An Anza-based Christian college under federal investigation for alleged human labor trafficking, money laundering and visa fraud and facing the potential loss of its accreditation has received county approval to rezone most of its 1,000-acre property for residential development.
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Olivet University’s application, which allows for one single-family residence per 5 acres on more than 958 acres of its land on Tripp Flats Road, north of Highway 371. The rezoning — from open rural to rural residential — also allows for limited animal-keeping and agricultural activities, and small-scale commercial uses.
Olivet stated in its application that the rezoning would allow for the expansion of its existing campus, according to a Board of Supervisors staff report.
Founded in 2004 in the Bay Area by Korean Christian pastor David Jang, Olivet purchased its land in Anza in 2014 and established its headquarters there. The private university also has satellite campuses in Los Angeles and Mill Valley, as well as in Texas, Florida, Missouri, Indiana, Tennessee and Washington, D.C.
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A monument sign at Olivet University’s 1,000-acre campus in Anza. (Photo by Joe Nelson/SCNG)
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A monument sign at Olivet University’s 1,000-acre campus in Anza. (Photo by Joe Nelson/SCNG)
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Accreditation threatened
The rezoning was approved on June 24, three weeks after Olivet’s accreditor, the Association for Biblical Higher Education, placed the university on a show-cause order giving it until Nov. 15 to provide evidence showing why it should remain accredited after the ABHE’s Commission on Accreditation determined the university had failed to comply with several of its accreditation standards.
Olivet must submit the following to the association:
- Documentation from all relevant government agencies confirming its authority to award degrees, certificates and diplomas.
- Written confirmation from California state officials verifying that granting credentials for nonreligious programs does not violate its religious exemption.
- Written documentation from the Student and Exchange Visitor System (SEVIS), a part of the U.S. National Security Investigations Division, that all of Olivet’s commission-approved extension sites are approved by SEVIS for all F-1 visa students currently studying at the sites and future F-1 visa students
- Updates on prior concerns raised by the commission or state regulators — from 2022 to present — and outline the steps the institution has taken to prevent similar issues going forward.
The ABHE also has requested that Olivet submit documented proof of its financial integrity, particularly regarding how funds flow between the institution and the individuals, businesses and organizations with which it partners or is associated.
Once Olivet submits its report, the ABHE accreditation team will conduct an inspection at the Anza campus before Dec. 15, followed by visits to all of Olivet’s satellite campuses by Jan. 15, 2026.
In a letter dated June 5 to Olivet President Jonathan Park, Lisa Beatty, executive director for the ABHE’s Commission on Accreditation, informed Park that Olivet’s accreditation could be withdrawn unless the university can provide persuasive evidence that such action would be inappropriate.
“Failure to comply with the following specific accreditation standards by the deadline imposed by the Commission on Accreditation will result in removal of the institution’s status with the Commission on Accreditation,” Beatty said in her letter.
Beatty acknowledged in the letter that the commission is reviewing Olivet’s “teach-out plan,” which details how students will be allowed to finish their course work at Olivet or, if the school closes, elsewhere. Meanwhile, the university retains its accreditation while under the show-cause order.
In her letter to Park, Beatty said the ABHE’s accreditation commission will review Olivet’s show-cause report in February 2026. During that review, Olivet representatives will be present to answer questions related to the report. Based on its findings, the commission will either reaffirm Olivet’s accreditation if it demonstrates substantial compliance or withdraw it.
License revoked
Olivet’s recent problems with its accreditor is the latest in a series of setbacks that have vexed the university in recent years.
Last December, an administrative law judge, following a three-day hearing the previous month, revoked Olivet’s license for failing to adhere to state educational guidelines and mandates. Judge Debra Nye-Perkins ordered the university to stop enrolling new students.
The revocation followed an investigation in 2022 and 2023 by the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education, a division of the Department of Consumer Affairs that licenses private universities. Investigators found 14 violations during site inspections at Olivet’s Anza and Mill Valley campuses, which prompted Attorney General Rob Bonta to file a complaint in April 2023 on behalf of the BPPE. It culminated with the administrative hearing and the revocation of Olivet’s license.
However, for now, Olivet remains accredited by the ABHE and continues to operate under a religious exemption that allows it to offer education and degrees only in the beliefs and practices of the church, religious denomination or religious organization. Olivet has maintained that this comprises the majority of its students, most of whom come from overseas.
Federal investigation
Since at least 2021, Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has been investigating allegations of money laundering, human labor trafficking and visa fraud at Olivet.
Additionally, four former students have accused the university in a federal lawsuit of labor trafficking, alleging they were forced to work without pay after arriving at the Anza campus from other countries on full scholarships. The lawsuit has been stayed during the federal investigation, and a status report on the case filed in U.S. District Court in Riverside on July 2 noted the criminal case against Olivet remains under investigation and ongoing.
Olivet has denied all the allegations.
Community reaction mixed
Although some in the community are suspicious of the move, Olivet’s request for the zoning change was backed by more than 50 supporters who wrote letters to Riverside County planners and supervisors. Local residents, business owners, and church pastors lauded Olivet’s engagement and outreach in the working-class High Desert community of roughly 1,800.
Aguanga resident Annika Knoppel, a licensed real estate agent and treasurer for Anza Community Broadcasting and the Hamilton Museum and Ranch Foundation, said Olivet students and staff have participated in 5K fundraising events and donated food to and volunteered at a local food bank. She said the university also has donated to the local radio station and Anza Community Hall.
Temecula resident Andre LaPlante, owner of MotoVentures motorcycle riding school in Anza, said Olivet has “been a blessing to our community.”
“We have seen Olivet students actively participate in and encourage various organizations in our community, and their presence has been truly uplifting,” LaPlante said in his letter. “I would like to express my full support for their project.”
However, a few residents and property owners wrote letters opposing Olivet’s expansion plan, and found it unwarranted given the university’s history of problems.
“We believe this institution has shown itself to engage in extremely suspicious and illegal behavior both in its purported business dealings and otherwise,” said John and Kathleen Petty, who identified themselves as property owners in the affected area.
“We do not feel that the furtherance of any plans by or for Olivet University will result in any sustainable benefit for the local community and therefore request that this application be denied,” the Pettys said.
Dan Silver, executive director of the Los Angeles-based Endangered Habitats League, called into question Olivet’s intentions for the land, saying the proposed zoning change was unnecessary for its stated purpose, and made no sense from a legal or planning perspective.
“What is really going on here? Certainly the university does not intend to house students on 5-acre estate lots,” Silver said. “If anything, this proposal appears to be less about school expansion and more about real estate speculation, particularly given that the school was recently ordered to close by the state of California.”
Full plan expected
Olivet now has six months to present the county planning department with a development plan, identifying a full build-out/expansion scenario for operations over time, said Felisa Cardona, a spokesperson for the Riverside County Transportation and Land Management Agency. She said any planned project must be approved by the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors.
Olivet said in a statement that it has no intention of selling its property. It did not, however, disclose what its expansion plans are.
The university expressed its gratitude “for the strong support of the Riverside County Board and the Anza community, as reflected in the unanimous approval of our application.”
And as to its current situation with its accreditor, Olivet further stated: “Regarding questions about accreditation and international enrollment, Olivet is committed to meeting all regulatory requirements and will continue working closely with relevant authorities.”
