STOP THE UNION
TAKEOVER ATTEMPT


Vote November 2, 2010


Vote NO on the Recall of
Winsten & Lopez Maddox

Vote NO on the Union's
"Measure H"

Re-elect the"ABC Reform Trustees"
(Addonizio, Bryson & Christensen)

Voters Elected the
Conservative Reform Trustees
By Landslide Margins of Victory

The Reform Trustees Have Brought
Positive Change and Reform to CUSD

Balanced the Budget!
Stopped Deficit Spending!
Refused to Increase Taxes!
Fought for Smaller Class Sizes!
Test Scores Soar to All Time High!

Powerful Public Employee Unions
Are Now Trying to Elect a
New Pro-Union Majority and
Take Away 6 of Your 7 Votes (Measure H)
18_s_capoelection4_large_2_2
Union Boss Vicki Soderberg
This Is Wrong...

STOP THE UNION
TAKEOVER ATTEMPT

_________________________________________

DOWNLOAD AND PRINT
THE OFFICIAL REPUBLICAN
REFORM SLATE FLYER HERE

If you want a quick and easy way to explain to your friends and neighbors what’s going on in this critical CUSD election, print this beautiful campaign flyer that will explain everything they need to know.  Print them and share them with as many voters as possible.
DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THE FLYER

Screen shot 2010-09-29 at 3.15.52 PM
_________________________________________

COMPARE THE CANDIDATES
SIDE-BY-SIDE
CLICK HERE
_________________________________________

Meet the CUSD Reform Trustees...

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Ken Lopez Maddox
Trustee Area 5
School Board Member, Businessman



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Mike Winsten
Trustee Area 3
School Board Member, Attorney, Independent Businessman



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Sue Palazzo
Trustee Area 2
School Board Member, Property Manager, Teacher



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Jack Brick
Trustee Area 1
School Board Member, Aersospace Executive, Teacher



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Ellen Addonizio
Trustee Area 6
School Board Member, Certified Public Accountant



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Anna Bryson
Trustee Area 4
School Board Member, Former Software Company President



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Larry Christensen
Trustee Area 7
School Board Member, Owner/Operator Civil Engineering Company, Real Estate Developer

Reform Election Results...
OC Seal2
Nov 4, 2008 Election
Jun 24, 2008 Election
Nov 7, 2006 Election
Nov 5, 2002 Election


Measure "H" Poll Results...

Should Capistrano Unified trustees be elected by local area, or at large, as they are now?

74%....It works fine now. Don't change it.
2%.......I'm not sure yet.
24%.....We need more local control. Elect by area!

Source: Capistrano Dispatch, Oct 23, 2009, Page 10

Latest News Videos...

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Emmy Award Winning Full Disclosure Network®


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March 2006
Citizen Revolt Widens
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Recall Election Corrupted


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Parents Declare War
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September 2006
Broken Down?
Has The OC Voter Registrar Broken Down?

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Citizens Provoke DA
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September 2007
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Do They Still Have The Consent
Of The People?


KCAL TV 9 News
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James Fleming and Susan McGill Indicted
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Featured Articles...

Hard Knocks
OC Weekly article, "Hard Knocks"
In-depth report on the three-year grassroots effort to reform CUSD.

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OC Weekly slideshow
"Capo Unified: Life In The Barracks, A peek at some of Capo Unified's schools"

The Pictures

The real story behind the pictures of CUSD's disgusting portables and that infamous SCHS toilet

Choosing to Crowd
OC Register reporter Keith Sharon reveals the truth about CUSD's infamous facilities planning blunders, inequities and waste in this four-part investigative series.

Featured Columns...
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Steven Greenhut
Senior Editor
Orange County Register


"The OC gadflies got it right on CUSD"
"Picture this: Entire Capo board board target of recall"

Featured Interview...
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Hena Cuevas, Reporter, KCET Ch. 28, Life & Times
Cuevas interviews Marlene Draper and recall leaders.

