Lawrence

Appellants Gail Lawrence and Sharon Culver sought a writ of administrative mandamus (Code Civ. Proc., § 1085) in the trial court to compel their former employer, respondent Hartnell Community College District (the District), to reinstate them as executive assistants to the District’s superintendent/president or alternatively, to conduct hearings on the propriety of their “demotions, involuntary transfers, and terminations.” The court denied the petition, and appellants challenge that decision on appeal.

*691 Appellants contend the court erred when it determined that their temporary reassignments were not “demotions” (Ed. Code, § 88001, subd. (d)), 1 and their eventual separations from employment were not terminations “for cause” (§ 88001, subd. (h)). We reject their contentions.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

Appellants were nonunion permanent classified 2 employees of the District who worked as executive assistants to longtime superintendent/president Dr. Edward Valeau. Dr. Valeau resigned at the end of June 2007, and Dr. Phoebe Helm became interim superintendent/president.

She faced a challenging situation: The college was in imminent danger of losing its…