San Diego City Council meeting minutes, May 22
Liz Swain 4:24 p.m., May 24
Liz Swain 4:24 p.m., May 24
Ken Harrison 10:47 a.m., May 24
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Sweetwater school district board approves Alliant partnership
Do not get angry. There is no rational reason for anyone to get angry at someone else if they do exactly the very thing you expect they will do. This board continues to do as they damn well please. Stop getting angry. Instead, do something constructive. File Brown Act violations. File a lot of them. Here's how: 1. Read the Brown Act. Know of what you say: http://ag.ca.gov/publications/2003_Intro_BrownA... http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?s... 2. Read about how to file a complaint: http://www.fppc.ca.gov/index.php?id=498 3. Use this form: http://www.fppc.ca.gov/enforce/complaint_form.1... The process will take about 1-2 hours. You do have a couple of hours to help clean up this mess, don't you?— May 22, 2013 3:50 p.m.
Past and present officials from three South Bay school districts arraigned
The fact that a number of school districts are passing bylaws and policies limiting gifts to board members is not lost on those said members. Better to do it now, so as to officially remove temptation. I don't mean to imply that this stuff hasn't happened elsewhere, but as of now no one from those districts is even under the microscope, let alone indicted. However, the SUHSD board is a different matter. Any move forward to amend the by-laws and policy to reduce or prohibit gifts, gives the appearance that there were flaws in the old policies and by-laws. Those indicted say "We have done nothing wrong." For them now to admit their regulations were flawed just flies in the face of those statements. McCann, while not one of the indicted, knows full well he is hamstrung by circumstance, so he does his usual... nothing. He takes a wait and see position, all the while holding his finger up in the air, testing the wind.— April 13, 2013 6:03 p.m.
Sweetwater board votes to cut occupational programs
Eastlaker... When John McCann says he wishes he had a magic wand, he is telling a falsehood. He does have such a wand. It's called his vote. He could have waved his magic wand and preserved a valued and valuable program that served the needs of our community. Likewise, he could have waved that magic wand to say no to a self serving superintendent who's only benefit to SUHSD is that of one who has little to offer in way of fixing the ills that not only mark his current tenure, but also dogged him during his last stay in this position. As you can see, I can offer no benefit to having Edward Brand as superintendent of SUHSD. Yet, John McCann continues to support Brand by continually waving his magic wand in an attempt to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse.— April 12, 2013 9:41 p.m.
Sweetwater board votes to cut occupational programs
The real issue here is not that SUHSD has the money or not, but rather how they want to spend the money. That the funds are available or not is not the point. There is enough money to pay for both the adult and ROP programs. The issue is where the necessary cuts would be made to continue funding both of those programs. A case in point is the iPads. Even though the District says that Mello-Roos monies will not be spent on the iPad's themselves, monies from the general fund will be spent to purchase iPads. In effect, general funds are being spent to fund iPads for middle school students, instead of adult ed or ROP. The District believes iPads are more important than our adult learners. The money being spent on an unproven, untested, and not yet validated fad have taken precedence over the needs of our adult community. John McCann says that technology is the way of the future for our younger students, yet he also believes that this advancement should be born on the backs of our older citizens. He believes that our senior citizens, anyone older than say 20, should not be allowed to have access to any classes that would help them improve their skills and marketability, because 7th and 8th grade students must have access to the newest and latest devices. He essentially believes that the elder community should be cast aside in favor of the newer community. The shame of it all, is that John McCann and Jim Carmill, and Arlie Ricasa are all willing to cast aside the very people they were entrusted to protect, in order to appease Edward M. Brand and his false promises of better times for SUHSD.— April 11, 2013 10:53 p.m.
Sweetwater Union High School District & Realty Co.
anniej... why do we all feel so strong not to memtion the name(s) of these thugs and bullies?— March 8, 2013 7:34 p.m.
Sweetwater Union High School District & Realty Co.
"It appears as if some Board members are requesting more information, a good first step." In a resonable world yours' would be a meaningful statement. However, it requires people of a higher caliber than our current board members to make positive use of this information.— March 8, 2013 7:27 p.m.
Sweetwater school board to address campaign spending limits
Board members are not in the habit of forming committees. One thing that could have been done by John McCann, was to ask the Superintendent to form up this committee he wants to see. That is the duty of the super. Did John do that? No. Because the issue of campaign limitations was on the agenda, the Board could have used the item to do all sorts of constructive actions. Alas, John McCann did nothing except to pontificate to the public that he knows what is best for them. Hollow man! He has no sustance in there, just an empty suit.— February 20, 2013 10:36 p.m.
Sweetwater school board to address campaign spending limits
Once again, the do nothing Board does nothing.— February 19, 2013 11:04 p.m.
Sweetwater school board to address campaign spending limits
Every so often, a governing body is given an opportunity to do the right thing. Campaign reform is just such an item. The current situation that permeates the SUHSD culture is one of "what's in it for me." This is not what it should be. When we elected our current Board members, we were of an opinion that represented an idealistic position that everybody was on the same page; what was best for our students was what was best for SUHSD. Sadly, the position of the majority of our Board and that of our current Superintendent is not in harmony with that sentiment. Because of the ongoing scandal that has been the public picture of our current Board, it is time to make a change. A change that not only represents the will of the public, but also is a meaningful acceptance of what has become the norm of our times. The influences of campaign dollars in today's elections has become a plague that needs to be eradicated. Too much influence by the contractors who want a piece of the monetary pie has tainted the process that we call the democratic process. We need honest governmenment, one that is not influenced by money, favors, or promises. We need a Board of trustees that are willing to make decisions, not based on who they are beholding to, but rather on sound principles of student's needs, financial responsibilities, and future goals. To this end, I support campaign reform. This is the only means that we, the public, have of assuring that our elected officials are not beholding to the influence of money from the unscrupulous.— February 18, 2013 11:56 p.m.
Two month delay for alleged South Bay corruption cases
If what I read about the financials of SUHSD are even remotely close to reality, the current board and Gandara/Brand have driven this district into insolvency.— February 18, 2013 12:09 a.m.