Featured Blogs...
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Tom Russell
Spokesperson
Committee to Reform CUSD

"Another turf war brewing in CUSD"
"Attendance boundaries at issue again? Say it isn't so."
"ABC committee members resign over flawed boundary assessment process and district's failure to take responsibility"
Breaking News...
November 5, 2010 ELECTION ANALYSIS:  Voters Continue to Entrust CUSD Control to Reform Trustees -- Union Fails to Gain Board Majority Despite Spending $350,000 Our CUSD Reform Trustees Anna Bryson and Ellen Addonizio each won decisive victories on Election Day -- thereby stopping the union takeover attempt. The teachers union and their so-called “Children First” group spent more than $350,000 in their failed effort to elect a new pro-union majority.  However, they did elect three union-backed candidates: John Alpay, Gary Pritchard and Lynn Hatton.  The Board will be forced to cut 15 million more from the budget this year -- will these three union candidates attempt to further burden taxpayers with new parcel taxes and bond measures when union leaders come to them with their hands out for more?
READ the OC Register Editorial

November 3, 2010  REFORM TRUSTEES WIN ELECTION VICTORIES – AND STOPPED THE UNION TAKEOVER!!! Our CUSD Reform Trustees Anna Bryson and Ellen Addonizio each won decisive election victories yesterday -- thereby stopping the union takeover attempt.  The teachers union and their so-called “Children First” group spent more than $350,000 in their failed effort to elect a new pro-union majority – an obscene amount of money for a local school board election.  We thank the voters of South Orange County for continuing to entrust our CUSD Reform Trustees with a controlling majority on the CUSD Board of Trustees.
READ OC Register Analysis of Reform Trustee Victories
READ OC Register Election Night Coverage

November 2, 2010  ELECTION DAY: Voters Have Clear Choice - Conservative Reform Trustees or Union-Controlled Candidates The teachers union and their so-called “Children First” group have already spent more than $350,000 trying to buy control of CUSD – an obscene amount of money for a local school board election. Voters have a very simple choice -- They can continue to support the conservative incumbents and the policies they promote, or they can choose the candidates and positions that are endorsed and promoted by the teachers union. We urge you to choose the conservative incumbents.
VOTE NO on the Union’s Recall of Winsten & Lopez Maddox
VOTE NO on the Union’s Measure H
RE-ELECT THE “ABC TRUSTEES” (Addonizio, Bryson & Christensen)
READ More...
READ Trustee Winsten's Open Letter
READ Trustee Bryson’s Open Letter

October 30, 2010 BREAKING NEWS:  OC Register Confirms Union Effort to Buy Control of CUSD The OC Register story confirms the teachers union and their so-called “Children First” group have now spent more than $350,000 trying to buy control of CUSD – an obscene amount of money for a local school board election. The Union Slate is outspending the conservative incumbents by more than 16 to 1.
READ OC Register Story, Oct 30, 2010:
"Capo election spending soars, topping $374,000"
READ OC Register Story, Oct 26, 2010:
"Capo race spending surges to $267,282"

READ OC Register Story, Oct 19, 2010:
"Spending in Capo school board race hits $184,573"

READ the Red County Story:
"Teachers Union Spending Hits $350,000 in CUSD Takeover Attempt"

October 29, 2010 BREAKING NEWS: The Orange County Register Newspaper Urges Voters to Reject the Union Takeover The Orange County Register confirms that the teachers union and their supporters in the so-called "Children First" group have spent more than $250,000 in an attempt to takeover the Capistrano Unified School District. The Orange County Register officially endorses the "ABC" Reform Slate. READ more:
OC Register Editorial 1 - Stop the Union Takeover
OC Register Editorial 2 - Vote "NO" on the Recall
OC Register Editorial 3 - Vote "NO" on Measure H

October 26, 2010 BREAKING NEWS: Teachers Union Running Massive, Illegal and Deceptive Campaign The powerful teachers union and its so-called “Children First” group have already spent an obscene amount of money (more than $245,000) on their unjust campaign to take control of our school district on Election Day.  Even more troubling is their attempt to deceive the voters.  Supporters of the teachers union have published several bogus newspaper ads, and thousands of deceptive flyers, trying to trick Republican voters into believing the Teachers Union candidates are supported by the Republican Party. This is wrong!
SEE Copy of Bogus Political Ad
SEE Our Full Page “Voter Alert” Newspaper Ad
READ the Red County Summary
LISTEN to Republican Party Chairman’s Urgent Voter Alert:
October 23, 2010 BREAKING NEWS: Video of CUSD Public Debate – Union Candidate Caught on Tape Making False & Misleading Statements to Voters The OC Register was there and published a story about this public debate. Our camera was also there so you could watch the video for yourself. Bottom line, the teachers union is attempting to takeover control of CUSD – and this video proves their candidates will say and do most anything in an effort to deceive voters.
WATCH VIDEO of Dishonest Union Candidate
WATCH VIDEO Admission of Union Manipulation
READ the Full Story
READ the Red County Story

