Endorsements
OC GOP Urge All Voters Not to Sign Union-Backed Recall Petition
Feb 17, 2010
"County Party Urges All Voters Not to Sign Recall Petitions"
IRVINE, CA - The Republican Party of Orange County Central Committee unanimously approved the following resolution yesterday pertaining to the new recall campaign which is being promoted by public employee unions and their allies against Capistrano Unified School District Trustees Ken Lopez-Maddox and Mike Winsten.
URGENCY RESOLUTION
OPPOSING THE RECALL OF CAPISTRANO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT TRUSTEES LOPEZ-MADDOX & WINSTEN Whereas, in 2008 the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee proudly endorsed for election to the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees Ken Lopez-Maddox and Mike Winsten; Read More...
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Republicans Rally Behind CUSD Reform Slate Candidates
Sep 22, 2008
Brick, Maddox, Palazzo & Winsten Score Key
Endorsements for November Election
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. Each of the most
prominent Republican Party organizations have
officially endorsed
Jack Brick, Ken Maddox, Sue Palazzo and Mike
Winsten, the four reform
candidates running for seats on board of trustees of
the Capistrano Unified School District in the
upcoming
November 4th general election. The
endorsements were unanimous and came from the most
prominent Republican Party organizations, including:
•
The California Republican Assembly
Link
• The Republican Party of Orange County
Link
• The Orange County Young Republicans
Link
Brick, Maddox, Palazzo and Winsten
are also
endorsed by the CUSD Recall Committee.
Brick,
Maddox, Palazzo & Winsten each bring a wide
spectrum of impressive personal and professional
talents that will make them uniquely qualified and
ready to serve as CUSD Trustees once elected in
November. They possess qualities and experience the
“old guard” Trustees clearly
lack.
OC Register calls CUSD Recall win "stunning," "overwhelming" and says voters did the right thing at the ballot box
Jun 27, 2008
An Orange County Register editorial
Perhaps now, finally, the tumult at the Capistrano Unified School District can die down, following a stunning and overwhelming recall this week of two of the school board's holdouts from the bad old days. Longtime Trustees Sheila Benecke and Marlene Draper were tossed out of office by overwhelming majorities, with about 70 percent of voters agreeing to recall both members. Ms. Benecke was replaced by former Assemblyman Ken Maddox, and Ms. Draper was replaced by teacher Sue Palazzo.
The two new board members’ three reform-oriented colleagues won their seats in November 2006. The reform crowd holds a 5-2 majority. It has taken three years and enormous time, money and effort to gain control of a board that was previously known for its consistent unanimous votes and its unyielding support for a powerful former superintendent – James Fleming, who faces criminal charges in August related to his compilation of an "enemies list" of district parents who had supported a previous recall attempt. Read More...
Important Notice to Voters from State Assemblymember Todd Spitzer
Jun 20, 2008
Robocall message delivered to South OC residents by
Todd Spitzer, Assemblymember, 71st Assembly District
Hello, this is Todd Spitzer – your California State Assemblymember. Education is my top priority - I care deeply about our kids. I have children in our public school system as well. That’s why I'm urging you to Vote Yes on the CUSD Recall – Tuesday, June 24th.
We need to restore honesty, integrity and accountability to our troubled school district. Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, June 24th.
Vote Yes to recall the incumbents, AND in their place,
Elect Sue Palazzo and Ken Maddox, two highly qualified reform candidates.
If you vote by mail, please return your completed ballot Today.
Thank you.
Todd Spitzer
California Assemblymember
71st Assembly District
The CUSD Recall Committee is grateful to the numerous elected officials, community leaders and prominent community organizations who have supported or endorsed the CUSD Recall, reform candidate Sue Palazzo and/or reform candidate Ken Maddox, including:
• State Senator, Dick Ackerman
• State Senator, Mark Wyland
• State Senator, Dennis Hollingsworth
• State Assemblymember Chuck Devore
• State Assemblymember Todd Spitzer
• State Assemblymember Audra Strickland
• State Assemblymember Mimi Walters
• State Board of Equalization Member, Michelle Steel
• CUSD Trustee, Ellen Addonizio
• CUSD Trustee, Anna Bryson
• CUSD Trustee, Larry Christensen
• Aliso Viejo Mayor, Carmen Cave
• Dana Point Councilmember, Lisa Bartlett
• Dana Point Councilmember, Diane Harkey
• Dana Point Councilmember, Lara Anderson
• Dana Point Councilmember, Joe Snyder (ret.)
