Scathing D.A. Report Confirms Continuing Illegal Acts At CUSD
Superintendent Woodrow Carter (aka Arnold Carter) and Old Guard Trustees Implicated
Recently-elected Reform Trustees Praised For Exposing the Ongoing Corruption
Rancho Santa Margarita, Ca. The Orange County District Attorney has issued a new stinging report dated September 2, 2008 – the fourth such report in a little over a year – detailing the results of their on-going investigation of the Capistrano Unified School District for numerous Brown Act violations and other illegal acts. The scathing report confirms that Trustees Duane Stiff, Mike Darnold, Marlene Draper and Sheila Benecke – four trustees who served for years with the now indicted former Superintendent James Fleming – continued to engage in illegal behavior despite repeated rebukes by the District Attorney. The report also condemns numerous actions taken (and not taken) by current CUSD Superintendent A. Woodrow Carter (aka Arnold Carter) – the acting CUSD Superintendent during the entire period of time covered by the latest D.A. Report.
See copies of:
District Attorney’s reports, dated:
October 9, 2007, February 28, 2008, March 13, 2008, May 12, 2008 and September 2, 2008
Joint Statements by ABC Reform Trustees, dated:
October 19, 2007, February 10, 2008 and March 27, 2008
CUSD Recall Committee press releases, dated:
October 9, 2007, May 9, 2008, May 27, 2008 and September 9, 2008 Read More...
Secret and Illegal Superintendent’s Contract Discovered
• Superintendent Had Publicly Rejected the Contract Offer
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. Despite numerous public statements to the contrary, it has now been confirmed that CUSD Superintendent Woodrow Carter (aka Arnold Carter) and Board President Mike Darnold executed and delivered a secret and illegal superintendent’s employment contract. This action violated the California Brown Act and other applicable laws, and the contract is unenforceable for numerous reasons, including the following:
See illegal secret agreement, press release, news coverage and speech delivered by CUSD Recall Committee Spokesperson Tom Russell at the May 12, 2008 CUSD board meeting. Read More...
ABC Reform Trustees expose, condemn new Brown Act violation by Fleming-era Trustees and call upon D.A. to intervene
Joint Statement Condemns New Brown Act Violation and Effort to Conceal Critical Information from the Public
Ellen
Addonizio, Anna Bryson and Larry
Christensen, the "ABC Reform Trustees"
San Juan Capistrano, Ca. We believe that during
our most recent March 24th board meeting, the four
Fleming-era Trustees (Marlene Draper, Sheila Benecke,
Mike Darnold and Duane Stiff) violated the Brown Act
-- again. We believe the facts clearly demonstrate
they did so with a specific intention to conceal from
the public critical information they knew should have
been made available to the public. As a result of
this most recent flagrant violation (which continues
a systematic pattern of illegal actions), we hereby
call upon the Orange County District Attorney to
immediately intercede. As a result of these illegal
actions, we also will demand that the official agenda
for our next board meeting on April 21, 2008 include
an item calling upon CUSD to stop all expenditures
and further action to construct the San Juan Hills
High School Football Stadium Complex because all
prior approvals for that project were obtained by
presenting misleading and incomplete information to
the Board of Trustees – and to the public.
On March 24th, we recessed into closed
session for the stated purpose of participating in a
conference with legal counsel related to potential
litigation. Agenda Item 3A was entitled:
“A.
CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – ANTICIPATED
LITIGATION
Significant Exposure to
Litigation: Two Cases…”
CUSD Trustees and Superintendent engage in improper coercion, intimidation and fear
• Specific Examples of Coercion, Intimidation and Fear
• We call upon the District Attorney to conduct a full and complete investigation
OC Weekly assesses recall chances: "A lock. With Fleming already indicted and a well-seasoned recall team ready for war."
Sheila Benecke, Mike Darnold, Marlene Draper, Duane Stiff, Trustees of the Capistrano Unified School District
Gustavo Arellano, OC Weekly Opponents Accuse Them Of: Mishandling millions of dollars in school funds, gerrymandering school boundaries to ensure racial diversity, and being lackeys for former superintendent James Fleming, whom the Orange County Grand Jury indicted for misappropriating funds and creating an enemies list. Read More...
Final petition forms to recall Trustees Benecke and Draper submitted to OC Registrar
After consulting with the recall proponents and the three seated CUSD Reform Trustees, for strategic reasons a decision was made not to circulate petitions to recall Trustees Duane Stiff and Mike Darnold.
CUSD Troubles Were Predicted
Is it possible for me to take my City Council hat off for a minute and discuss an issue that I have been talking to you about for six or seven years, an issue that we may all be sick of hearing about but is so very important none-the-less, the CUSD.
I was personally not shocked to hear of the indictments of Jim Fleming and Susan McGill, although I thought there would be a few more names included, of course this may change before this article is published. Read More...
A plea to the honest employees of CUSD
It’s obvious we are now witnessing the final gasps of the corrupt Fleming regime. The four leftover trustees – Benecke, Draper, Stiff and Darnold – are on their way out. The employees of CUSD no longer need to hide in fear. Now is the time to come forward and expose the corruption you have witnessed at CUSD.
Benecke,
Draper, Darnold and Stiff
The
Leftover Fleming Trustees
CUSD Leadership Under Investigation
An investigation into allegations of illegal activities at the Capistrano Unified School District has been commenced. The Orange County District Attorney’s office is leading the investigation.
This past summer, residents throughout South Orange County sought to recall the entire school board based upon allegations of corruption and gross fiscal mismanagement. More than 177,000 petition signatures seeking to remove the Trustees from office were delivered to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.
Susan Schroeder, spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office confirmed the District Attorney has assigned a Deputy District Attorney to the case. Schroeder also stated, “We are reviewing the evidence and witness statements.” Read More...