Red County/OC Blog News Roundup -- June 6, 2007

Today's top stories from behind the Orange Curtain:

Immigration Debate Raises Award's Profile -- OCR
Newport's Merage Foundation moves its presentation to Washington, scene of policy battle.

D.A. Investigates Former Seal Beach Official -- OCR
The city dismissed the head of its budget office, Keith Evanoff, on May 25, shortly before a related district attorney's probe began.

No Healing Yet In CUSD -- OCR
Heckling, name-calling dominate Capistrano Unified board meeting.

Some Toll Rates Will Go Up -- OCR
25-cent increases are proposed for parts of the 241 and 73.

Liquor Permits Dry Up In Fullerton -- OCR
Fullerton moratorium is likely on permits so police, council can develop new process for issuing ABC licenses.

Wedaa Wins Yorba Linda Special Election -- OCR
Voters chose fifth City Council member from field of three. Mr. AQMD returns from oblivion.

General's Neighbors Taken By Surprise -- OCR and LAT
Orange County neighbors say they were unaware of former general's military background.

UCI Gets $3.9 Million For Stem Cell Work -- OCR
Grant pushes university's state funding to nearly $17.5 million.

The Orange Grove: The Day The Tide Turned For Freedom -- OCR
A veteran of D-Day advises other survivors to tell their stories.

Editorial: Senate Moves Against Police Secrecy -- OCR
In Copley vote, O.C.'s Ackerman, Correa and Harman stand on the wrong side of the issue.

Irvine District Adopts Policy On Gift-Taking -- LAT
Irvine schools trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a policy that encourages students and families to write personal notes and letters of appreciation to district employees instead of giving them presents.

Chapman University Chooses Law School Dean -- LAT
Chapman University has chosen John C. Eastman, an expert on constitutional law who teaches at the law school and appears frequently as a legal commentator on radio and TV, as new dean for its law school.

Costa Mesa Council Halts Traffic-Calming Efforts -- DP
The City Council on Tuesday halted an effort to establish a set of overall guidelines for traffic-calming in the city.

Church's Traffic Fees Waived -- DP
Costa Mesa City Council members voted to waive almost $240,000 in traffic impact fees that may have been imposed on St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church for a temporary space they plan to use for a preschool and after-school program in Costa Mesa.

Costa Mesa Council Votes To Oppose JWA Expansion On Course -- DP
The Costa Mesa City Council unanimously voted for a resolution that staunchly opposed gutting the back nine at the Newport Beach Golf Course Councilwoman Katrina Foley proposed the resolution.

District Doesn't Plan To Fill Open Positions -- DP
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District is expected to have fewer teachers this fall, in what Deputy Superintendent Paul Reed said was an effort to loosen funds in response to a higher-paying contract adopted by the district's teachers.

Comments

[It's time for him to go]

If the OC Register editorial about Dick Ackerman's reason for voting agianst AB 1019 (they only have bad cops on the East Coast!) is accurate, then it is way past time for term limits to kick in so Dick can play golf and drink cocktails full-time and not be bothered with that pesky state job.

[CUSD Constituent]

The Article from today's O.C. Register demonstrates clearly why the four remaining Fleming Trustees must go...now. They have lost the trust and respect of their constituents. They now openly insult the voters (likening them to jackasses and slithering snakes) and simply want to "move on" -- focussing on the current political climate without accepting any accountability for all the wrongdoing they have committed and permitted to exist in CUSD. To "move on" without first fixing the fundamental problems at CUSD will ensure the problems of the past will repeat themselves. This is unacceptable. The Fleming Four must resign today or face certain recall.

There will be no healing or moving on until the four Fleming leftovers leave. If they cared at all about the well-being of this school district, its taxpayers and children, they would resign today.

[What do you get]

At the May 7th CUSD Board of Trustees meeting, Board President Sheila Benecke openly inferred that district critics were "jackasses" and those who dared to approach the podium to address her emminence, "slithered."

So, after:
• voters signed recall petitions to remove Benecke and the rest of the Fleming-era trustees more than 177,000 times,
• tens of thousands voted for new reform trustees last November in landslide victories, sending a clear mandate for reform,
• dangerously low reserves and serial deficit budgets,
• admissions by CUSD officials that the district lied to taxpayers about the funding sources for their $52 million Taj Mahal administration building,
• criticism of CUSD by independent auditors and recommendations by those auditors to report CUSD to the attorney general for failure to provide audit answers,
• numerous wrongdoings, including open meeting law violations, conflicts of interest, nepotism and cronyism that "don't pass the smell test" as confirmed by an "independent" investigator,
• blatant Brown Act violations that were the worst seen by a leading expert in 25 years,
• enemies lists targeting parents and their children that involved illegal express advocacy (misuse of public funds) and illegal use of confidential student records,
• a DA investigation and raid of district offices,
• a grand jury investigation and indictments on five felony counts including misappropriation of public funds, conspiracy and perjury --

ALL UNDER SHEILA BENECKE'S AND THE OTHER FLEMING-ERA TRUSTEES' WATCH -- and all Benecke can do is point the finger elsewhere and suggest that the brave parents who have challenged this appalling record are jackasses and snakes?

This woman has no shame and is certainly unfit to serve in any position of trust. Benecke and her Fleming-era trustee colleagues are arrogant persons of low moral character. They need to take a long look in the mirror and realize that they (and their complicit staff members) are the only obstacles to reform at CUSD. Only when they are gone will CUSD be able to truly "move on."