October 21, 2010 BREAKING NEWS: OC Register Officially Urges Voters to VOTE NO on Union-Backed Recall in CUSD The OC Register just published a significant editorial against the union-backed recall effort in CUSD: “We urge voters in the South County school district to vote against the union-backed recall of two of the seven trustees, Ken Lopez Maddox and Mike Winsten, and prevent a possible union takeover from the board…the teachers' union actively supports the recall and a union website proclaims "This is our opportunity to elect our own bosses." Using the recall as a political maneuver to assert power undermines the democratic process.”
READ the Full OC Register Editorial
READ the Red County Story

September 28, 2010
OC Register Newspaper Officially Opposes Union’s “Measure H” – Admitted Union Effort “To Elect Our Own Bosses” The OC Register just published a significant editorial officially opposing “Measure H” – a ballot initiative promoted and supported by the public employee unions in Capistrano Unified School District which would change the way CUSD school board members are elected in the future.  They confirm the union’s view Measure H as their “opportunity to elect our own bosses”!
READ the OC Register Editorial 
READ the Red County Coverage

September 27, 2010
Cities of Rancho Santa Margarita and Mission Viejo Each Unanimously Adopt Resolution Against Union’s “Measure H” Ballot Initiative The Cities of Rancho Santa Margarita and Mission Viejo each just adopted a resolution officially opposing “Measure H” – a ballot initiative promoted and supported by the public employee unions in Capistrano Unified School District which would change the way CUSD school board members are elected in the future.  Today voters in CUSD get 7 votes -- 1 for each of their school board members. If Measure H passes – voters would lose 6 of their votes.
READ the RSM Official Resolution
READ the OC Register Story re RSM
READ the details from Red County re RSM
READ the OC Register Story re Mission Viejo
READ the details from Red County re Mission Viejo

September 21, 2010 CUSD Reform Slate Garners Widespread Support and Coveted Endorsements  Many prominent elected officials and organizations have come forward to support the courageous conservative CUSD Board Members and to officially oppose the union’s Measure H, including the California Republican Assembly, the Orange County Republican Party, the Lincoln Club, and the Family Action PAC.
READ the OC Republican Party Endorsement
READ the Red County Story (GOP)
READ the California Republican Assembly Endorsement
READ the Red County Story (CRA)
READ the Endorsement List

September 3, 2010 COURT VICTORY! Judge Dismisses All Three Union Lawsuits Against Reform Trustees All three cases brought by the so-called "Children First" coalition (a front for the public employees' union in CUSD) were rejected on the merits today, totally vindicating the truthfulness of the official ballot statements submitted by the reform trustees.
READ the OC Register Story
READ the details from Red County

September 1, 2010
COURT VICTORY!  Judge Rules As A Matter of Law Leaders of the so-called “Children First” organization and their candidate John Alpay Made Illegal, False and Misleading Statements This afternoon, Orange County Superior Court Judge Kim Dunning upheld the charges filed against Erin Kutnick, Marilyn Amato and other leaders of the union-backed Children First organization, and against their candidate John Alpay. The court found they had each made illegal, false and misleading statements in the official ballot statements they submitted to the Orange County Registrar. The judge ordered their illegal statements stricken. 
READ the OC Register Story printed after the court's ruling
READ the official Reform Petition against leadership of "Children First"
READ the official Reform Petition against Candidate Alpay
READ the OC Register Story printed prior to the court's ruling
READ the details from Red County

August 16, 2010 Pro-Union “Children First” Candidate John Alpay Sued Over Illegal Campaign Statements Today, a legal action was filed in Orange County Superior Court against John Alpay, one of the five candidates on the pro-union “Children First Coalition” slate seeking election to the Board of Trustees for Capistrano Unified School District (“CUSD”) in the November general election. The suit asks the superior court to sanction Alpay for making numerous false, misleading and illegal statements in his candidate statements filed with the OC Registrar. See official complaint, press release and news coverage.

