Posts Tagged ‘Gary Pritchard’
Posted by Craig P. Alexander on August 28, 2017
In Part One we outlined how the taxpayers came to pay for Former CUSD Trustee Lynn Hatton-Hodson’s conflict of interest non-disclosure legal defense. In Part Two we find CUSD is blocking the public’s access to what the taxpayer dollars were spent for and a long list of serious unanswered questions.
Even More Taxpayer Education Dollars to The Olson Law Firm and the Blocked Entries of the Descriptions of Services
In December the Board authorized a $10,000 increase in the allowed cost for the Olson firm (for total legal fees of $25,000.00). [12-6-16 More Money for Olson Authorization]. Then in February 2017 the FPPC closed its file. The Olson firm did not submit another invoice to CUSD until April 30, 2017 for $937.50. When CUSD finally disclosed this invoice in late July (after several requests by CPC) it contained the similar redactions as in the 10/31/16 invoice. [4-30-17 Olson Invoice]
As an attorney myself I understand and value the need for the attorney client communication privilege. However in this case we have taxpayer funds being spent for the legal defense of a financial disclosure filing which is normally privately funded by the politician themselves. Therefore it would be proper for the taxpayers to know what they received for their money. CUSD could waive the Attorney Client Privilege and give us un-redacted invoices. But it has refused to do so.
Just What Did the Olson Firm Do For The Money?
With all of the Olson’s firm’s billing activity as of October 31, 2016 we would expect there to be letters and e-mails going back and forth between the Olson firm and the FPPC.
But in the responses to CPC by CUSD and the FPPC not one letter or e-mail was apparently exchanged between the Olson firm and the FPPC. Not. One. Letter. Or. E-mail. Nothing! And none between the FPPC and the Orbach or Werksman firms either. The FPPC advised me that if they had “phone notes” of any conversations with the Olson firm, those would have been turned over in response to our Public Records Act request. None were disclosed.
Serious Questions Remain
So after obtaining everything in writing from CUSD (and the FPPC) that they would disclose, many serious questions remain:
Why are there be no written communications or telephone notes of conversations between the Olson law firm and the FPPC?
Why would the Olson firm not bill the District for the time put into the case between Nov. 1st and Feb. 28th until April 30, 2017?
Just what did this Olson firm do for the $16,274.50 taxpayer’s dollars it was paid?
Are there other matters the Olson firm is being paid taxpayer money for by CUSD? There is an investigation by the Orange County District Attorney’s office into this same matter involving Ms. Hatton-Hodson. That District Attorney investigation is not mentioned in the 9/26/16 Olson retainer agreement with CUSD.
Is the Orbach firm working for CUSD / Hatton-Hodson on the District Attorney’s investigation? Why else would they hire the $750 per hour Werksman firm which advertises itself as “Tenacious. Proven. Criminal Trial Attorneys“? The Werksman firm’s total invoicing (per the records CUSD disclosed) on this matter is $13,972.50 to date. $2,175.00 for work done in March 2017 AFTER the FPPC closed its file in February 2017.
Why would the Olson law firm retained to assist the former trustee by the District not list Trustee Hatton-Hodson as the Client rather than the District? After all the District did not fail to file the Disclosure form correctly – Lynn Hatton-Hodson apparently failed to do this. Why were there no written waivers of the obvious potential conflict of interest in the file disclosed to CPC?
What did the Orbach firm do for CUSD that the Olson firm was not already doing after the Board of Trustees hired Olson in late September 2016?
Here is the breakdown of the taxpayer dollars spent on lawyers in the Lynn Hatton-Hodson matter to date:
Olson $16,274.50
Orbach $11,728.00
Werksman $13,972.50
Total $41,975.00
Who Received What Benefits For The Public’s $41,975.00 Tax Dollars?
What did the taxpayers get for this expenditure of public funds? Apparently absolutely nothing except dollars that could have been used in the class room are now in the possession of attorneys. In fact, three sets of attorneys!
What did CUSD and the children it is supposed to service get for this expense? Nothing.
What did former Trustee Lynn Hatton-Hodson receive? A free taxpayer funded legal defense before the FPPC (and maybe for the District Attorney’s investigation as well).
Perhaps the real question here is what did the other Trustees get for this expenditure of their constituents’ money! Apparently the comfort of knowing that if in the future they are caught with their proverbial hands in the financial cookie jar they will have taxpayer dollars to defend their actions and mistakes as political candidates.
Craig Alexander is an attorney who represents requestors of information under the California Public Records Act. He is also volunteer General Counsel for the California Policy Center, Inc. a policy think tank that advocates for transparency in government. He is a former candidate for CUSD’s Board of Trustees. Craig can be reached at craig@craigalexanderlaw.com.
Posted in Capistrano Unified School District, Uncategorized | Tagged: Amy Hanacek, David Huff, Fair Political Practices Commission, FPPC, Gary Pritchard, Gila Jones, James Reardon, Kirsten M. Vital, Lynn Hatton-Hudson, Mark Werksman, Martha McNicholas, Olson Hagel & Fishburn, Orange County District Attorney, Orbach Huff Saurez & Henderson, Werksman Jackson Hathaway & Quinn | 4 Comments »
Posted by Craig P. Alexander on August 24, 2017
Former CUSD Trustee Hatton-Hodson’s Undisclosed Financial Conflicts Of Interest And The FPPC
Last fall it was discovered that elected CUSD Trustee Lynn Hatton-Hodson had an undisclosed financial conflict of interest due to her ownership interest in a vendor to Capistrano Unified School District. She apparently did not disclose this conflict in her required filing with the County known as a Form 700 (Statement of Economic Interest). A citizen made a complaint to the FPPC (the Fair Political Practices Commission) about Ms. Hatton-Hodson’s failure to disclose the obvious conflict.
Normally the filling out and defending of a Form 700 is completely on the shoulders of the person who files it – whether a successful candidate for office like Ms. Hatton-Hudson or the losing candidate who is not elected to office. In this case the CUSD Board of Trustees had an attorney opine that filling out a Form 700 was an official act of a Trustee and any challenge regarding the form entitles the Trustee to a taxpayer funded defense by attorneys who specialize in this field.
Trustee Hatton-Hodson’s Undisclosed Financial Conflicts of Interest and the FPPC
In September 2016, the Board of Trustees voted 6 to 0 (Ms. Hatton-Hodson did not vote) to retain the law firm of Olson, Hagel & Fishburn, LLP of Sacramento to defend their colleague before the FPPC. The Board of Trustees authorized the District to spend $15,000.00 of taxpayer money to defend her.
