Roland Palencia, appointed executive director of Equality California in May of this year, will leave that post at the end of this week. Karen Ocamb of LGBTPOV interviewed Palencia Monday night:

In a brief phone interview Monday night, Roland Palencia told me he was resigning as Executive Director of Equality California.

“I am stepping down. We will be having a board meeting and have a transition plan by the end of the week,” Palencia said.

Because Ocamb had an extensive interview scheduled with Palencia later this week, his communications director had called her to cancel it. He provided her the courtesy of what appears to be his first, and perhaps only, interview on the subject of his departure.

Palencia is very concerned about Equality California as an organization:

“I want to make sure that everyone supports the organization. This is the time for all of us to rally and support Equality California. I have seen how this organization literally changes lives. It is a community asset and we have to keep our eye on the prize.”

Ocamb promises the entire interview will be posted shortly at FrontiersLA.com.

EQCA was last in the news hereabouts because of its antics over a letter on the issue of net neutrality sent to the FEC at the instigation of AT&T employee and EQCA Board member Troup Coronado, and Coronado’s subsequent departure from EQCA’s Board in June 2011.

Last week, Roland Palencia announced, almost offhand in an email to members and supporters, the organization’s much delayed decision that EQCA would not take a repeal of Prop 8 to California voters next year.

Roland Palencia held no public meetings regarding this decision, and in fact held no public meetings since becoming Executive Director in May 2011.