Hansen v. Commission on Teacher Credentialing CA4/1

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 25, 2026
DocketD084576
StatusUnpublished

This text of Hansen v. Commission on Teacher Credentialing CA4/1 (Hansen v. Commission on Teacher Credentialing CA4/1) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hansen v. Commission on Teacher Credentialing CA4/1, (Cal. Ct. App. 2026).

Opinion

Filed 3/25/26 Hansen v. Commission on Teacher Credentialing CA4/1

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

CHRISTIAN ROBERT HANSEN, D084576

Appellant,

v. (Super. Ct. No. 37-2022-00048594-CU-WM-CTL) COMMISSION ON TEACHER CREDENTIALING et al.,

Respondents.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of San Diego County, Joel R. Wohlfeil, Judge. Affirmed.

Christian Robert Hansen, in pro per, for Plaintiff and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Carl W. Sonne, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Erin M. Sunseri, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, and Alan K. Macina, Deputy Attorney General, for Defendant and

Respondent Commission on Teacher Credentialing.1

After Christian Robert Hansen pleaded guilty to two felony fraud

convictions, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (Commission) 2 revoked his teaching certificate and credential and denied his application for a specialist credential. The trial court denied Hansen’s petition for writ of administrative mandamus and affirmed the Commission’s decision. On appeal, Hansen contends that the Commission abused its discretion when it chose not to stay revocation of Hansens’s credentials for five years, subject to probation, as recommended by an administrative law judge (ALJ). Because the record contains substantial support for the trial court’s ruling, we find no abuse of discretion. The ruling is affirmed. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Between 2011 and 2013, and again in 2017, as he later admitted, Hansen conspired with others to commit securities fraud. Between 2011 and 2013, while employed by an investor relations firm, Hansen received shares from public companies into his personal brokerage account, but concealed from the brokerage firm that the shares were given in exchange for stock promotion services his employer provided to those companies. He then sold

1 San Diego Unified School District has not made an appearance in this action and did not file a responsive brief. Appellant does not appeal any order from San Diego Unified School District.

2 The Commission is responsible for the credentialing of public school teachers, including issuing credentials and taking adverse actions against applicants and credential holders. (See Ed. Code, §§ 44421, 44225.) 2 the shares and returned most of the proceeds from sale of those shares to his employer. When he discovered that these stock transfers were illegitimate, he resigned his position with his employer, he later testified. From January through July 2017, Hansen received unregistered shares of a public company’s stock through a coconspirator. He claimed to qualify for an exemption to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) registration requirements by making two false representations: that he did not act in concert with anyone else for the purpose of selling the shares, and that he would not share any of the proceeds from the sale to the person from whom he acquired them. In contravention of those representations, he knew that he obtained the shares through an agreement with a coconspirator, and after he sold the shares, he returned some of the proceeds to his coconspirators. This conduct violated federal securities laws. Hansen agreed that the gain attributable to his role in the conspiracies totaled $76,847. Hansen left the securities industry and began working in education. The Commission issued Hansen a Certificate of Clearance, effective October

2017 to November 2022 (Certificate),3 and Hansen joined Garfield High School to train as a special education teacher. He successfully completed the credentialing process and in 2018, the Commission issued Hansen an intern education specialist instruction credential, effective October 2018 to November 2020 (Credential or Intern Credential). In 2018 Garfield High School hired him as a special education teacher. In spring 2018, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) approached Hansen about the securities fraud scheme. Hansen admitted

3 A Certificate of Clearance is a document, issued by the Commission, which verifies that the holder meets personal qualifications necessary to obtain a regular California teaching or services credential. (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 5, § 80028.) 3 wrongdoing and agreed to assist the FBI in its investigation. He reached a plea agreement with the United States Attorney, and in November 2019, pursuant to that plea agreement, Hansen pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit securities fraud in federal court. In April 2020, Hansen consented to an entry of judgment against him in a civil action brought by the SEC based on the same conduct. The judgment enjoined Hansen from conducting certain securities trading activity and permanently prohibited Hansen from trading penny stocks. In May 2020, the federal district court sentenced Hansen to three years of probation and ordered him to pay $12,520.74 in restitution. In April 2020, while his Certificate and Intern Credential were still valid, Hansen submitted an application for a preliminary five-year education specialist instruction credential (Application). In July 2020, after his criminal judgment was finalized, Hansen informed the Commission of his criminal convictions and provided a narrative of his crimes. In September 2021, the Executive Director of the Commission (Complainant) filed an accusation against Hansen (Accusation), alleging that the conduct underlying Hansen’s felony convictions called for discipline against Hanen’s Certificate and Credential (together, credentials) and the denial of his Application. The Accusation sought disciplinary action against Hansen’s credentials due to his: (1) unprofessional conduct, (2) immoral conduct, (3) acts of moral turpitude, and (4) evident unfitness for service, and alleged that the acts of moral turpitude warranted denial of his pending Application.

4 Hansen requested a hearing to challenge the Accusation. The matter

was heard at an administrative hearing before an ALJ.4 The ALJ analyzed the factors set forth in government regulations and case law that are relevant in evaluating an allegation of misconduct by the

holder of an educational credential.5 (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 5, § 80302, subd. (a); Morrison v. State Bd. of Education (1969) 1 Cal.3d 214, 229.) The ALJ found that, as Hansen’s conduct occurred in 2011 through 2013 and in 2017, it was “unlikely that students or the educational community may have been adversely affected by his conduct or conviction.” As to the crime’s proximity, though the conduct occurred years earlier, Hansen was recently convicted and remained on probation at the time of the 2022 administrative hearing.

4 A contested case may be heard by the agency itself or by an ALJ, at the discretion of the agency. (Gov. Code, § 11517, subd.(a).)

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