July 6, 2010 
Reform Board Victory - Board's Position on Teacher Union Strike Saved Cash-Strapped School District $1.7 Million! Congratulations to the Reform Board – today the OC Register confirmed the Board’s courage during the recent teachers union strike saved the cash-strapped school district $1.7 million dollars!  When the Union leaders went on strike in April the elected Reform Trustees held their ground to protect the students and taxpayers.  The union ultimately was forced to capitulate and give up their unreasonable demand that the contract cuts imposed by the Reform Board would expire automatically on a date certain.  Unfortunately, they only did so after 2,200 teachers union members had abandoned their students and walked out on strike for three school days. READ the OC Register Story

June 22, 2010 
Outrage! Unjust Union-Backed Recall To Appear on November 2010  CUSD Ballots The OC Registrar of Voters confirmed today the CUSD public employee unions have succeeded in placing on the November ballot a recall of highly-respected CUSD Reform Trustees Ken Lopez-Maddox and Mike Winsten. The California Republican Assembly, the Orange County Republican Party, the Orange County Register and the Committee to Reform CUSD have all opposed this unjust union-backed recall campaign.
READ the OC Register Story
READ the California Republican Assembly’s Opposition
READ the OC Register’s Opposition
READ the OC Republican Party’s Opposition

June 10, 2010 Taxpayers Across America Rejecting Unions' Lavish Pensions & Perks For years, teachers and other public
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sector unions benefited from the fact that taxpayers had no choice when it came to paying the ever increasing costs of union contracts – taxpayers were, in effect, “captive consumers.” Today, voters across America have rightfully become resentful as they sense that: (1) they are underwriting, through their taxes, a level of salary and benefits for teachers and government employees that is far better than what they and their families have; and (2) government services, from schools to the DMV, are simply not good enough—not for the citizen individually nor the public generally—to justify the high and escalating cost.
READ the First Amendment Coalition Column by Peter Scheer
READ Other Stories About Union Pensions and Unfunded Liabilities

June 8, 2010
New Film, 'The Lottery': Unions Destroying American Education A new documentary film is debuting this week entitled, "The Lottery." The film highlights the ever failing public education system we have in America today and how our children's future is being seriously harmed by greedy, uncaring teachers unions. As the trailer says, these unions are protecting failure in our schools… WATCH The Trailer


June 5, 2010 NJ Governor Chris Christie Tells It Like It Is: Teachers Unions Are the Real Bullies, Waging the Politics of Raw Power This is one of the most truthful four minute speeches you will ever see a prominent American politician give. NJ Gov. Chris Christie makes an important point: Fiscal conservatives and education reform advocates appreciate, respect, and cherish the work that the vast majority of public schoolteachers do. Educating future generations is an admirable pursuit that should be applauded. But teachers unions seek to manipulate the system in the interest of wielding power over taxpayers, school boards, parents, and students, all in the name of enriching themselves at the expense of others. This IS the struggle CUSD constituents face as the CUSD teachers union continues its dishonest, selfish war against our popularly elected Reform Trustees.


June 1, 2010 Reform Trustee Reveals How CUSD Teachers Union Postured In Bad Faith to Deceive Public and Smear Reform Board

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Reform Trustee Larry Christensen reveals how the CUSD teachers union dishonestly postured throughout the collective bargaining process, distorting the truth to deceive the public, justify their unreasonable strike and smear the Reform Board who, unlike the union, followed the rules of engagement in their efforts to protect students, parents and taxpayers from unreasonable union demands in the face of our state's and our district's worst-ever financial crisis. READ the Column

June 1, 2010
CUSD's Union Strike Makes National News - TV Report exposes the union's dishonest and selfish political agenda that hurt our students and unfairly targeted your fiscally responsible elected Board members


May 24, 2010 Teachers Unions Bankrupting American Education...and More! "Big labor unions have destroyed countless American industries, but these unions don’t just control factories and assembly lines. Our public education system is a slow-motion car crash, driven by the same union special interests that brought the auto companies to the brink of bankruptcy. This insightful new video shows how teachers unions protect bad and incompetent teachers, and block school reform efforts…"