• Laguna Niguel Councilmember, Linda Lindholm
• Mission Viejo Mayor, Trish Kelley
• Mission Viejo Councilmember, Frank Ury
• Rancho Santa Margarita Councilmember, Tony Beall
• Rancho Santa Margarita Mayor, Neil Blais
• Rancho Santa Margarita Councilmember, Gary Thompson
• Rancho Santa Margarita Planning Commissioner, Tom Russell
• San Clemente Councilmember, Steve Knoblock
• San Juan Capistrano Councilmember, Mark Nielsen
For more information, please visit the CUSD Recall Committee website at: www.cusdrecall.com
Renew CUSD: Vote “Yes” on the Recall Special Recall Election June 24th
Jun 19, 2008
Special guest column by CUSD Trustees Ellen Addonizio, Anna Bryson & Larry Christensen that appeared in the June edition of the Trabuco Canyon News
Come June 24th, constituents who live in the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) will have the opportunity to make a positive change in direction of our troubled school district.
Three years ago, citizens dedicated to reforming CUSD gathered over 177,000 signatures in a failed attempt to recall all seven members of the Board of Trustees. The following year, the three of us sought seats on the seven-member school board running as the “ABC Reform Slate” candidates. Read More...
Important Notice to Voters from Tony Beall: Vote "Yes" on CUSD Recall - June 24th
Jun 18, 2008
I'm proud to be at the forefront of the fight to reform the Capistrano Unified School District.
Our five-year campaign to restore honesty, integrity and accountability into the Capistrano Unified School District has already achieved much...and on election night, we will celebrate a truly remarkable achievement:
For the first time in nearly two decades, the seven-member CUSD Board of Trustees will have a majority of Trustees dedicated to restoring honesty, integrity and accountability!
Please vote -- Tomorrow, June 24th -- If you vote by mail - return your completed ballot Today.
Please "Vote Yes" to recall Marlene Draper and Sheila Benecke.
Please elect Sue Palazzo and Ken Maddox to replace them.
You can visit our website at www.CUSDrecall.com to learn more about these very important issues.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at cusdrecall@cox.net should you have any questions, require any additional information or if I may ever be of any assistance to you.
Thank you.
Tony Beall
Important Notice to Voters from State Assemblymember Mimi Walters
Jun 16, 2008
Robocall message delivered to South OC residents by
Mimi Walters, Assemblymember, 73rd Assembly District
Hi, this is Assemblymember Mimi Walters. The education of our children is one of my highest priorities. That is why I’m urging you to Vote Yes on the CUSD Recall on June 24th.
We need positive change in our troubled school district. Please – mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 24th.
”Vote Yes” to recall the incumbents, AND in their place, elect Sue Palazzo and Ken Maddox - two highly qualified reform candidates.
If you vote by mail, please return your completed ballot Today.
Thank you.
Mimi Walters
California Assemblymember
73rd Assembly District
For more information, please visit the CUSD Recall Committee website at: www.cusdrecall.com
O.C. Republican Party Endorses CUSD Recall
May 19, 2008
The CUSD Recall special election will be held on June 24th.
CUSD Recall Committee spokesperson Thomas Russell was present for the May 19th Central Committee meeting and stated, “We are pleased the Republican Party agrees that Marlene Draper and Sheila Benecke should be recalled and removed from office.” Read More...
Local CRA units endorse CUSD Recall, Palazzo and Maddox
May 08, 2008
• Ladera Ranch Republican Assembly, based in Ladera Ranch,
• Rancho Santa Margarita Republican Assembly, based in Rancho Santa Margarita
• Saddleback Republican Assembly based in Mission Viejo, and
• South Orange County Republican Assembly based in Dana Point.
The CRA units also officially endorsed Sue Palazzo and Ken Maddox, the two reform candidates running to replace the incumbents in the upcoming June 24th special recall election.
Spitzer Calls on legislature to fund education; Republicans commit to uphold funding for Prop 98
May 06, 2008
Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, 71st Assembly District
See Press Release
As a former high school teacher and elected school board trustee, I have always made the protection of our education system my top priority. The Governor proposed his budget in January and indicated that it would be necessary to make cuts to our classrooms.
Since then, thousands of parents, teachers and students have contacted me to express your distress about the Governor’s proposed budget cuts to education. I have been working with my colleagues to develop a responsible education plan that fully protects Proposition 98 and yet does not rely on raising new taxes. Read More...
CUSD Recall Committee endorses Sue Palazzo and Ken Maddox, the "P.M. Reform Slate" for CUSD board
Mar 24, 2008
Announcing The “P.M. Reform Slate”
Reform CUSD -- “Before It’s Too Late”
Palazzo & Maddox Endorsed by CUSD Recall Committee
Sue Palazzo, Candidate 2nd District - See Biography
Ken Maddox, Candidate 5th District - See Biography
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. Sue Palazzo and Ken Maddox announced today their candidacy for seats on the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) Board of Trustees in the upcoming recall election. The CUSD Recall Committee proudly endorses Palazzo & Maddox – the “P.M. Reform Slate” Candidates.
After an exhaustive search for the very best candidates, the CUSD Recall Committee is confident that Palazzo & Maddox will put the best interests of the children and the taxpayers above all other interests in each decision they make. We are also confident these reform candidates will ask the tough questions, hold the CUSD administrative staff accountable for their actions, and work to create a transparent organization that is responsive to the community. Read More...