The Olson firm was specifically requested by Ms. Hatton-Hodson in a letter addressed to CUSD’s general counsel Mr. David Huff of the law firm of Orbach, Huff, Saurez & Henderson, LLP. [Hatton-Hodson ltr to Huff]. Interestingly the fee agreement between the Olson firm and the District identified the District as the Client not Ms. Hatton-Hodson. [9-28-16 Professional Services Agreement]. Yet they apparently defended Ms. Hatton-Hodson, not the District, before the FPPC.
Conflict of Interest – What Conflict of Interest!
The California Policy Center, Inc. sent Public Records Act requests to CUSD and the FPPC after the FPPC closed its file in this matter in late February 2017.
Most of the time a contract between a client and an attorney firm is required under Business and Professions Code section 6148. CUSD disclosed to CPC the agreement between itself and the Olson firm. Again, oddly, this agreement identifies the District not Trustee Hatton-Hodson as the Client of the firm. The FPPC complaint was the sole scope of work listed for the Olson firm.
In addition, an attorney is not allowed to represent clients with conflicting interests. Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 3-310. The attorney may represent two clients where the conflict of interest between them is only a potential one. But the attorney should obtain a written Waiver of the Potential Conflict of Interest. Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 3-310 (c).
A potential conflict of interest is something that is very foreseeable in this situation and where the interests if the District and Ms. Hatton-Hodson could become adverse requiring the attorney to withdraw from the representation at any time. However when we received the documents from CUSD, while the 9/26/17 Agreement was produced, no signed off letters or notices to either the District or Ms. Hatton-Hodson of the Potential Conflict of Interest for the Olson firm were disclosed. Thus it appears no written waiver was obtained even though one Trustee apparently understood this and brought it to the attention to the Superintendent. [9-26-16 E-mail].
Public Records Act requests by CPC to CUSD and the FPPC – Surprise: Three Law Firms for One Matter!
When CPC sought records under the Public Records Act the requests included attorney fee invoices related to the FPPC matter from CUSD. In documents disclosed by CUSD we received invoices from not one but three law firms. Importantly there was one invoice from the Olson firm dated October 31, 2016 for just over $15,000 – the entire amount authorized by the Board of Trustees just one half of one month earlier. [10-31-16 Olson Invoice].
But there were two other firms sending CUSD invoices for this matter: The Orbach firm apparently to give legal advice that the Board could spend taxpayer funds to defend Trustee Hatton-Hodson and presumably to watch over the Olson firm. Also billing on this matter was the law firm of Werksman, Jackson, Hathaway & Quinn acting as an expert to the Orbach firm. The hourly rate for the Werksman firm’s senior partner is $750 per hour! [Werksman Invoices]. All three law firm’s invoices were heavily redacted (blocked out) so that we could not read what these law firms did for Ms. Hatton-Hodson’s defense. We asked CUSD to give us un-redacted versions of these invoices and it refused.
In Part Two of Two – More Public Money for Attorneys, And for What? Plus Serious Questions Remain from this Episode.
Craig Alexander is an attorney who represents requestors of information under the California Public Records Act. He is also volunteer General Counsel for the California Policy Center, Inc. a policy think tank that advocates for transparency in government. He is a former candidate for CUSD’s Board of Trustees. Craig can be reached at craig@craigalexanderlaw.com.
Posted in Capistrano Unified School District, Orange County District Attorney's Office, Uncategorized | Tagged: Amy Hanacek, David Huff, Fair Political Practices Commission, FPPC, Gary Pritchard, Gila Jones, James Reardon, Kirsten M. Vital, Martha McNicholas, Olson Hagel & Fishburn, Orbach Huff Saurez & Henderson, Werksman Jackson Hathaway & Quinn | 6 Comments »
Posted by Craig P. Alexander on November 2, 2016
Ever wonder who finances the campaigns to pass school bond measures in Orange County? A study performed by the California Policy Center of five school districts has shown that many of the same attorneys, construction contractors and design firms have contributed to the campaigns to pass these measures. In Construction Firms Fund Orange County School Bond Campaigns CPC reviewed the funders of school districts in Anaheim, Orange, Ocean View, Brea and Fountain Valley school districts. Of course this pay to play campaign contributions is not confined to these five districts. In Capistrano Unified School District’s Measure M (the Billion Dollar Bond Tax), many of the same players have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the yes on M campaign. Who is heading up the Yes campaign? CUSD Trustee Gary Pritchard.
As the report found (partial quote):
“Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Rudd & Romo (AALRR) is a law firm with eight offices across California. AALRR has donated $2000 to Anaheim Elementary School District’s bond measure, $12,000 to Orange Unified School District and $1000 to Fountain Valley School District. AALRR claims to represent nearly half the school districts in California and has previously represented both districts.
Bernards Builders Management Services is a general contractor located in San Fernando. Bernards has donated $2000 to Anaheim Elementary’s bond measure and $5000 to Brea-Olinda Unified School District’s measure. Bernards has worked with Brea-Olinda before on the Brea-Olinda High School and Olinda Elementary School. The subcontracted architecture firm for the Brea projects, LPA, has donated $10,000 this election cycle to Orange’s bond measure.”
These attorneys, contractors and others stand to make millions of taxpayer funded bond tax money if these measures pass. The same is true of Proposition 51 – the $9 Billion school facilities bond tax before the voters next week. The report notes:
“The California Building Industry Association has donated over $1,500,000 to Proposition 51, a statewide measure that would allow the state of California to issue $9 million in bonds for the State School Facilities Fund. The builders are the second-largest contributor in support of the proposition.”
There are ten school bond measures on the November 8th ballot in Orange County alone. If only a few pass, these firms stand to make millions on contracts to build these projects. Not a bad return on their campaign contribution investments – at taxpayers’ expense.
Posted in Anaheim City School District, Anaheim Union High School District, Brea Olinda Unified School District, Capistrano Unified School District, Fountain Valley School District, Ocean View School District, Orange Unified School District, Uncategorized | Tagged: Andrew Heritage, Arcadis, Atkinson Andelson Loya Rudd Romo, Bernards Builders Management Services, California Building Industry Association, California Policy Center, California State Treasurer John Chiang, Gary Pritchard, Ledesma & Meyer Construction Company, Pocock Design Solutions | 2 Comments »
Posted by Chris Nguyen on March 4, 2016
Supervisor Andrew Do (R-Westminster), Councilwoman Michele Martinez (D-Santa Ana), Steve Rocco (NPP-Santa Ana), and Councilman Phat Bui (R-Garden Grove)
Garden Grove Councilman Phat Bui (R) has joined convicted ketchup thief Steve Rocco (NPP) in pulling papers to challenge the re-election bid of Supervisor Andrew Do (R). Additionally, Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez (D) and the enigmatic Robert Bao Nguyen have also pulled papers to challenge Do’s re-election bid in the First Supervisorial District, which consists of Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Westminster, Midway City, and northern Fountain Valley.
