Elections
Capo still playing musical chairs
November 04, 2010
Editorial: The Orange County Register
Capistrano Unified School
District is becoming infamous for recalling school board members
and changing the direction of the board almost every election
cycle. Tuesday, voters in the 52,000-student district spread over
seven South County cities and unincorporated areas recalled two
trustees and defeated another incumbent. The self-titled reform
faction will keep a majority on the seven-member Board of Trustees
because two other of the faction's incumbents retained their seats,
and two others were not up for election this year. While our
Editorial Board would have preferred a different outcome in the
Capo recall and election, it is time for animosities to subside and
for rival community factions to come together to responsibly govern
the district...
Capo voters re-create divided school board
November 03, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
Capistrano Unified's seesaw
of political power swung back Tuesday after tipping entirely to one
side for two years, with voters unseating three incumbents and
returning the school board to a probable 4-3 split along political
lines. The election of challengers John Alpay, Lynn Hatton and Gary
Pritchard – who all ran as part of the Children First slate –
erases the seven-member bloc of self-described "conservative,
reform" trustees who have controlled the school board since 2008.
Alpay and Pritchard will replace Mike Winsten and Ken Lopez-Maddox,
who were recalled from office, while Hatton will replace Larry
Christensen, who lost his bid for re-election...
3 Capo schools incumbents ousted; 2 keep seats
November 02, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
Three challengers in
Capistrano Unified’s school board election clinched decisive 12- to
22-point wins over their incumbent rivals Tuesday in a race to
control the district’s governing board, according to unofficial
ballot tallies. With all 247 precincts reporting and more than
31,000 mail-in votes cast, incumbents Ken Lopez-Maddox and Mike
Winsten lost their seats to John Alpay of San Clemente and Gary
Pritchard of Aliso Viejo, who were running to replace the
incumbents in a recall election. Challenger Lynn Hatton of Mission
Viejo defeated incumbent Larry Christensen...
3 challengers beating incumbents in Capo schools race
November 02, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
Three challengers in
Capistrano Unified's school board election clinched 11- to 21-point
early leads against their incumbent rivals Tuesday night in a race
for control over the district's governing board, according to
unofficial ballot tallies released after 9:30 p.m. With four of 247
precincts reporting and more than 31,000 mail-in votes cast,
incumbents Ken Lopez-Maddox and Mike Winsten were poised to lose
their seats to challengers John Alpay of San Clemente and Gary
Pritchard of Aliso Viejo, who are running to replace the incumbents
in a recall election. Challenger Lynn Hatton of Mission Viejo was
poised to replace incumbent Larry Christensen. But the other two
major challengers – Martha McNicholas of Laguna Niguel, and Saam
Alikhani of Dana Point – were lagging behind incumbents Ellen
Addonizio and Anna Bryson, respectively, by 11- to 15-point
margins...
CUSD WATCH: Teachers Union Spending Hits $350,000 in CUSD Takeover Attempt
November 01, 2010
Tony Beall, Red County There is a real life David and Goliath
story playing out right now here in Orange County. It's the
courageous campaign being waged by the conservative Republican
Reform Trustees in Capistrano Unified against the most powerful
special interest group in the State of California -- the Teachers
Union. Powerful union leaders and their supporters are campaigning
to take control of the Capistrano Unified School District on
Election Day – seeking to replace the existing conservative Reform
Trustees with a new pro-union majority, and with their ballot
initiative known as Measure H, to literally take away from every
voter 6 of our 7 school board votes. The Reform Trustees can't even
compete with the union when it comes to campaign money -- but their
continuing willingness to stand up to the union bosses against all
odds has captured the hearts and minds (and loyalty) of the
electorate. The Orange County Register now confirms...
Capo election spending soars, topping $374,000
October 30, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County
Register Capistrano
Unified's teachers union has poured $261,863 into the district's
school board election to date, including $67,040 this week alone,
while its chief political rival, the Committee to Reform CUSD, has
continued to lag behind, reporting no spending over $1,000 in the
past two weeks. With spending by the union's ally – the Capistrano
Unified Children First group – factored in, overall spending by
these groups is outpacing the Reform Committee's spending by more
than a 16 to 1 margin. Total spending by the two sides has reached
$374,674, with the teachers union responsible for spending about 70
cents of every dollar...