ABC Reform Trustees join chorus of elected officials calling for old-guard resignations
Jan 08, 2008
Ellen Addonizio, Anna Bryson and Larry
Christensen, the "ABC Reform Trustees"
San Juan Capistrano, California – In the election of November 2006, the people of the Capistrano Unified School District elected the three of us to the Board of Trustees by 17% landslide margins of victory – a clear mandate for change in the administration of the school district. We ran as the “ABC Reform” candidates on a reform platform, vowing to restore honesty, integrity and accountability, as well as returning scarce dollars back into the classroom. We answer only to the constituents of CUSD and we are charged to do what is best for all of the district’s 53,000 students, as a community.
Under the watch of Trustees Sheila Benecke and Marlene Draper, the school district has experienced a tumultuous decade of controversies that has included unlawful secret meetings, misappropriation or mismanagement of public funds, five years of budget deficit spending (2002-2006), unchecked funding of questionable building projects compounded by misrepresentations of their funding, including the extravagant construction of the district’s 126,000 square foot administration building. Read More...
With chronic open-meetings law violations confirmed by D.A., chorus of outrage and demands for resignations grows
Oct 20, 2007
Sheila Benecke and Marlene Draper
Two of the Fleming-era trustees Read More...
Republican Party of Orange County Unanimously Asks Capistrano USD Trustees to Resign
Oct 16, 2007
(IRVINE, CA) - The Republican Party of Orange County Central Committee, with over 100 elected members, unanimously approved the following resolution pertaining to four members of the Capistrano Unified School District. Resolution of the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee on Monday, October 15, 2007 - passed by unanimous vote of the Committee:
Be it resolved that the repeated and consistent Brown Act violations, as reported by the Orange County District Attorney, and other egregious acts by Marlene M. Draper, Sheila J. Benecke, Duane E. Stiff and Mike Darnold are inconsistent with our Republican Party principles and, accordingly, the Republican Party of Orange County Central Committee asks these Trustees to immediately resign from their positions as Trustees of the Capistrano Unified School District.
"The four people that were asked to resign are all registered Republicans, but they are not governing by our party's principles," said Scott Baugh, Chairman of the Republican Party of Orange County. "The cumulative effect of all their improprieties leads us to no other conclusion but that these Republicans have forfeited their support from the Republican Party and they should resign."
For more information on the Republican Party of Orange County, please visit us at www.ocgop.org
See copy of official GOP press release.
Casabianca Mailer Fraudulently Claims Bergeson Support
Nov 01, 2006
Former State Senator Endorses Challenger Anna
Bryson
Rancho
Santa Margarita, CA. Scandal-Ridden CUSD
Trustee John Casabianca just sent a deceptive
mailer to voters across South Orange County
suggesting that Former State Senator Marion
Bergeson endorses and supports his re-election
bid. Bergeson does not endorse or support John
Casabianca – and she recently told him so. In
fact, Marion Bergeson has proudly endorsed
candidate Anna Bryson of the “ABC Reform Slate”
for the CUSD Board of Trustees.
Read More...
Read More...
Republican Party Endorses Capo Unified “ABC Reform Slate”
Sep 21, 2006
Orange, CA. Ellen Addonizio, Anna Bryson and Larry Christensen, the three reform candidates running for the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees as the “ABC Reform Slate” have each been officially endorsed by the Orange County Republican Party.
Addonizio, Bryson & Christensen are also endorsed by The CUSD Recall Committee.
Read More...
Republicans Refuse to Endorse CUSD Trustees -- Again
Jul 31, 2006
Incumbents Have Been Tarnished By Recall, District
Attorney Investigation and Scandals
Orange, CA. The Endorsements Committee of the OC Republican Central Committee met tonight for the purpose of considering whether to recommend the endorsement of the three CUSD Trustees that must run for re-election in November (John Casabianca, Crystal Kochendorfer and Sheila Henness). Once again, the trustees were rejected.
Orange, CA. The Endorsements Committee of the OC Republican Central Committee met tonight for the purpose of considering whether to recommend the endorsement of the three CUSD Trustees that must run for re-election in November (John Casabianca, Crystal Kochendorfer and Sheila Henness). Once again, the trustees were rejected.
John
Casabiance, Crystal Kochendorfer, Shelia
Henness
Republican Central Committee Refuses to Endorse CUSD Trustees
Jul 17, 2006
Irvine, CA. The Republican Central Committee met tonight for the purpose of providing early endorsements to sitting Republican incumbents across Orange County. Generally speaking, all Orange County Republican incumbents in good standing receive the political party’s endorsement in a single, routine, “consent calendar” vote. However, there was nothing routine about tonight’s vote as far as the three CUSD Trustee incumbents were concerned. The Republican Central Committee refused to provide an early endorsement to any of the three CUSD Trustees that must run for re-election in November (John Casabianca, Crystal Kochendorfer and Sheila Henness). Read More...