Bui’s entry into the race had been rumored for days, with Bui himself reportedly seeking support for his race in Sacramento on Wednesday despite the Republican Party’s official endorsement of Do’s re-election.
Bui, who was just elected to the Garden Grove City Council just sixteen months ago with labor union support, is the third member of his council to make a bid for higher office in the last fourteen months, joining Mayor Bao Nguyen (D), who is currently running for the 46th Congressional District but trails former Senator Lou Correa (D) badly in polling, and Councilman Chris Phan (R), who made an ill-fated bid for First District Supervisor against Do and Correa, coming in a distant third.
Bui’s home had displayed signs supporting both Correa and Phan in the 2015 special election for Supervisor that Do had won.
By splitting the Vietnamese-American vote, the Republican vote, and the Garden Grove vote, Republican Bui’s entry into the race substantially increases the risk of forcing a Do-Martinez run-off, which many Democrats hope and many Republicans fear will pull resources away from the re-election bid of Assemblywoman Young Kim (R) against former Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D) and the Senate bid of Assemblywoman Ling-Ling Chang (R) against former Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang (D).
There’s no perfectly analogous race, but these are the four closest I’m aware of:
- In 2014, there was a five-way race for Auditor-Controller, featuring Orange Treasurer/CPA Eric Woolery (R), Property Tax Director Frank Davies (R), Accountant Mike Dalati (D), Assistant Human Resources Director John Willard (NPP), and Audit Advisor Jim Benuzzi (D). Woolery won 57%, Davies 17%, Dalati 11%, Willard 7%, and Benuzzi 7%. Despite not being the incumbent, Woolery managed to avoid a run-off in a five-way race.
- In 2014, Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen (R) was challenged for re-election by Businesswoman Monica Maddox (R), Capistrano Unified School District Trustee Gary Pritchard (D), and convicted ketchup thief Steve Rocco (NPP). Nguyen avoided a run-off by winning 61% of the vote to Maddox’s 18%, Pritchard’s 12%, and Rocco’s 8%.
- In 2010, Public Administrator John Williams (R) was challenged by Superior Court Clerk Colleen Callahan, convicted ketchup thief Steve Rocco (DTS), and Deputy Public Guardian Kevin Vann (D). Williams avoided a run-off by winning 58% of the vote to Callahan’s 24%, Rocco’s 11%, and Vann’s 7%.
- In 1998, Supervisor Jim Silva (R) was challenged for re-election by Huntington Beach Councilman Dave Sullivan (R), former Costa Mesa Councilwoman Sandy Genis (R), and a mysterious Ralph Silva. Jim Silva won 45%, Sullivan 26%, Genis 17%, and Ralph Silva 11%. In the run-off, Silva defeated Sullivan 56%-44%.
It appears the current Garden Grove Councilmembers are dreaming of replicating the success of their predecessors: in 2012, Phan won the seat that was once held by Do and once held by former State Assemblyman Ken Maddox (R); State Senator Janet Nguyen (R) also previously sat on the Garden Grove City Council (her former seat is now held by Councilman Steve Jones, also a Republican).
Cue my usual Nguyen disclaimer: I am not related to the mysterious Robert Bao Nguyen, Garden Grove Mayor Bao Nguyen, Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen, or State Senator Janet Nguyen. The last name Nguyen is held by 36% of Vietnamese people.)
Posted in 1st Supervisorial District | Tagged: Andrew Do, Colleen Callahan, Dave Sullivan, Eric Woolery, Frank Davies, Gary Pritchard, hugh nguyen, Janet Nguyen, Jim Benuzzi, Jim Silva, John Willard, John Williams, Ken Lopez-Maddox, Ken Maddox, Kevin Vann, Ling-Ling Chang, Michele Martinez, Mike Dalati, Monica Maddox, Phat Bui, Ralph Silva, Robert Bao Nguyen, Sandy Genis, Sharon Quirk-Silva, Steve Jones, Steve Rocco, Sukhee Kang, Young Kim | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on June 5, 2014
Chris Nguyen posted a humongous grid of endorsements that broke down all the major organizations and what candidates they endorsed for non-partisan offices in Orange County. You can take a look at his humongous grid of endorsements here. As a follow-up I have done the math on how the endorsed candidates fared in the Tuesday election and have given credit to an organization for endorsing a candidate that either won outright or advanced to the November election.
Here is a guide to the abbreviations: OC GOP = Republican Party of Orange County, DPOC = Democratic Party of Orange County, CRA = California Republican Assembly, HJTA = Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, CWLA = California Women’s Leadership Association, OC Tax = Orange County Taxpayers Association, OCBC = Orange County Business Council, and CTA = California Teachers Association.
Anybody that got 75% and higher can be considered an organization with a valuable endorsement but the big winners from this election cycle were the California Women’s Leadership Association (Orange County Chapter) and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association both of which managed to endorse no losers.
Posted in 2nd Supervisorial District, 4th Supervisorial District, 5th Supervisorial District, Anaheim, Buena Park School District, Democrat Central Committee, Irvine Unified School District, Orange County, Orange County Assessor, Orange County Auditor-Controller, Orange County Board of Education, Orange County Clerk-Recorder, Orange County Public Administrator, Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Republican Central Committee | Tagged: Al Mijares, Allan Mansoor, Atlas PAC, Bob Vu, California Republican Assembly, California Teachers Association, California Women's Leadership Association, Carmen Luege, Carolyn Inmon, Claude Parrish, David Boyd, Democratic Party of Orange County, Derek Johnson, Elizabeth Parker, Eric Woolery, Evolve, Family Action PAC, Frank Davies, Frank Ury, Fred Fascenelli, Gary Pritchard, Greg Diamond, Helen Hayden, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, hugh nguyen, Ira Glasky, James Benuzzi, Jeff Ferguson, Jim Moreno, Joanne Motoike, Joe Carchio, Joe Williams, John Willard, Jorge Lopez, KC Jones, Kevin Haskins, Lincoln Club, Linda Lindholm, Lisa Bartlett, Measure A, Measure B, Measure C, Measure D, Measure E, Michelle Steel, Mike Dalati, Monica Maddox, Orange County Business Council, Orange County Labor Federation, Orange County Register, Orange County Taxpayers Association, Planned Parenthood, Republican Party of Orange County, Robert Ming, Rudy Gaona, Sandra Hutchens, Shari Freidenrich, Shawn Nelson, Steve Rocco, Thomas Martin, Tom Pollitt, Tony Rackauckas, Wayne Philips, Webster Guillory, Women in Leadership | 2 Comments »
Posted by Chris Nguyen on May 30, 2014
One of our most popular posts from the November 2012 General Election was “Humongous Grid of Endorsements,” so we’re back this election with the Giant Grid of Endorsements for the June 2014 Primary Election.