It's time to shrink union clout at Capo Unified
October 28, 2010
Column: Brian Calle, The Orange County
Register Voters
in the Capistrano Unified School District general election have a
clear choice between the union slate, which is attempting through a
two-front strategy to retake the board majority, or current
trustees ... As I see it, current school board incumbents have been
effective in their fiduciary duties and in keeping the commitment
to the issues they campaigned on: advocating for charter schools,
school choice and no parcel taxes. They have been tough in their
dealings with the unions and, from my viewpoint, acted decisively
to address budget gaps. The decision for voters in Capo Unified is
whether or not they want their union to have more influence over
the board there...
Capo race spending surges past $267,282
October 26, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
The spending gap between
the two dueling political factions in Capistrano Unified's school
board race has narrowed over the past few weeks, but spending on
the challengers continues to outpace spending on the incumbents by
more than 11 to 1. The Capistrano Unified Children First group and
its ally, the district's teachers union, reported spending a
combined $245,768 through Oct. 21, while the Committee to Reform
CUSD spent $21,496, according to new campaign finance filings –
bringing total spending by both sides to $267,282. The teachers
union remained the biggest financial player, spending $154,471 to
back three of the five Children First candidates, as well as the
recall of two incumbents and a ballot initiative that would alter
how trustees are elected...
CUSD Watch: OC Register Urges Voters to Reject Union-Backed Recall in CUSD
October 25, 2010
Tony Beall, Red County The Orange County Register just
published a significant editorial officially opposing the unjust,
union-backed effort to recall Capistrano Unified School District
Trustees Mike Winsten & Ken Lopez Maddox. Powerful union
leaders and their supporters are campaigning to take control of the
Capistrano Unified School District on Election Day – seeking to
replace the existing conservative Reform Trustees with a new
pro-union majority, and with their ballot initiative known as
Measure H, to literally take away from every voter 6 of our 7
school board votes. Thankfully, things just keep getting worse and
worse for the power hungry teachers union in Capistrano Unified as
their insidious scheme continues to unravel...
Capo trustees don't deserve recall
October 21, 2010
Editorial: The Orange County Register
The recall of elected
officials should be reserved for egregious behavior – abuse of
office, fraud, illegal dealings – not for differences in political
ideology or to shift political power or to stir public ire. In the
proposed recall Nov. 2 of two Capistrano Unified School District
trustees, the evidence falls short. 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...
Capo district's warring factions spar in debate
October 20, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
The two warring political
factions in Capistrano Unified's upcoming school board race sparred
over the track record of incumbent trustees, debated challengers'
financial ties to the district's influential teachers union and
argued over changing the rules for electing trustees at an
informal, hour-long debate Wednesday morning. The spirited
discussion, which did not put strict limits on speaking time, laid
bare the bitter animosity between the five incumbents backed by the
Committee to Reform CUSD and five challengers backed by the
Capistrano Unified Children First group...
Spending in Capo school board race hits $184,573
October 19, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
The major financial backers
of Capistrano Unified's hotly contested school board race have
spent $184,573 so far this year to support dueling slates of
candidates in the Nov. 2 election, with spending to benefit
challengers outpacing spending on incumbents by more than 16 to 1.
Capistrano Unified Children First and its ally, the district's
teachers union, spent a combined $173,821 through Sept. 30 to back
five challengers, with the lion's share – $120,605 – coming from
the union. By comparison, the Committee to Reform CUSD spent
$10,752 to support the five sitting trustees, two of whom are
facing a recall...
An Appeal From Anna Bryson, Candidate for Trustee Area 4, CUSD
October 16, 2010
Anna Bryson, CUSD Trustee The ballot for the upcoming November
elections will be crowded with important choices. If you are a
taxpayer with children or grandchildren in the Capistrano Unified
School District (CUSD), if you believe we must provide the best
possible public education possible within our means, and if you
agree that a well-educated workforce will benefit everyone in our
area, I wanted to make sure you are aware of a key race...
