comments in his sermons condemning homosexuality, Catholicism, Islam, and Harry Potter films, among other subjects, while preaching as an associate pastor at Altadena Seventh Day Adventist Church.
“Dr. Eric Walsh has been placed on temporary paid administrative leave to provide the City of Pasadena the opportunity to complete an inquiry into statements made by him, in his private capacity, and to assess the impact those statements may have on his ability to effectively lead the city’s Public Health Dept.,” Mr. Beck said.
A city spokesman said the city is examining videos of Dr. Walsh’s sermons.
“It was because of personal statements that he’s made, that were video recorded and brought to the city’s attention,” said William Boyer, Public Information Officer for the City of Pasadena.
“Through a variety of sources, we were made aware of the videos.”
The Board held a special meeting on Wednesday where they voted to apologize to and re-invite Black, the original commencement speaker candidate.
