Hubbard’s arraignment is postponed

The arraignment of Newport-Mesa Unified School District Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard has been postponed until Dec. 27, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Hubbard was set to be arraigned Tuesday on a pair of felony charges of misappropriating public funds while he worked as superintendent of Beverly Hills Unified School District, which was his previous job.

This is the second time that his arraignment has been changed. Initially, the arraignment in Department 6 of the Beverly Hills Superior Court was set for Monday morning, but then the date was changed to Tuesday because of a scheduling conflict with attorneys.

The attorneys have been having difficulty making the dates match up so everybody could appear in court at the same time.

For there to be an arraignment, the pair of defendants have to be in court at the same time, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the D.A.’s office.

Hubbard, 53, is accused of giving Karen Anne Christiansen, 52, a former Beverly Hills Unified employee, an unauthorized stipend of $20,000 and an increase in her car allowance on Sept. 25, 2005, and Feb. 6, 2006, according to the criminal complaint filed on Dec. 9.

Christiansen, currently living in Las Vegas, is accused of six felony counts of conflicts of interest and two separate counts of misappropriation of funds in connection with Hubbard. She was the district’s director of planning and facilities when the alleged embezzlement occurred.

If convicted, Hubbard faces five years in prison or probation and/or restitution, said Juliet Schmidt, the deputy district attorney trying the case.

Hubbard took vacation after the allegations surfaced last week. The school board met Monday to discuss the situation, but Hubbard, who makes in excess of $280,000 a year, still is superintendent of Newport-Mesa schools.

Bail for Hubbard has been set for $50,000. Bail for Christiansen has been set at $2 million.

—Tom Ragan