I did abbreviate for some groups, so OC GOP = Republican Party of Orange County, DPOC = Democratic Party of Orange County, CRA = California Republican Assembly, HJTA = Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, CWLA = California Women’s Leadership Association, OC Tax = Orange County Taxpayers Association, OCBC = Orange County Business Council, and CTA = California Teachers Association.
If you’re particularly interested in a group, click their name to view their endorsements on their web site. You can learn more about the group there, such as HJTA being the state’s leading taxpayer advocate group or Women in Leadership being a single-issue group with the sole goal of electing “pro-choice women candidates to local, regional and state-wide office who support keeping abortion legal.” (In light of their mission, does anyone else find it odd that Women in Leadership’s two endorsements on this grid are both for school board?)
Candidates in each race are listed in alphabetical order by last name, except incumbents got listed first in their respective races. Party affiliations are listed except for judicial candidates Thomas Martin and Wayne Philips, as I could not tell their affiliation from the voter database (common names combined with obscure judicial races make figuring out their affiliations challenging).
Whether you love a group and want to vote with their endorsements or hate a group and want to vote against their endorsements, here are the endorsements for county offices and school board, along with local ballot measures:
|
OC GOP |
DPOC |
OC Register |
Lincoln Club |
Atlas PAC |
CRA |
Family Action PAC |
HJTA |
CWLA |
OC Tax |
OCBC |
CTA |
OC Labor Federation |
Evolve |
Women in Leadership |
Planned Parenthood |
| Supervisor, 2nd District |
| Joe Carchio (R) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Allan Mansoor (R) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Jim Moreno (D) |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
X |
| Michelle Steel (R) |
|
|
X |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Supervisor, 4th District |
| Shawn Nelson (R – incumbent) |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Rudy Gaona (D) |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
| Supervisor, 5th District |
| Lisa Bartlett (R) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Robert Ming (R) |
|
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Frank Ury (R) |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
| Joe Williams (NPP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Assessor |
| Webster Guillory (NPP – incumbent) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Jorge Lopez (D) |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
| Claude Parrish (R) |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Auditor-Controller |
| James Benuzzi (D) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Mike Dalati (D) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
| Frank Davies (R) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| John Willard (NPP) |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Eric Woolery (R) |
X |
|
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Clerk-Recorder |
| Hugh Nguyen (R – incumbent) |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Monica Maddox (R) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Gary Pritchard (D) |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
| Steve Rocco (NPP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| District Attorney-Public Administrator |
| Tony Rackauckas (R – incumbent) |
X |
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Greg Diamond (D) |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Sheriff-Coroner |
| Sandra Hutchens (R – incumbent) |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Superintendent of Schools |
| Al Mijares (R – incumbent) |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
| Treasurer-Tax Collector |
| Shari Freidenrich (R – incumbent) |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Judge, Office #14 |
| Fred Fascenelli (R) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Kevin Haskins (R) |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| KC Jones (R) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
| Thomas Martin |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Judge, Office #20 |
| Derek Johnson (D – incumbent) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Helen Hayden (R) |
X |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Judge, Office #27 |
| Joanne Motoike (D – incumbent) |
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
| Wayne Philips |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Judge, Office #35 |
| Jeff Ferguson (R) |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Carmen Luege (R) |
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| County Board of Education, Trustee Area 2 |
| David Boyd (R – incumbent) |
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
X |
| Tom Pollitt (R) |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| County Board of Education, Trustee Area 5 |
| Elizabeth Parker (R – incumbent) |
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
| Linda Lindholm (R) |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Irvine Unified School District (Special Election for Six-Month Term) |
| Ira Glasky (R – incumbent) |
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
| Carolyn Inmon (D) |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
| Bob Vu (R) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Measure A (Orange County) |
| Yes |
X |
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| No |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Measure B (Buena Park School District) |
| Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| No |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Measure C (Anaheim) |
| Yes |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| No |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Measure D (Anaheim) |
| Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| No |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Measure E (Anaheim) |
| Yes |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| No |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*The Democratic Party of Orange County did not endorse David Boyd or Elizabeth Parker, instead the DPOC issued anti-endorsements against Tom Pollitt and Linda Lindholm.
Posted in 2nd Supervisorial District, 4th Supervisorial District, 5th Supervisorial District, Anaheim, Buena Park School District, Democrat Central Committee, Irvine Unified School District, Orange County, Orange County Assessor, Orange County Auditor-Controller, Orange County Board of Education, Orange County Clerk-Recorder, Orange County Public Administrator, Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Republican Central Committee | Tagged: Al Mijares, Allan Mansoor, Atlas PAC, Bob Vu, California Republican Assembly, California Teachers Association, California Women's Leadership Association, Carmen Luege, Carolyn Inmon, Claude Parrish, David Boyd, Democratic Party of Orange County, Derek Johnson, Elizabeth Parker, Eric Woolery, Evolve, Family Action PAC, Frank Davies, Frank Ury, Fred Fascenelli, Gary Pritchard, Greg Diamond, Helen Hayden, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, hugh nguyen, Ira Glasky, James Benuzzi, Jeff Ferguson, Jim Moreno, Joanne Motoike, Joe Carchio, Joe Williams, John Willard, Jorge Lopez, KC Jones, Kevin Haskins, Lincoln Club, Linda Lindholm, Lisa Bartlett, Measure A, Measure B, Measure C, Measure D, Measure E, Michelle Steel, Mike Dalati, Monica Maddox, Orange County Business Council, Orange County Labor Federation, Orange County Register, Orange County Taxpayers Association, Planned Parenthood, Republican Party of Orange County, Robert Ming, Rudy Gaona, Sandra Hutchens, Shari Freidenrich, Shawn Nelson, Steve Rocco, Thomas Martin, Tom Pollitt, Tony Rackauckas, Wayne Philips, Webster Guillory, Women in Leadership | 2 Comments »
Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on May 28, 2014
I am onto the last race that I am posting an analysis for (This June) and will give readers my take on the upcoming OC Clerk-Recorder race, which features the following candidates:
- Steve Rocco – Retired Teacher
- Monica Maddox – Local Businesswoman
- Gary Pritchard – Governing Board Member, Capistrano Unified School District
- Hugh Nguyen – Appointed Orange County Clerk-Recorder
Voter registration heavily favors Republicans in Orange County as a whole, Republicans have 42% of registered voters, Democrats have 31% of registered voters, and No Party Preference voters count for 22% of the electorate. Even though party affiliations matter very little in these races because they do not appear on the ballot we will fill in readers on what they are; Steve Rocco has No Party Preference, Monica Maddox is a Republican, Gary Pritchard is a Democrat and Hugh Nguyen is a Republican.
