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Blogger vs. behemoths
The law does NOT allow prior restraint of speech except for statements found to be defamatory "at trial". Judge Hayes did not have the right to deprive me of my constitutional rights without due process. Obviously, throwing out my evidence and my opposition to summary adjudication does not constitute due process.— May 12, 2014 4:33 p.m.
Blogger vs. behemoths
There was no trial in this case. In fact, **there was no weighing of evidence by the judge,** either. Judge Judith Hayes made her decision based ONLY on a technicality: that I hadn't used the updated format when I prepared my opposition to summary adjudication. My statements were NOT found to be defamatory in fact, but only as a matter of law. The judge could have weighed the evidence, but she chose not to do so. Why not? To insulate herself even further from the facts of the case, Judge Hayes also threw out all my evidence. That was overkill, of course, since she had thrown out my opposition to summary adjudication.— May 12, 2014 10:02 a.m.
Blogger vs. behemoths
I liked Mr. Hargrove's article about me, but I would like to correct one error. In fact, the comment about Vito Corleone was not written by me, but rather by an anonymous visitor to my website. Mr. Hargrove's mistake can be explained by the fact that Judge Judith Hayes ignored the documentary evidence (exhibits that included printouts of my blog) when she issued a decision saying that I had published the comment! In fact, I don't believe that Dan Shinoff makes Vito Corleone look like an altar boy. I'd say the exact opposite: that Vito Corleone makes Dan Shinoff look like the personification of moral purity. I bear no malice toward Mr. Shinoff. I simply believe that the public has a right to know what our tax dollars are paying for, and how our schools are being run.— May 11, 2014 11:45 a.m.
A Political Scientist’s View on Sweetwater School District’s Turmoil
anniej: You might be even closer to the truth than you realize when you say, "when i read the 'editorial' on the ut it was as if i was reading a piece that john mccann had personally written." In fact, the UT has had a longstanding policy of allowing anonymous guests to write editorials. The editorial might have been completely written by John McCann.— June 14, 2012 5:30 p.m.
Chula Vista Elementary Schools Seek Funding, Hire Consultant
Why don't you ask the board members that question? Or perhaps Susan should do that. I spent a short time researching Dale Scott, as you can see by my posts below. I didn't find any data at all about CVESD campaign contributions, although I assume the information is available to the public if you look hard enough. I am quite busy, and I'm not getting paid to write about Dale Scott, as Susan is. I do it purely as a public service. But I'll tell you this, Annie. I'd be willing to bet that Dale Scott has made contributions. If you read the report about Dale Scott by Lozano Smith (see below), I doubt that you'll take that bet.— May 21, 2012 8:38 p.m.
Chula Vista Elementary Schools Seek Funding, Hire Consultant
I think CVESD is rather typical as far as corruption in schools goes. There are few school districts that allow transparency into their decision-making process. CVESD calls its method of decision-making "collegiality". This means that all arguments take place in secret, before meetings are held. No one really knows what principles, if any, guide the thinking of the board members. It most certainly isn't just South Bay who voters who "don't know what's up, what's down, or what's happening," to use Visduh's words. (Is Visduh from Vista Unified, perhaps? Now there's another typical dysfunctional school district.) Even school boards that allow open debate about some issues are quite likely conducting some unsavory business behind closed doors during closed sessions. For example, Capistrano Unified was asked by the Orange County District Attorney to tape its closed sessions, but the district's lawyer, Daniel Shinoff, advised the board to stop taping their closed sessions. The Capistrano board followed Shinoff's advice--not the D.A.'s. This will make it impossible to prove, even in a court of law, how the board is reaching its decisions--and impossible to know if someone is telling board members how to get away with wrongdoing.— May 21, 2012 8:27 p.m.
Chula Vista Elementary Schools Seek Funding, Hire Consultant
Here is a report by Lozano Smith law firm regarding an investigation into allegations against Dale Scott & Co.: http://media.redding.com/redd/content/static/gate… Ironically, Lozano Smith was sanctioned by a federal judge in 2005 in a scathing 80-page decision in which he ordered all the firm's attorneys to take ethics training. http://parentadvocates.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=a… Some of the attorneys left Lozano Smith to form Fagan, Friedman and Fulfrost, which represents CVESD.— May 20, 2012 1:28 p.m.
Chula Vista Elementary Schools Seek Funding, Hire Consultant
San Bruno voters nixed a ballot measure after this very hopeful article was published on page 3 of The Daily Journal in San Mateo County: "...[P]hone surveys were given to about 800 likely voters in the San Bruno Park Elementary School District recently about a possible parcel tax or bond measure. Both generated strong support,according to results by Dale Scott from San Francisco-based Dale Scott & Company that will be shared at tonight’s meeting. Moving forward could be the next step in a number of budget-related decisions as the district faces a deficit over $1 million in coming school years. About 70.3 percent of people polled supported a parcel tax... above the two-thirds passage threshold required for the measure that could support programs..." (http://www.scribd.com/doc/48937867/11EDITION) A San Bruno Patch reader commented: "As I see it, one of the big lessons learned from the failed Measure O campaign is that Dale Scott & Company isn't the company you want to be taking political advice from as far as political campaigns in San Bruno are concerned." (http://sanbruno.patch.com/articles/school-board-t…)— May 20, 2012 1:09 p.m.
Chula Vista Elementary Schools Seek Funding, Hire Consultant
In a recent study it was discovered that in 110 out of 111 cases, the bond underwriter who was the biggest campaign donor got the job of selling school bonds. California Watch recently wrote, "For donors [to bond campaigns], failure is rare. In only five cases out of 111 did an underwriter make a donation and fail to receive a contract to sell the bonds. In four of those, however, more than one underwriter made donations and the contract went to the firm that had contributed a larger amount to the campaign." Susan Luzzaro fails to report whether Dale Scott & Co. has made campaign contributions to CVESD bond campaigns or to board incumbents.— May 20, 2012 12:55 p.m.