Capo district candidates to appear at Democrats meeting
October 12, 2010
The Orange County Register Candidates for the Capistrano Unified
School District board of trustees are scheduled to speak Thursday
night during a meeting of the South Orange County Democratic Club
at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, 25925 Camino del
Avion...
CUSD Watch: Teachers Union Spending Big For "Children First" Candidates
October 08, 2010
Red County, Matt Cunningham "We're not the union candidates!" We've
heard that line so many times from the "Children First" slate of
candidates for the Capistrano Unified School District Board of
Trustees -- as well as from their apologists -- that it is almost
like a mantra. And those of us who have been watching events unfold
down there know equally well that it is untrue. Wondering who is
correct? Take a look at the latest campaign report from the CUSD
teachers union...
Governor's race: How the education platforms compare
October 05, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
Both Meg Whitman and Jerry
Brown have proposed significant reforms they said would improve the
quality of California's public schools. The gubernatorial
candidates' education platforms call for simplification of school
funding formulas, an increased focus on science, math and
technology education and easing rules to create more quality
charter schools. The candidates also disagree on key issues,
including how to improve low-achieving campuses, how to measure
teacher quality, and whether to reward good teachers and principals
with bonuses...
CUSD Tops California Large School Districts
October 01, 2010
Column: Ken Lopez Maddox, Trabuco Canyon News
Student achievement in
Capistrano Unified School District has soared to its highest
levels. In fact, the State Superintendent of Public Education just
announced CUSD was the State’s highest achieving large school
district according to the state accountability system ... CUSD’s
ranking is important because it provides parents, taxpayers and the
state with objective proof our school district is providing a
first-rate, excellent education to our 50,000 students. This is
something we can all be proud of. CUSD’s ranking also provides
voters with confirmation their seven elected Reform Trustees have
kept their promises and successfully brought positive change and
reform to CUSD...
O.C. Elections: Candidates talk about their core principles
October 01, 2010
The Orange County Register What principles are likely to guide a
candidate's decision-making when in office? The Register's
Editorial Board asked as many as six questions of 177 Orange County
candidates in 42 races their thinking on subjects such as the
appropriate role of government, taxation, spending , regulating and
more...
CUSD Watch: OC Register Opposes Union’s Measure H – Unions’ Admitted Attempt “To Elect Our Own Bosses”
September 28, 2010
Column: Tony Beall, Red County The OC Register published a significant
editorial today 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…The editorial…Confirms the Real Agenda of Public Employee
Unions. Kudos to the OC Register for confirming
the public employee unions in CUSD are really making a power
play to take over control of Capistrano Unified (the 9th largest
school district in California) on Election Day in order that they
can, in their own words, “elect their own bosses.” Here are
some key excerpts from the OCR’s Editorial:
Watch: Waiting for Supermen" -- Work Hard to Elect Meg
September 28, 2010
Lance Izumi, The Flash Report It’s ironic that it takes a trip to the
movies to shine the light on an ugly truth that has been lurking
for years, but so far has failed to spark the necessary revolution
to fix our schools. The new movie, “Waiting for ‘Superman’”, might
just be that spark. It is a tough lesson for anyone who cares about
the future of our country and our state. We can no longer afford to
complain about our schools and then do so little to make changes.
It’s a national disgrace. In California, a state that considers
itself the world’s innovation factory, it’s a travesty. The big
screen treatment by Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim exposes
the brutal facts: We are neglecting our children’s welfare for the
benefit of adults. Our schools are failing our children all over,
not just in less affluent neighborhoods, and many parents don’t
even know it. Our education system is strangled by an inflexible
bureaucracy that effectively smothers innovation and new
thinking…
Rancho council opposes CUSD trustee ballot initiative
September 27, 2010
Kristy Chu, The Orange County Register
Council members voted
unanimously on Sept. 22 to adopt a resolution opposing Measure H,
a
November ballot initiative that would restrict Capistrano Unified
School District voters to electing one trustee to represent their
geographical area, instead of voting for all seven in an
at-large election. The item was put on the agenda at the request of
Mayor Pro Tem Tony Beall, a CUSD parent who also serves as the chairman
of the Committee to Reform CUSD. Beall said if Measure H were to
pass, voters would lose six of their votes, calling it
"undemocratic" and a loss of a "fundamental right"…
Unions seek to 'elect our own bosses'
September 27, 2010
Editorial: The Orange County Register
There are arguments on both
sides of elections that are "at large," which gives everyone a say,
or "by trustee area," which makes a trustee concentrate on his or
her particular area. It depends on a situation which is best.For
Capo Unified, the current system – at-large – definitely is better
... Although usually not stated so candidly, public-employee unions
know that, by electing particular candidates, they can sit on both
sides of the bargaining table: as employee and employer. That's
exactly what they have done at the state and local levels, with
disastrous results...