Also, it is important to explain that this race is just like a race for Orange County Supervisor where the top two vote getters will advance to November, unless the top vote getter finishes with over 50% of the vote.
Steve Rocco
Rocco is a non-factor in this race and I will list nothing but the following picture for prospective voters. This is all you need to know:
Monica Maddox
Monica Maddox is not running much of a campaign based on campaign finance data that has come in. Her only donation as of March 17th was from personal funds, totaling less than $6,000. She has no name ID because she has never been on the ballot before.
Her website as an absolute disaster with her first bullet point stating, “Monica will never vote for a tax increase.” This is an excellent campaign promise but it makes no mention of the fact that this is an executive office and does not have the ability to vote on items.
I do not think that she has much of a chance to advance to November.
Gary Pritchard
Gary Pritchard is a liberal member of the Capistrano Unified School Board and a lot of people are curious as to why he is running for this seat.
Pritchard will have some name ID due to the times he has appeared on the ballot in South OC for both CUSD and when he challenged Mimi Walters for the 33rd Senate District. However, Pritchard is not running much of a campaign and didn’t even bother to get the ballot statement.. Let’s take a look at his electoral history.
Results from 2012 (General Election):
| CAPISTRANO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Governing Board Member, Trustee Area 5 |
| Completed Precincts: 31 of 31 |
|
Vote Count |
Percentage |
| GARY PRITCHARD |
9,087 |
59.1% |
| WILLIAM “BILL” PERKINS |
6,291 |
40.9% |
Results from 2008 (General Election):
| STATE SENATOR 33rd District |
| Completed Precincts: 754 of 754 |
|
Vote Count |
Percentage |
| MIMI WALTERS (REP) |
219,068 |
58.1% |
| GARY PRITCHARD (DEM) |
157,945 |
41.9% |
As you can see from the election results, Pritchard is an average candidate at best, running countywide without a ballot statement is not a campaign that he will likely win. This is amplified by the fact that a more conservative electorate is expected thanks to it being a gubernatorial primary election.
Pritchard is ironically the most likely opponent to possibly push Hugh Nguyen to a November run-off.
Hugh Nguyen
Hugh Nguyen was appointed to the office almost a year ago and has done an excellent job in running the office. He has run the most comprehensive campaign of all the candidates in the race purchasing slates and signs.
He ran for the seat in 2010 and did not have the best of luck when facing Tom Daly. Here are the results from that race:
| County Clerk-Recorder |
| Completed Precincts: 2084 of 2084 |
|
Vote Count |
Percentage |
| * TOM DALY |
286,286 |
74.6% |
| HUGH NGUYEN |
97,711 |
25.4% |
Hugh Nguyen will eventually win this seat but the question is whether or not he can win it in June based on the fact that three other candidates are in the race to split the vote.
My gut feeling is that because Hugh is the only candidate with a ballot statement and the only candidate that is making a real attempt at reaching out to voter, the odds are in his favor.
Prediction Time
Based on all of the above factors and analysis, I predict the winner will be
Hugh Nguyen (in June) – I think he is going to clear 50% of the vote.
Posted in Orange County Clerk-Recorder | Tagged: Gary Pritchard, hugh nguyen, Monica Maddox, Steve Rocco | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on March 22, 2013
I was working on a database of the part affiliation of all Orange County local elected officials. Finally, I have completed the project with all of the special districts and county seats being added. I also fixed some errors in the previous versions (here, here, and here) and have combined the database into one post.
We have added a button on the menu bar for our readers to always be able to access this database and use it for whatever research/political needs that they may have. Due to the length of th epost you are going to have to click the below link to read the rest of the post.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in 1st Supervisorial District, 2nd Supervisorial District, 3rd Supervisorial District, 4th Supervisorial District, 5th Supervisorial District, Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Anaheim City School District, Anaheim Union High School District, Brea, Brea Olinda Unified School District, Buena Park, Buena Park Library District, Buena Park School District, Capistrano Bay Community Services District, Capistrano Unified School District, Centralia School District, Coast Community College District, Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa Sanitary District, Cypress, Cypress School District, Dana Point, East Orange County Water District, El Toro Water District, Emerald Bay Service District, Fountain Valley, Fountain Valley School District, Fullerton, Fullerton Joint Union High School District, Fullerton School District, Garden Grove, Garden Grove Unified School District, Huntington Beach, Huntington Beach City School District, Huntington Beach Union High School District, Irvine, Irvine Ranch Water District, Irvine Unified School District, La Habra, La Habra City School District, La Palma, Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach Unified School District, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Los Alamitos, Los Alamitos Unified School District, Lowell Joint School District, Magnolia School District, Mesa Consolidated Water District, Midway City Sanitary District, Mission Viejo, Moulton-Niguel Water District, Municipal Water District of Orange County, Newport Beach, Newport-Mesa Unified School District, North Orange County Community College District, Ocean View School District, Orange, Orange County, Orange County Auditor-Controller, Orange County Board of Education, Orange County Board of Supervisors, Orange County Clerk-Recorder, Orange County District Attorney's