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Booze, sweets, and Vargas
Vargas has the credentials, he has the glossy photos. Can he find the heart of the matter? Some people--true leaders--do not settle for their personal comfort. Some people keep an ear to the ground, keep in mind what is right, and act accordingly. Will we ever see leadership from Vargas? I had heard that he sold out to insurance interests, and now it seems that agribusiness is running a close second. No wonder none of the politicians really want campaign reform. Which is why the public needs to insist upon it.— June 17, 2013 10:58 a.m.
Sweetwater board candidate has his sign damaged
Hurray!— June 16, 2013 1:32 p.m.
Sweetwater board candidate has his sign damaged
This rubber stamp board needs to find some backbone, some ethics, some sense of why they wanted this job in the first place. Ed Brand--well--he just needs to go away to a place where he no longer has anything to do with taxpayer funds, setting up "non-profit" organizations, schemes of any kind involving hijacking our educational system and working to mislead the public regarding what he is doing. Oh, and for good measure, I don't think he should be allowed to try and set up another bank either. Will the upcoming board meeting reveal cracks and fissures in the traditional board alignments, as Brand is up for evaluation? Will John McCann howl? Will Cartmill complain? Will Ricasa and Quinones show any shame after all the testimony regarding perks and favors and campaign contributions? Or will they all still be thick as thieves?— June 16, 2013 1:26 p.m.
Sweetwater board candidate has his sign damaged
Excellent points, all of them. About that last question of yours...just why is it that the Grandiose, Magnificent and Munificent Ed Brand finds it so easy to throw people away? When military leaders make decisions that end up costing lives, they are sometimes called butchers--or at least criticized for failing to balance lives lost versus potential gain. Shouldn't we hold The Great Brand responsible for all the lives which have been negatively impacted by his decision-making? I think so. All these people who have counted on programs continuing...who have depended upon these stabilizing elements that were in reach, but no longer are--what will these people do? Will they drive up north to Ed's house and knock on his door, and ask him what they are supposed to do now? I am sure Ed would have Security out...and wouldn't answer the door anyway. Who does Ed answer to? Apparently no one. Ed gets to gut the school district, make contracts with for-profit institutions, creating havoc with every wheezy breath he takes. Who allows him to do this? The Loyal Voting Block of McCann, Cartmill and Ricasa--who are complicit to the hilt in all of this carnage. There is something seriously wrong with Ed Brand that he would do this to communities, schools, people. It would take a panel of shrinks to sort him out.— June 15, 2013 1:12 p.m.
Assemblymember Shirley Weber holds Budget Town Hall in Chula Vista
Thanks for the update. Please keep us informed, as we know how important it is to have good, open lines of communication with our representatives. I, for one, hope Dr. Weber is fully aware of all the problems at Sweetwater, and the "runaway train" mentality that has lead to the vast and massive problems in the district. For any of you out there who still do not know, the U-T has PDF files available for downloading which can be found in the Watchdog portion online. Thousands of pages documenting all sorts of pay-to-play, fraud, scams and the destruction of a school district. Fascinating reading, and a sad state of affairs.— June 15, 2013 12:34 p.m.
Sweetwater board candidate has his sign damaged
Exactly--and what do we--and they--have to show for it? Massive corruption. Financials in disarray. Real estate deals that are costing millions, that should NEVER have happened. Utterly hopeless decision-making. Destroying job training and career path programs so they can be converted into more money-making schemes for Ed Brand's pals. Can it get more sickening? How about more deals with for-profit institutions, so that Sweetwater kids are steered into costly college credit situations that are COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY! Oh, and let's not forget the CIF Section 11 campaign that is still lurking off-sides... I don't know where to look to find a sorrier bunch--and yet this collection still tries to lecture the public on respect. What a joke that is. Yes, I am preaching to the choir here, but every once in a while I see the need to run a tally of all the ways this board, lead by Fast Eddy the Overachiever in Sleaze-based Economics and Education, has fallen short. Of course, this isn't even close to being a complete tally--just a few of the highlights. Challenge: who can make the most complete list of all the failings of this Board and the Ed Brand/Jesus Gandara/Ed Brand Leadership Team??? Winner gets to name their reward of choice from among these: dinner at Baci's...paid entry fee for beauty queen of choice...new 501(c)3 "Support Your Favorite Attorneys"...weekend getaway to Soccoro, TX, home of champion dealmakers...other options possible!— June 15, 2013 12:05 p.m.
Sweetwater board candidate has his sign damaged
Not that I want to be Debbie Downer, but this Board has disappointed before...just when you think they have reached their nadir, they somehow manage to find a way to go lower. Defies logic, physics and any sort of sense of decency, but that is Sweetwater under the leadership of Ed Brand. Don't be too crushed if they disappoint yet again.— June 15, 2013 11:43 a.m.
Sweetwater board candidate has his sign damaged
More outsourcing. Means that students will end up paying...and that there were deals behind closed doors. More empire-building by the one and only Fast Eddy, Impresario of Educational Feats of Strength and Sleight of Hand! Master of the 'they'll never know what hit them' school of management! Get your ticket, it'll be a sell-out!— June 15, 2013 12:22 a.m.
Chula Vista police chief Bejarano to home in on crime spot
It is a step in the right direction to hold a public meeting of this sort. When incidents occur that are unsafe, threatening and look like they will lead to further violence and are against the public's good, AND the public speaks out, there is a good chance something can be done. All of us need to stand up and speak out when we see wrongdoing, corruption and threats against our community.— June 14, 2013 1:28 p.m.
Sweetwater board candidate has his sign damaged
I will try this again...an earlier post possibly ran afoul in some way and then disappeared. Yes, if this is the best McCann can come up with for support, I would say he is being "d*mned with faint praise"--meaning, not really an endorsement, of the ringing variety. Why, we well may ask? Because McCann has always sided with the status quo. Not one to buck the system, even when the system is about as corrupt as can be, McCann votes right along with the Loyals Cartmill and Ricasa. Why be so tightly knit as a group to the extent that there is no deviation, not even STANDARD DEVIATION? I'm not a great mathematician, but I know it isn't an accident that people vote in unison 100% of the time. That is called planning, and when it happens as often as it does in Sweetwater, I am betting there are some Brown Act violations taking place. If McCann is so proud of the fact that he has yet to be indicted, I wonder if it has occurred to him that sometimes cases are built up piece by piece, and evidence accrued points to a conclusion at the very end. Building a case. I wonder what McCann is thinking about now?— June 13, 2013 6:07 p.m.