CUSD Watch: Rancho Santa Margarita Unanimously Adopts Resolution Against Union’s “Measure H” Ballot Initiative
September 24, 2010
Tony Beall, Red County The City of Rancho Santa
Margarita 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. The Rancho Santa Margarita
Resolution reads in part:
City Council Adopts Resolution in Opposition to Measure H
September 23, 2010
City Clerk, City of Rancho Santa Margarita
At it's September 22nd City
Council meeting, the City Council unanimously approved a resolution
to Measure H, Capistrano Unified School District's Ballot measure
that will be before the voters at the November 2nd General
Election. Currently, all 7 members of the Capistrano Unified School
District Board are elected at large, providing every voter the
opportunity to vote for each of their 7 elected representatives. If
passed, Measure H would change this process by taking away from
every voter six of those seven votes -- each voter would only be
allowed to vote for the Trustee in his/her immediate Trustee
area...
Mission Viejo council opposes CUSD trustee measure
September 10, 2010
Niyaz Pirani, The Orange County Register
The City Council voted
unanimously this week to oppose Measure H, a November ballot item
that, if passed, would restrict Capistrano Unified voters to
electing one trustee to represent their geographical area, instead
of voting for all seven in an at-large election. Mayor Trish
Kelley, who served as PTA president at Capo Valley High, Newhart
Middle and Viejo Elementary schools brought the item to the
council. She said if a trustee only has a specific voting pool to
which to answer, the trustee would be less likely to work for the
benefit of all CUSD students…
CUSD Watch: Mission Viejo Unanimously Adopts Resolution Against Union’s “Measure H” Ballot Initiative
September 08, 2010
Tony Beall, Red County The City of Mission Viejo 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. The resolution was proposed by Mayor Trish Kelley and
was supported by each of the other City Council members, John Paul
Ledesma, Frank Ury, Cathy Schlicht and Dave Leckness. Kudos
to the entire Mission Viejo City Council for taking a public stand
to protect democracy and the peoples’ right to vote for their
elected representatives.
Union Sympathizers in CUSD Suffer Three Humiliating Court Losses
September 04, 2010
Tony Beall, Red County “In Capistrano Unified's hotly
contested school board race this November, the ferocious rhetoric
between two dueling slates of candidates is likely to boil down to
two basic talking points – one side accused of being right-wing and
anti-public education, the other of being left-wing and pro-labor
union.” That’s how the OC Register described the intense court
battles that played out in court this week. In the end, five
separate lawsuits were heard in OC Superior Court, on the merits,
and the conservatives won decisive victories in all five.
This is the story of the first two (which were brought by the
conservatives against the union sympathizers)...
CUSD Conservatives Win Two Court Victories Over Union’s “Children First” organization and their candidate John Alpay
September 04, 2010
Tony Beall, Red County “In Capistrano Unified's hotly
contested school board race this November, the ferocious rhetoric
between two dueling slates of candidates is likely to boil down to
two basic talking points – one side accused of being right-wing and
anti-public education, the other of being left-wing and pro-labor
union.” That’s how the OC Register described the intense court
battles that played out in court this week. In the end, five
separate lawsuits were heard in OC Superior Court, on the merits,
and the conservatives won decisive victories in all five.
This is the story of the first two (which were brought by the
conservatives against the union sympathizers).