Office, Orange County Water District, Orange Unified School District, Placentia, Placentia Library District, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, Rancho Santa Margarita, Rancho Santiago Community College District, Saddleback Valley Unified School District, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Santa Ana Unified School District, Santa Margarita Water District, Savanna School District, Seal Beach, Serrano Water District, Silverado-Modjeska Recreation and Park District, South Coast Water District, South Orange County Community College District, Stanton, Sunset Beach Sanitary District, Surfside Colony Community Services District, Surfside Colony Storm Water Protection District, Three Arch Bay Community Services District, Trabuco Canyon Water District, Tustin, Tustin Unified School District, Villa Park, Westminster, Westminster School District, Yorba Linda, Yorba Linda Water District | Tagged: Leslie Daigle, Joe Carchio, Jose Solorio, Janet Nguyen, Bruce Whitaker, Todd Spitzer, Deborah Pauly, Matt Harper, Lucille Kring, Michele Martinez, Margie Rice, John Collins, Jordan Brandman, Miguel Pulido, Vince Sarmiento, Troy Edgar, Brian Donahue, Carol Warren, Shawn Nelson, Gail Eastman, Kris Murray, Tom Tait, Jeff Lalloway, Greg Sebourn, Ken Williams, John Briscoe, Mark McCurdy, Mike Munzing, Christina Shea, Tim Shaw, Dean Grose, Robert Hammond, Nancy Padberg, Tony Beall, Denis Bilodeau, David John Shawver, Scott Voigts, Sal Tinajero, John Moorlach, Pat Bates, Steven Choi, Doug Chaffee, Steve Hwangbo, Steve Nagel, Jesse Petrilla, Steve Baric, Carol Gamble, Annemarie Randle-Trejo, Tom Lindsey, John Anderson, Rigoberto Ramirez, Fred Whitaker, Peter Herzog, Katherine Smith, Brian O'Neal, Tita Smith, Elizabeth Parker, Dina Nguyen, Kris Beard, Steve Jones, Bruce Broadwater, Ethan Temianka, John Alpay, Gary Pritchard, Dave Leckness, John Ortega, Kathy Moffat, Molly McClanahan, Miller Oh, Tony Rackauckas, Ron Shepston, Greg Bates, Rush Hill, Dwight Robinson, Sandra Hutchens, James Wright, Ellen Addonizio, Claudia Alvarez, Jennifer Fitzgerald, Sandra Crandall, Doug Davert, Craig Green, Chad Wanke, Joe Aguirre, Richard DeVecchio, Gayle Carline, David Benavides, Katrina Foley, Bob Baker, Arianna Barrios, Tim Jemal, Bill Jay, Mike Alvarez, Steve Mensinger, Gary Monahan, Steve Shanahan, Andrew Blount, Dore Gilbert, Dave Sullivan, Peter Kim, Mark Murphy, Mark Schwing, Cecilia Iglesias, Rob Johnson, Cathy Green, Sam Allevato, Melody Carruth, Barbara Kogerman, Carlos Olvera, Bill Brough, Jim Righeimer, Jeanne Galindo, Debbie Cotton, Chuck Puckett, John Nielsen, Allan Bernstein, Sandy Genis, Cheryl Brothers, Jerry McCloskey, Frank Ury, Anthony Petros, Brad McGirr, Craig Young, Jim Reardon, Roy Byrnes, Cathy Schlict, Susan Hinman, Adam Nick, Steve Dicterow, Laurie Davies, Denis R. Bilodeau, Roger C. Yoh, Robert Ming, Michael Vo, Larry Agran, Beth Krom, Paul Bokota, Lauren Brooks, Michael Parham, Carmen Cave, Ross Chun, William "Bill" Phillips, Roy Moore, Brett Murdock, Christine Marick, Marty Simonoff, Beth Swift, Steve Berry, Art Brown, Leroy Mills, Prakash Narain, Mariellen Yarc, J. Scott Schoeffel, Chris Phan, Connie Boardman, Joe Shaw, Jim Katapodis, Jill Hardy, Elizabeth Pearson, Tony Iseman, Bob Whalen, Randal Bressette, Linda Lindholm, Jerry Slusiewicz, Mike Blazey, Tom Beamish, Rose Espinoza, Bert Hack, Cynthia Conners, Noel Hatch, Gerard Goedhart, Fred Smith, Warren Kusumoto, Richard Murphy, Rhonda Reardon, Nancy Gardner, Constance Underhill, Jim Evert, Tim Brown, Lori Donchak, Chris Hamm, Larry Kramer, John Taylor, Angelica Amezcua, Roman Reyna, Ellery Deaton, Al Murray, Rebecca Gomez, Brad Reese, Diana Fascenelli, Richard Barnett, Greg Mills, Tri Ta, Andy Quach, Sergio Contreras, Diana Carey, Gene Hernandez, David Boyd, Jack Bedell, Barbara Dunsheath, Jeffrey P. Brown, Donna Miller, Manny Ontiveros, Leonard L. Lahtinen, Michael Matsuda, David Grant, Jim Moreno, Mary Hornbuckle, Jerry Patterson, Lorraine Prinsky, Phillip E. Yarbrough, John Hanna, Lawrence R. Labrado, Nelida Yanez, Thomas Prendergrast, Marcia Milchiker, David B. Lang, Anna L. Piercy, Marilyn Buchi, Robert N. Hathaway, Robert A. Singer, Barbara L. Kilponen, Andy Montoya, Kathy Iverson, Bonnie P. Castrey, Susan Henry, Michael H. Simons, Joe Rollino, Bill Hall, Teresa Hampson, Michael Condiff, Rodney Todd, Gail Lyons, Kevin Hobby, Anna Bryson, Lynn Hatton, Amy Hanacek, Lan Quoc Nguyen, Bob Harden, Linda Paulsen-Reed, Bao Quoc Nguyen, George West, Sharon Wallin, Gavin Huntley-Fenner, Theresa O'Hare, Ketta Brown, Betsy Jenkins, William Landsiedel, Jan Vickers, Jeffrey Barke, Diana Hill, Meg Cutuli, David A. Boyer, Karen Russell, Karen Yelsey, David Brooks, Martha Fluor, Dana Black, Diane Singer, Rick Ledesma, Tim Surridge, Alexa Deligianni, Mark D. Wayland, Karin M. Freeman, Carrie Buck, Judi Carmona, Eric Padget, Carol Downey, Dolores Winchell, Dennis Walsh, Suzie Swartz, Don Sedgwick, Ginny Aitkens, John Palacio, Audrey Yamagata Noji, Rob Richardson, Jose Hernandez, Lynn R. Davis, Jonathan W. Abelove, James H. Laird, Tammie K. Bullard, Francine Pace Scinto, Sandy Blumberg, Jeff Cole, Jose F. Moreno, James Vanderbilt, Bob Gardner, Samuel Van Hamblen, Brian Chambers, Helen Lee, L. Carole Jensen, Barbara Michel, Lisa Jordan, Irv Trinkle, Megan Harding, Dennis Salts, Steve Harris, David Giese, Valeri Peters Wagner, Steve Blount, Candi Kern, Brian Nakamura, Jimmy Templin, Judith Edwards, Ian Collins, Chris Thompson, Janny Meyer, Beverly Berryman, Hilda Sugarman, Lynn Thornley, Rosemary Saylor, Celia Jaffe, Brian Rechsteiner, Bridget Kaub, Sharon H. Brown, Linda Navarro/Edwards, Sandi Baltes, John Dobson, Liz Steves, Bill Hinz, Anastasia Shackelford, Darin Barber, Fred W. Schambeck, Brandon Jones, Cliff E. Breddon Jr., Esther H. Wallace, Barbara Quintana, Barbara J. Clendineng, Nathan Zug, Tracy L. Pellman, John Ortiz, Gina Clayton, Linda R. Weinstock, Patrick Ochoa, Edward A. Erdtsieck, Carol Sundman, Chris Brown, Andrew Nguyen, David Bridgewaters, Mary Mangold, Jamison Power, Amy Walsh, Phillip