May 20, 2010 Reality check: With unfunded liabilities and bankruptcies looming, CUSD reform trustees were right to say "NO" to union's unreasonable demands

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School officials are effectively ignoring the mounting debt, the report concludes, and barring a drastic change of course, could end up bankrupting their districts or stiffing retirees on health benefits. The grand jury report recommends that every district immediately start reducing unfunded liabilities for retiree health benefits. It calls on every district to include a funding plan in its 2011-12 budget. "All of those involved – administrators, school boards teachers and unions – have a responsibility to resolve this problem…" READ The Sacramento Bee Article

May 19, 2010
CUSD union should heed conclusion of grand jury: "It is time for unions to become more of an advocate for children"
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The Sacramento City Unified School District faces bankruptcy if its teachers union does not agree to contract concessions, according to a Sacramento County grand jury report released today. The report painted Superintendent Jonathan Raymond as a man on a mission to get district finances in order while improving programs for students. The Sacramento City Teachers Association received a critical review. "It is time for unions to become more of an advocate for children," the report states… READ The Sacramento Bee Article

May 18, 2010 Capo Unified teachers union part of growing problem of public employee unions flexing their muscles in local campaigns
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The American public feels it is drowning in red ink. It is dismayed and even outraged at the burgeoning national deficits, unbalanced state and local budgets, and accounting that often masks the extent of indebtedness. There is a mounting sense that taxpayers are being taken for an expensive ride by public sector unions. The extraordinary benefits the unions have secured for their members are going to be harder and harder to pay... READ the Sacramento Bee Article

May 14, 2010
With CUSD's unfunded pension liabilities a whopping $48 million, the crippling price of public employee unions has become a problem for our own school district
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The American public feels it is drowning in red ink. It is dismayed and even outraged at the burgeoning national deficits, unbalanced state and local budgets, and accounting that often masks the extent of indebtedness. There is a mounting sense that taxpayers are being taken for an expensive ride by public sector unions. The extraordinary benefits the unions have secured for their members are going to be harder and harder to pay... READ the US News & World Report Article

April 27, 2010 Union Capitulates -- Strike Over! 
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Union leaders last night finally gave up their unreasonable demand that the contract cuts imposed by the Reform Board would expire automatically on a date certain.  Unfortunately, they only did so after 2,200 teachers union members had abandoned their students and walked out on strike for three school days.  Congratulations to the Reform Board for this great victory and for standing up for the students, parents and taxpayers of CUSD! LISTEN to KFI's John & Ken Analyze the Reform Board's Great Victory

April 27, 2010 Unions Seeking to Raise Your Taxes - by 40 Billion Dollars!  California's public employee unions have proposed their solution to the state's enormous budget deficit -- THEY WANT TO RAISE YOUR TAXES! They want taxpayers to cough up an additional $40 billion in new taxes, including a 10-percent increase in the tax on alcohol, an additional $1.50 tax on cigarettes, extending sales tax to non-taxed service industries, boosting top income-tax brackets by 10 percent and 11 percent and increasing vehicle-license fees to the level they were before a 2003 reduction.
READ the Details Including: An OC Register Editorial and Sacramento Bee News Report

April 26, 2010 KTLA News Report: Teachers Union Strike Is Selfishly Hurting Students and Taxpayers

 

April 26, 2010 California Teachers Union Strike:  N.E.A. Joins Fight to Push Liberal Union Agenda Throughout California ... and Beyond!

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In the middle of the nation’s worst economic crisis since the great depression, with the State of California buckling under the weight of unprecedented budget deficits that have crippled the ability of local cities and school districts to provide basic services to their constituents … 2,200 members of the teachers union in the 9th largest school district in California have abandoned their students and walked out on strike! The seven conservative republican trustees serving on the Capistrano Unified Board of Trustees are under attack by their local teachers union, as well as the powerful California Teachers Association (CTA) and now, the National Education Association (NEA).  Our seven courageous trustees need the immediate support of all conservatives from across the country who are sick and tired of the abuses and undue influence exerted by the powerful public employee unions. What’s really going on here? READ the Answer Here

See Breaking News Archive