Capo incumbents can keep candidate statements as is
September 03, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
An Orange County judge
ruled Friday that the five incumbents in Capistrano Unified's
contentious school board race do not have to change their 200-word
campaign statements, rebuffing opponents' demands for dozens of
revisions and deletions. Orange County Superior Court Judge Michael
Brenner in Santa Ana also ruled that the incumbent trustees – led
by the Committee to Reform CUSD – could accuse their opponents in
the Nov. 2 sample ballot materials of having close ties to labor
unions, a key point of contention in the election. The ruling comes
just two days after Superior Court Judge Kim Dunning, allowed the
other side – led by the Capistrano Unified Children First group –
to deny labor union involvement in sample ballot arguments for
Measure H, which seeks to change election rules…
Parts of election statements in CUSDrace must be revised
September 02, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
A judge [Kim Dunning] on
Wednesday ordered revisions to two political statements that will
be printed in the Capistrano Unified School District's election
materials, but handled a key victory to the authors by permitting
them to deny having ties to labor unions … Dunning noted repeatedly
during the hour-long hearing she was only focusing on the language
of the statements themselves. For example, she emphasized in court
that the statement "No union was involved in the placement of this
measure on the ballot" was limited in its scope and its
meaning.
Judge strikes parts of Capo election statements, keeps others
September 01, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
An Orange County judge on
Wednesday ordered revisions to two political statements that will
be printed in the Capistrano Unified School District's official
election materials this fall, but handed a key victory to the
authors of those statements by permitting them to deny having ties
to labor unions. The Capistrano Unified Children First group and
one of the candidates it endorsed for the district's Nov. 2 school
board election, John Alpay, were sued last month to force revisions
to the written arguments they prepared for publication in
Capistrano's sample ballot, which will be distributed to the
district's 220,000 registered voters…
Judge may be drawn into Capistrano district politics
August 31, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
In Capistrano Unified's
hotly contested school board race this November, the ferocious
rhetoric between two dueling slates of candidates is likely to boil
down to two basic talking points – one side accused of being
right-wing and anti-public education, the other of being left-wing
and pro-labor union. This was the gist of campaigning during the
district's 2008 election, and these themes have rocketed to the
forefront of debate again this year, as the two slates battle for
control of Capistrano's five open school board seats. But unlike
two years ago, when the political fighting was largely unchecked
from a legal standpoint, an Orange County judge is expected to
weigh in on these core issues in the coming weeks, and determine
which side – or sides – is being less than truthful…
Half of Capo school board candidates being sued
August 17, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
Half of the 12 candidates
in the Capistrano Unified School District's contentious school
board race are being sued to stop their 200-word campaign
statements from being printed in official election materials. The
lawsuits, consisting of three separate complaints filed by private
citizens Monday, essentially contend that the candidates' campaign
statements are riddled with unlawful attacks on their rivals and
mislead voters through erroneous and deceptive remarks...
College freshman, 18, seeks Capo Unified board seat
July 27, 2010
Salil Dudani and Scott Martindale, The Orange County
Register He
could become the youngest elected official in Orange County, an
18-year-old who will barely have started college by the time this
November's election rolls around. Saam Alikhani, a Dana Point
resident and incoming UC Irvine freshman, announced Tuesday he is
running for school board in the high-performing but politically
fractured Capistrano Unified School District, Orange County's
second-largest...
Capo school factions gear up for 'ugly' election
July 13, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
The recall election date
hasn't even been officially set and challengers can't legally
declare their candidacy yet. But the parents and other activists in
the Capistrano Unified School District who are trying to oust two
trustees have already hand-picked the candidates they want to
replace Ken Lopez-Maddox and Mike Winsten. On Tuesday, the
Capistrano Unified Children First coalition endorsed corporate
attorney John Alpay and community college professor Gary Pritchard,
jumpstarting what's sure to be another bitterly fought, divisive
election this fall in the politically fractured school
district...
CUSD Update
July 03, 2010
July 3, 2010, Mission Viejo Watchdogs
One characteristic of the
2010 Capo recall group (also known as Children First and Parents
for Local Control) is its attempt to distance its supporters from
the teachers union, Capistrano Unified Educators Association. Press
releases repeatedly state the recall is a "parent-backed effort."
While opinions may differ, campaign finance reports and Registrar
of Voters' records are not opinion. Following is information that
shows who funded the signature drive and signed on as proponents.