B. Tsunoda, Ron Joseph Garcia, Wendy Leece, Doug Bailey, Lisa A. Bartlett, Steven H. Weinberg, Kelly H. Boyd, James "Jim" Gomez, Robert "Bob" Ring, Milton W. Robbins, Kathryn McCullogh, G. Henry Charoen, Gerri Lee Graham-Mejia, Patricia "Trish" Kelley, Michael F. Henn, Edward D. Selich, Keith D. Curry, Jeremy B. Yamaguchi, Scott William Nelson, Derek Reeve, Gordon A. Shanks, Michael Levitt, David W. Sloan, Gary A. Miller, Alexander A. Ethans, Al Mijares, Wayne Osborne, Mark Taylor, Webster Guillory, Shari Freidenrich, Glenn Parker, Jan Flory, Jennifer McGrath, Joan Flynn, Alisa Cutchen, Lisette Chel-Walker, Laura Parisi, Mary Murphy, Helen Walker, Patrick Melia, Joanne Baade, Al Jabaar, Judith A. Franco Walt Davenport, Kirk E. Bell, David Gutierrez, John A. McDermott II, Keri Ueberroth, John J. Collins, John Marconi, William R. Hart, Alfred A. Coletta, Bill Kahlert, Michael Maynard, Ronald Casey, Jeffrey T. Rips, Victor J. Kriss, Donald Karich, Nora Straight, Michael Farrell, Rhoads Martin, Scott O Davis, Alan Anderson, Gary Rubel, Elizabeth Gapp, Jerard B. Werner, William H. Kahn, Jose Vergara, Ted F. Martin, Scott Goldman, Peer A. Swan, Douglas J Reinhart, Mary Aileen Matheis, John B. Withers, Steven E. LaMar, Scott Colton, Larry R. Lizotte, Donald Froelich, Richard S. Fiore, Brian S. Probolsky, Larry McKenney, Gary Kurtz, Roger Faubel, Sandra Jacobs, Charley Wilson, Charles Gibson, Betty H. Olson, Jeff Thomas, Larry D. Dick, Brett R. Barbre, Wayne A. Clark, Joan C. Finnegan, Richard E. Barrett, Richard B. Bell, John Dulebohn, William VanderWerff, Joel Rattner, Linda Habermehl, William C. Poe, Jim Bell, Van Jew, Shawn Dewane, James Atkinson, Fred Bockmiller, Jim Fisler, Kathryn L. Barr, Stephen R. Sheldon, Philip L. Anthony, Bob Moore, Richard Runge, Dick Dietmier, Rick Erkeneff, Wayne Rayfield, Mike Safranski, Glenn Acosta Ed Mandich, Jim Haselton, Matt Disston, Phil Hawkins, Gary Melton, Rick Kiley, Michael J. Beverage, Ric Collett Jon H. Regnier, Gayle Mueller Winnen, Arlene Schafer, Robert Ooten, Jim Ferryman, Art Perry, Tyler M. Diep, Margie L. Rice, Frank Cobo, Joy L. Neugebauer, Allan P. Krippner, William Brutton, Robert Hendler, Gregory F. Griffin, Graham Hoad, John Woods, Frank Bryant, Woody Rickerl, Richard Freschi, Jerry L Haight C.L. Larry Pharris Jr., Tom Smisek, Chalynn Peterson, Lisa Collins, Al Salehi, Mary Fuhrman, Patricia Ganer, Al Shkoler, Betty Escobosa, Elizabeth Minter, Mike Scheafer, Duane Dishno, Shari Kowalke | 5 Comments »
Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on November 16, 2012
As promised, I have now put together a database for the School Board members and their party affiliation based on who will be serving post election. Based on results in a couple of races being close, this list may change before it goes up on the website permanently.
If anybody reading this finds an error (like the situation where I thought Wendy Leece ran unopposed for NMUSD) please let me know so I can fix it.
Here is the database: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Anaheim City School District, Anaheim Union High School District, Brea Olinda Unified School District, Buena Park School District, Capistrano Unified School District, Centralia School District, Coast Community College District, Cypress School District, Fountain Valley School District, Fullerton Joint Union High School District, Fullerton School District, Garden Grove Unified School District, Huntington Beach City School District, Huntington Beach Union High School District, Irvine Unified School District, La Habra City School District, Laguna Beach Unified School District, Los Alamitos Unified School District, Lowell Joint School District, Magnolia School District, Newport-Mesa Unified School District, North Orange County Community College District, Ocean View School District, Orange County Board of Education, Orange Unified School District, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, Rancho Santiago Community College District, Saddleback Valley Unified School District, Santa Ana Unified School District, Savanna School District, Tustin Unified School District, Westminster School District | Tagged: Alexa Deligianni, Amy Hanacek, Amy Walsh, Anastasia Shackelford, Andrew Nguyen, Andy Montoya, Anna Bryson, Anna L. Piercy, Annemarie Randle-Trejo, Arianna Barrios, Audrey Yamagata Noji, Bao Quoc Nguyen, Barbara Dunsheath, Barbara J. Clendineng, Barbara L. Kilponen, Barbara Michel, Barbara Quintana, Betsy Jenkins, Beverly Berryman, Bill Hall, Bill Hinz, Bill Jay, Bob Gardner, Bob Harden, Bonnie P. Castrey, Brandon Jones, Brian Chambers, Brian Garland, Brian Nakamura, Brian O'Neal, Brian Rechsteiner, Bridget Kaub, Candi Kern, Carol Downey, Carol Sundman, Carrie Buck, Cecilia Iglesias, Celia Jaffe, Chris Brown, Chris Thompson, Claudia Alvarez, Cliff E. Breddon Jr., Dana Black, Darin Barber, David A. Boyer, David B. Lang, David Boyd, David Bridgewaters, David Brooks, David Giese, David Grant, Debbie Cotton, Dennis Salts, Dennis Walsh, Diana Hill, Diane Singer, Dolores Winchell, Don Sedgwick, Donna Miller, Edward A. Erdtsieck, Elizabeth Parker, Ellen Addonizio, Eric Padget, Esther H. Wallace, Francine Pace Scinto, Fred W. Schambeck, Gail Lyons, Gary Pritchard, Gavin Huntley-Fenner, George West, Gina Clayton, Ginny Aitkens, Helen Lee, Hilda Sugarman, Ian Collins, Irv Trinkle, Jack Bedell, James H. Laird, James Vanderbilt, James Wright, Jamison Power, Jan Vickers, Janny Meyer, Jeanne Galindo, Jeff Cole, Jeffrey Barke, Jeffrey P. Brown, Jerry Patterson, Jim Moreno, Jim Reardon, Jimmy Templin, Joe Rollino, John Alpay, John Briscoe, John Dobson, John Hanna, John Ortega, John Ortiz, John Palacio, Jonathan W. Abelove, Jose F. Moreno, Jose Hernandez, Jose Solorio, Judi Carmona, Judith A. Franco, Judith Edwards, Karen Russell, Karen Yelsey, Karin M. Freeman, Katherine Smith, Kathy Iverson, Kathy Moffat, Katrina Foley, Ken Williams, Ketta Brown, Kevin Hobby, L. Carole Jensen, Lan Quoc Nguyen, Lauren Brooks, Lawrence R. Labrado, Leonard L. Lahtinen, Linda Navarro/Edwards, Linda