[I'm on the list]

benecke, stiff, darnold and especially, draper...resign now! You are an embarassment to the good taxpaying people of south Orange County. No good can come to the CUSD as long as you remain involved.
This slithering jackass can't wait to start gathering signatures for the next recall!

[CUSD's Bryson a RINO?]

At Monday's meeting, well-known "conservative republican" Trustee Anna Bryson voted in favor of a flawed deficit spending budget and also voted to approve a very large salary increase for members of the union representing the highly paid managers of CUSD -- despite the fact the school district is on the verge of bankruptcy and the new budget would slash funds to the children and schools where it belongs. Her actions cause one to wonder whether conservative republican is just a useful political label for Bryson as opposed to a term descriptive of her core values.

[Aliso Viejo Mom]

There is no excuse for a public official calling his/her constituents “jackasses” or insinuating they’re snakes. It’s baffling that Benecke thinks the public would line up behind her and work with her at the same time she is hurling insults that them.

What’s especially troubling is the fact she did this in front of small children that were lined up in the front row of the room.

Given the severity of the controversies; given the dire straits this district is in; given the trustees track record of poor decision making; it's very sad that the four Fleming-era trustee’s egos are more important to them, than the education of our children.

The fact that Benecke has chosen to blame the public for the problems they themselves created, presided over or voted on, shows just how out-of-touch these trustees really are. With Fleming gone, it’s time for Benecke, Draper, Darnold and Stiff to do the right thing and resign.

[Bigger View]

The CUSD situation cries out for condemnation from other public officials. Remaining silent only condones the actions of these CUSD trustees.

[Bigger View]

To CUSD’s Bryson a RINO?:

I was beginning to ask myself the same question. I know Bryson positions herself as a fiscal conservative, but many of the decisions I’ve seen made by her during her short tenure, say otherwise. Continually approving Check Warrants without questioning the wisdom or the impact to the budget hardly seems fiscally conservative.

[Skeptical about Bryson, but still hopeful]

Trustees Benecke, Draper, Darnold and Stiff have clearly outworn their usefulness and, having breached the public trust, they have become district liabilities who need to resign or be removed.

In the case of Anna Bryson, I hope that she will aspire to the conservative principles she ran on as a "reform" trustee last November. Her voting record to date is mixed at best and raises serious questions about her agenda. This school district is in crisis and we need consistent, principled leaders, not politicians looking for the next sound bite or photo op. Bryson needs to do her homework, stop firing from the hip, stop the gratuitous praising of staff members who consistently refuse to provide complete answers and who often stand in the way of reform, and show some guts by saying "no" to the deficit budgets and check warrants that still get approved for millions of dollars without adequate explanation.

Remember Bryson's campaign statements condemning the Fleming trustees' decision to build their $52 million administration building while kids sat in old portables? (Here's the link: http://www.reformcusd.com/index11.html) Well the kids are still in the portables, so let's see how she weighs in on the admin building issue now that she sits on the other side of the dais. The way she praised Dennis Smith, I wouldn't be surprised if she jettisons one of the key reform goals and, instead, gloms onto Smith's (and the Fleming Trustees') "keep the building...it was a good investment...we'll grow into it" drivel.

Hopefully, she'll choose correctly and advance the cause of reform by unloading this rediculous albatros. But whichever way she goes, we and her Republican Party friends will quickly know whether Bryson is a true conservative or just another RINO in conservative clothes.

I hope that Bryson does a better job of listening than the Fleming leftovers and doesn't deviate from the course of true reform. After all, that's why we elected her.

[Sad in San Juan]

Trustees Benecke, Draper, Darnold and Stiff have breached the public's trust and disgraced the citizens of CUSD.

If these people had any sense of descency left in them, they would step aside now.

It's too bad these four trustees have chosen to stay on and continue to add to their already tarnished image.

[Oh Lord! I believe! I believe!]

Sheila Benecke started Monday night's board meeting saying:

"As you know, Dennis Smith resigned last week as superintendent of CUSD. When we hired Dr. Smith, he told us he looked forward to helping the district recover from a protracted period of controversy and divisiveness. In accepting that challenge, he and the board BELIEVED that the contentious atmosphere in our district could be bridged with his leadership. We believed that divisive elements in our community were prepared to focus on the future. We believed that we could start the process of rebuilding confidence in the district. That was the optimistic context in which he accepted the position."

Taken at her word, if Benecke and her Fleming trustee colleagues had such "beliefs" about the status of CUSD controversies, then they were truly out of touch and dillusional. More likely, they ignored the numerous issues and legitimate grievences of their disgruntled contituency and wasted thousands of tax dollars hunting for a superintendent candidate who they intentionally deceived with a their unrealistic and optimistic "beliefs" and predictions. Whether Smith independently should have known better, or not, Benecke and her colleagues were obviously up to their old dishonest tricks and they must bear responsibility for this newest CUSD blunder.

Of course, with all of her egarness to engage in dishonest finger pointing, Benecke ignores even the most obvious reason why Smith resigned -- the indictments of Fleming and McGill. She and the other Fleming trustees probably gave Smith a lot of unrealistic happy talk about the DA's criminal investigation as well. How else could Smith have been so surprised when the indictments -- following months of some of the biggest news in South Orange County in years -- suddenly became real?

You're not fooling anyone, Sheila.