Official recall documents list proponents (two separate attempts to
file paperwork to recall Trustees Mike Winsten and Ken
Lopez-Maddox)…
Capo recall qualifies for November ballot
June 22, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County
Register South County
voters will decide this November whether to remove two Capistrano
Unified School District trustees from office, following an
announcement late Monday from county election officials that recall
proponents collected enough valid petition signatures. The Nov. 2
recall election targeting Capistrano trustees Ken Lopez-Maddox and
Mike Winsten will be the second such election in as many years in
the politically fractured school district. Lopez-Maddox himself was
brought to office in a 2008 recall election…
Jerry Brown's Nurses Union Monopoly Worth at Least $2.5 Million
June 22, 2010
Chip Hanlon, Red County From now until November, you will hear
endless whining from Jerry Brown about the financial resources Meg
Whitman is committing to this campaign. Now you know exactly how
empty such crying truly is. In reality, when one understands the
true value of the massive financial support Moonbeam will enjoy
from his union boss cronies, it’s pretty easy to see that Meg
Whitman is actually the underdog in this race, financially. The
battle for California is on, and the opposing sides couldn’t be
more clear: it’s union bosses vs. taxpayers…
Parcel tax defeat a call for reform
June 18, 2010
Column: Mike Stryer, Daily News WHY would so many LAUSD teachers - who
theoretically stood to gain so much from the proposed Measure E
parcel tax - celebrate its decisive defeat last week? For the
simple reason that many teachers, together with large numbers of
voters, no longer will tolerate the continued financial
mismanagement by Los Angeles Unified School District. Voters have
clearly communicated that LAUSD should not ask for more money until
it implements meaningful financial reform...
Unions lose battles; war continues over pensions
June 13, 2010
Editorial, The Orange County Register
Orange County voters won
the first battle, in what could be a long war with public employee
unions, when they soundly defeated union-backed candidates in the
races for sheriff-coroner and 4th District supervisor. In both
cases, voters turned down union-backed candidates by ample margins
despite combined county union spending of nearly $1
million...
Taking On The Unions In Calif. — And Winning
June 11, 2010
Steven Greenhut, Investors Business Daily
A political candidate can
take on the public-employee unions in a nasty street rumble and
emerge bloodied but victorious. That's the message from Tuesday's
election to fill a board of supervisors seat in Orange County,
Calif. It was a race that could have statewide and even national
implications because of the particularly gutsy role the Republican
Party played in directly challenging union power…
Prop.14, partisans and 'pragmatists'
June 11, 2010
Column: George Will, The Orange County
Register Under
the current imperfect administration of the universe, most new
ideas are false, so most ideas for improvements make matters worse.
Given California's parlous condition, making matters worse there
requires ingenuity, but voters managed to do so Tuesday. Actually,
8.9 percent of eligible voters did. By a margin of 54.2 percent to
45.8 percent, they passed Proposition 14, the Top Two Candidates
Open Primary Act. Proponents outspent opponents 20-1. Of the
approximately $4.6 million spent promoting the measure, $2 million
came from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political committee. He
seems to consider this reform his defining achievement, which, in a
sense, it is. The percentage of Californians who approve of
Schwarzenegger is a number beginning with 2. But now California has
adopted a candidate selection process that is intended to nominate
candidates like him...
Keep Chris Christie in Mind on June 8th
June 07, 2010
Larry Sand, Red County While I am not the first to post
this
terrific video of Chris Christie calling out the New
Jersey Education Association at a recent town hall meeting in NJ,
the significance of its content necessitates yet another repost. In
this brief video, he refers to the teachers’ union as a bully and
assures us that he isn’t backing down from a fight. I think
it’s especially important to keep Mr. Christie’s fighting words in
mind when we go to the polls tomorrow. (Note to CA teachers: In
this video, Mr. Christie laments that the average NJ teacher pays
$730 in dues yearly. He doesn’t realize how lucky they are. In
CA, you are paying on average over $1,000 per year for the
“privilege” of being a member of the teachers’ union.)
Jon Coupal: What's really behind Prop. 14
May 28, 2010
Column: Jon Coupal, The Orange County
Register A
free-for-all primary system would result in higher taxes.
