Isaac Haqq (born Isaac Richard in July 1957) is an American businessman, educator, and former municipal politician.

Isaac Haqq
Born
Isaac Richard

July 1957
EducationMBA, 1985
Alma materColumbia University
Occupation(s)Consultant and community college instructor
EmployerSan Francisco College Center
OrganizationUniversity Preparatory Charter Academy
Criminal penalty3 years probation
Children2

Personal life

edit

Born Isaac Richard in July 1957, he was raised in Pasadena, California by a single mother as the eldest of 8 siblings. He would later change his last name to Haqq after a religious conversion to Islam.[1]

Schooling

edit

Haqq graduated from Pitzer College, a small liberal arts college in Claremont, California just east of Los Angeles. He later earned a master's degree in business from Columbia University.

Career

edit

He was a member of the city council of Pasadena, California in the early 1990s while working as an investment banker for an Orange County firm.[2] While on the city council Haqq gained a reputation for violence:, he broke someone's nose, swiped campaign signs, threatened the housing chief, berated a women's shelter worker and did three years probation for, among other things, throwing his sunglasses at a city bus.[3]

In 2001, Haqq opened University Preparatory Charter Academy in Oakland,[1] which helped hundreds of inner-city kids graduate from high school and go to college. He resigned in July 2007, following allegations that the school's attendance records and grades were falsified to allow failing students to graduate.[4] The school faced closure after these allegations.[4]

As of 2014, Isaac Richard was the director of an entity called the San Francisco College Center.[5]

Personal life

edit

Haqq is father of two. He currently resides in Oakland, California with his wife Sharon.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Asimov, Nanette (Sunday, July 8, 2007)Breaking the rules is nothing new to Uprep principal. San Francisco Gate, December 29, 2011
  2. ^ NEWTON, EDMUND (March 25, 1993). "Pasadena Councilman Is Accused of Sexual Assault, Using Cocaine : Allegations: A former neighbor tells police that Isaac Richard forcibly kissed and fondled her, but declines to press charges. The controversial official disputes her account". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  3. ^ Asimov, Nanette (July 8, 2007). "Breaking the rules is nothing new to Uprep principal / Arrests, fights and bare-knuckles politics among hallmarks of Isaac Haqq's history". SFGATE. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Asimov, Nanette (July 28, 2007). "OAKLAND / Uprep may have forged attendance reports". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  5. ^ Richard, Isaac (April 1, 2017). "Don't be fooled by the new SAT". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
Political offices
Preceded by
John C. Crowley
Member of the Pasadena City Council for the 1st District
1991–1997
Succeeded by
Joyce Streator