Paulsen-Reed, Linda R. Weinstock, Lisa Jordan, Liz Steves, Lorraine Prinsky, Lynn Hatton, Lynn R. Davis, Lynn Thornley, Manny Ontiveros, Marcia Milchiker, Marilyn Buchi, Mark D. Wayland, Martha Fluor, Mary Hornbuckle, Mary Mangold, Meg Cutuli, Megan Harding, Michael Condiff, Michael H. Simons, Michael Matsuda, Michael Parham, Molly McClanahan, Nancy Padberg, Nathan Zug, Nelida Yanez, Patrick Ochoa, Paul Bokota, Phillip E. Yarbrough, Rick Ledesma, Rob Richardson, Robert A. Singer, Robert Hammond, Robert N. Hathaway, Rodney Todd, Rosemary Saylor, Samuel Van Hamblen, Sandi Baltes, Sandra Crandall, Sandy Blumberg, Sharon H. Brown, Sharon Wallin, Shirley A. Carey, Steve Blount, Steve Harris, Susan Henry, Suzie Swartz, Tammie K. Bullard, Teresa Hampson, Theresa O'Hare, Thomas Prendergrast, Tim Jemal, Tim Surridge, Tracy L. Pellman, Valeri Peters Wagner, Walt Davenport, William Landsiedel | 5 Comments »
Posted by Craig P. Alexander on July 1, 2012
It appears that for the Board majority at CUSD they have no tolerance for any opinion but their own. During the last Board meeting at which several vital budget items were being voted on (including the secretly negotiated contract with the teacher’s union) – Trustee John Alpay moved and was successful in ending debate right as Trustee Ellen Addonizio was about the make her comments on why the union contract and budget were bad for the students and the District.
I guess Trustees John Alpay and Gary Pitchard do not like Democracy in that they don’t wish for a duly elected Trustee to speak from the dias about issues before the Board. One shout out: Trustee Anna Bryson, who has been voting with the majority of late – broke ranks with them and voted against the bad contract and budget and she voted no on closing debate.
Below is an e-mail from Julie Collier of the Parents Advocate League. She has a link to a Patch article on the meeting. It includes an audio clip of Mr. Alpay’s undemocratic and insulting motion and Trustee Gary Pritchard’s “justification” of Mr. Alpay’s bad behavior. Mr. Pritchard even laughs at Trustee Addonizio while he is discussing Alpay’s motion. These two Trustees need to go back to private life!
Here is Ms. Collier’s e-mail and the link to the Patch article:
Dear PALs,
I have been to many public meetings over the last five years; however, I have NEVER witnessed such a dysfunctional and offensive public meeting as I did on June 27th at the CUSD school board meeting. This meeting was truly an insult to constituents as well as students in CUSD.
Every year I have watched CUSD make financial decisions to ease budget concerns at the risk of negatively impacting student learning. Class sizes are increased and furlough days are added with little to no regard for student success. Not to mention, LIFO (Last-In; First Out) laying off teachers because they are the newest to be hired (regardless of whether or not they have the proven ability to teach) continues to be the go to solution for CUSD. Last Wednesday was no exception.
The budget was passed 4-3 (Bryson, Addonizio, and Palazzo dissenting) with $51 million in cuts. The district administration negotiated a deal with CUEA that includes 5-15 furlough days and 1.2% salary decrease. By the way, teachers will get a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA = salary increase)
*3.2% increase for the 12-13 school year
*2.5% increase for the 13-14 school year
*2.7% increase for the 14-15 school year
District official, Jodee Brentlinger, proudly stated the negotiations with CUEA went from “. . . us vs. them and resolved into we.” Unfortunately for students in CUSD, the “we” only included CUEA and CUSD district officials that negotiated behind closed doors.
The most despicable part of the board meeting happened when the teachers’ contract and the budget of over $50 million in cuts were passed with little to no discussion. Trustees Alpay and Pritchard (both up for re-election this November) collectively and deliberately stopped any discussion twice by Trustee Addonizio a long-time student-focused school board member. Please read the article below from the MV Patch. It also includes the actual audio of the controversial shut down for discussion. You can even hear Trustee Pritchard laughing at Trustee Addonizio as he is trying to defend his actions.
Expert: CUSD Goofed in Snuffing Budget Debate http://missionviejo.patch.com/articles/expert-cusd-trustees-did-not-follow-proper-procedure
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Trustees Addonizio, Palazzo, and Bryson for recognizing the need for discussion regarding the impact these severe budget cuts will have on students. Parents and constituents are actually entitled to hear comments from their elected officials, especially regarding cuts to student centered programs and instructional days. Trustees Pritchard and Alpay should have taken more time to consider students as opposed to what appears to be setting themselves up for a union sponsored re-election campaigning.
I cannot implore to parents enough that you must stay informed and active in your child’s education. Attending PTA meetings and volunteering in the classroom is truly wonderful, but it is still not enough. Vital decisions were made for your child and his/her education last Wednesday at the board meeting. These decisions will not only affect your student’s ability to learn next year and for years to come, but it will affect how your child will compete for college admission compared to other students across the nation.
Where were you Wednesday night? Your presence at the board meeting could have made a difference. Teachers have their union. Students have their parents. YOU are your child’s voice. It is time for YOU to stand up and use it.
Julie Collier
Parents Advocate League
http://www.facebook.com/ParentsAdvocateLeaguePALs
Posted in Capistrano Unified School District | Tagged: Budget, Capistrano Unified School District, CUSD, Ellen Addonizio, Gary Pritchard, John Alpay, Julie Collier, Teacher's Union Contract | 8 Comments »
OC Political 