Promoters of Proposition 14
on the June ballot say they want an "open" primary. "Open" makes it
sound so inclusive, so liberating, so egalitarian – what could
possibly be wrong with that? If you pay taxes in
California,
the answer is: plenty! Prop. 14 is the result of collusion between
an ambitious politician, newly appointed Lt. Gov.
Abel
Maldonado, and
entrenched Sacramento
spending interests. A year
ago, then-Sen. Maldonado, a Republican,
sold his vote for the most massive tax increase in the history of
all 50 states, in return for an agreement to place a measure on the
ballot that would make it easier for him to run for statewide
office. That measure is Proposition 14…
Plumbers union flexes muscle in local campaigns
May 18, 2010
Ryan Lillis, The Sacramento Bee From prison guards to teachers,
organized labor wields influence over California politics like an
iron pipe. In the Sacramento region, one group's clout rises above
the others. In 2005, Sacramento City Unified School District's
board approved a policy requiring contractors on projects over $1
million to use union workers. Trustees re-approved the labor
agreement policy for an additional four years in September 2009 …
The wages are often higher than nonunion workers would otherwise
make and help ensure that union shops can compete for projects
nonunion shops would otherwise underbid. "They're playing within
the rules to elect people who share their philosophy," Cline said.
"They're protecting their empire."
Capo recall leaders turn in 65,875 signatures
May 14, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
Community activists
attempting to recall two Capistrano Unified trustees from office
turned in about 33,000 petition signatures per trustee Friday to
the county registrar, about 50 percent more than the minimum
required to put the issue on the November ballot. The Parents for
Local Control recall group is targeting trustees Ken Lopez-Maddox
and Mike Winsten with 32,803 and 33,100 signatures, respectively,
or 65,903 total. If at least 21,850 signatures for each trustee are
declared valid by the county registrar, the politically fractured
school district will face its second recall election in as many
years…
Prop. 14: Open invitation to bland candidates
May 07, 2010
Editorial, The Orange County Register
Prop. 14 does little to
change the status quo. Electoral districts in California are so
gerrymandered – drawn to give overwhelming advantage to one party –
that the eventual winner often is chosen in the primary, and the
general election doesn't matter. What supporters of Prop. 14 miss
is the need for the electorate to have clear choices among
philosophical visions for California. Creating an open primary this
way, thus encouraging moderate, middle-of-the-road candidates,
essentially amounts to elections between candidates with few policy
differences where personality trumps substance. If you seek to
encourage more candidates like Arnold
Schwarzenegger to run for office in California, vote
for Prop. 14. Otherwise we invite you to join us in opposing Prop.
14.
Prop. 14: Reshaping the political battlefield
May 04, 2010
Columns: Dan Walters, The Orange County
Register The
gerrymander rendered the November elections irrelevant by
designating the party ownership of all 120 legislative districts,
thus making primary elections in Democratic districts the only ones
that really matter. Typically, business would support a relatively
moderate Democratic candidate in the primary while the Big 4 would
back a more liberal Democrat.
The game would change again if Proposition 14, creating a "top two"
primary election system, is approved by voters in June. The top two
vote getters in the primary would face each other in the November
election, regardless of party. That means, in theory, two Democrats
or two Republicans
could wind up in a November
runoff…
Prop 14: A year of desperate measures
May 04, 2010
Columns: Debra Saunders, The Orange County Register
California desperately needs lawmakers who can
work together. Enter Proposition 14: This measure on the June 8
ballot would end the party primary system by putting the two
candidates who garner the most votes on the general election
ballot. The measure would apply to all state and federal races
except the presidency. Its goal is to elect more moderate lawmakers
from both parties. But can it deliver? To tell the truth, it's a
roll of the dice…
Editorial: Recall fever rises again in Capo Unified
February 23, 2010
Editorial: The Orange County Register
Story Highlights: Citizen
group, with union support, goes after two trustees who support
school choice...
O.C. GOP leaders oppose Capistrano Unified recall attempt
February 17, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
The Orange County GOP's
governing body has unanimously passed a resolution opposing a
recall effort against two Capistrano Unified trustees, a move
quickly condemned by recall leaders as ill conceived and
irresponsible. The Orange County Republican Party's 73-member
Central Committee accused "public employee unions and their allies"
of "unjustly" targeting trustees Ken Lopez-Maddox and Mike Winsten
in the recall attempt, which began last month...
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B-lwxO4eXDj0NjhkYjVkZTQtOWNlMy00Y2YyLWFmNzItMmYxMjdiZDFiYTI1&hl=en
January 22, 2010
Jonathan Volzke, The Capistrano Dispatch
A parents’ group has
launched attempts to recall Capistrano Unified School District
trustees Mike Winsten and Ken Lopez-Maddox, signaling no end in
sight to five years of political rancor in the 52,000-student
district. Ironically, Maddox first gained his seat through a recall
in June 2008. Additionally, the first signature on the new “notice
to recall” was that of Capistrano resident Kevin Murphy, a leader
in an unsuccessful attempt to recall all seven trustees in 2005 and
a supporter of the 2008 recall...
Capistrano recall rumors swirl, but nothing concrete in place
January 09, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
With embattled Capistrano
Unified Superintendent A. Woodrow Carter facing possible dismissal,
parents and teachers who have vowed to begin a school board recall
over the issue are continuing to express their outrage in blogs and
e-mails, although no formal recall effort has been
announced...
Capo district to sue county officials over election date
December 17, 2009
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
The Capistrano Unified
School District is moving forward with plans to sue county
education officials over the date of an upcoming ballot initiative
that seeks to alter the way trustees are elected. Capistrano's
school board decided in a closed-door meeting Tuesday night to file
a lawsuit against the 11-member Orange County Committee on School
District Organization, which set the June 2010 election date, said
the school board's attorney, Phillip Greer...
Twittering parents hope to save preschool
August 14, 2009
Erika Ritchie, The Orange County Register
Parents trying to save a
nationally ranked preschool have gone to Twitter and blogging to
raise awareness. In just 24 hours supporters of the Lakeview
Learning Center -- a pre-school run by the Lake I Homeowner's
Association -- has drummed up electronic support from teachers,
parents, community members and other education professionals. "If
we didn't have these tools, we'd just be passing out fliers," said
Pete Deutschman, whose daughter attends the school…
Extreme makeover, CUSD edition
June 27, 2008
Editorial: The Orange County Register Capo Unified school district parents do the right thing and recall obstacles to reform: 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...
Voters face bonds, taxes, silliness
October 23, 2005
Editorial, The Orange County Register
School districts, cities
all over the region want more taxpayer money. The governor's reform
package of propositions, and its opponents, are grabbing the
headlines and the advertising dollars in the Nov. 8 special
election in California, but there are a number of local elections
that governments are using to raise taxes, propose new school bond
issues and make symbolic statements on a variety of
issues...
1990-1991 Orange County Grand Jury Examination of CUSD Mello-Roos Election
May 23, 2001
Grand Jury Report In connection with expenditures of
public funds in support of the May 9, 1989 election ballot,
"Measure A," the grand jury found that the board of trustees
committed the following legal and ethical violations: (I) improper
use of district funds and property for political activities,
including (A) "incentive pay" for principals, (B) phone banks for
calling voters, (C) employing political consultants for assistance
in the election, and (D) bulk mailing privileges and print shop
facilities to distribute mass mailings promoting the election; (II)
improperly closed school board meeting; (III) failure to report
expenditures as required by law; and (IV) improper use of pupil
records…
Christian right targets school boards
October 25, 1992
Dan Froomkin, The Orange County Register
Conservative agenda part
of local races: The
Christian right is marching on a school board near you. From
Anaheim to San Juan Capistrano, about two dozen candidates for
school board are running on similar, very conservative platforms.
The candidates, most new to politics, by and large want students in
public school to be taught that abortion is wrong and that
creationism is as valid a scientific theory as evolution. They
support government vouchers for private school and the infusion of
what they call "traditional values" into public school. And they
oppose spending for anything but the basics, which don't include
bilingual education and social programs. Running in large enough
numbers in some districts to sway or even take control from more
moderate members, they are quietly vowing to change the face of
public education…