Wednesday, April 9, 2008

"It's relevant"; Education Alliance


• From yesterday’s OC Reg: Fiorello! will be the first musical in IVC's new theater:
.....Part of history is repeating itself on Friday at Irvine Valley College.
.....The debut of "Fiorello!" will include half a dozen cast members who were there, in the same roles, a decade ago in an intimate 65-seat theater at the college. One came back married, one is 140 pounds lighter, and one hardly changed.
....."Before, it was like acting in a barn," said Terry Christopher, who returns to play the lead character. "And now, you're just like, 'oh my gosh.'"
.....Oh my gosh, because the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical about a New York City mayor will be the first theatrical production inside the college's 388-seat Performing Arts Center. Far from a barn, the 53,200-square-foot building has balcony seating, an orchestra pit and updated light technology.
.....The two-hour musical has a cast of about 30, an orchestra, singers and tap dancers.
....."The wonderful thing about this musical for our audience is that we're in an election year with some really contentious and political battles going on," said Ron Ellison, theater instructor. "It's relevant."....
• On Saturday, we excerpted from a curious OC Reg story about Education Alliance and its involvement in the politics of the Capistrano Unified School District (Capistrano Unified recall group relied on political action committee.) As you know, Education Alliance has been involved in SOCCCD politics, too. It still is: Don Wagner is on EA’s board.

Here’s the Reg’s review of EA’s involvement in OC public school politics in recent years (that appeared on Saturday):
Education Alliance

.....Founded in 1994, the Tustin-based Education Alliance political action committee says it advocates teaching positive values in schools and a return to traditional classroom instruction. The group supports school voucher programs and local control over schools. It opposes bilingual education, what it sees as too much power by teachers unions and campus social services such as health clinics. Often linked to teaching religion in school, the group says it does not support that.
.....The Education Alliance has been named as a factor in the election of several Orange County school board majorities. It has been involved in some high-profile controversies:

2004: Two Westminster School District trustees backed by the Education Alliance are part of a school board majority that refuses to adopt the state's definition of gender, which allows a student to define gender as his or her actual or perceived sex. The school board hires Education Alliance co-founder Mark Bucher, an attorney, to fight the California Department of Education on the policy change.

2001: Orange Unified School District parents and teachers launch a recall election against three school board members over classroom instruction, fiscal management and teachers' pay and benefits. The board majority hires Bucher to help the district with recall issues. At the same time, Bucher personally campaigns against the recall.

1999: The five-member Orange Unified school board – some members linked to the Education Alliance – fights the formation of a Gay Student Alliance club at El Modena High School. Later in the school year, the school board clashes with teachers unions over salary negotiations. [My emphases throughout.]
• IRVINE: Group protests China's rights record:
A group of demonstrators protested Wednesday outside the Irvine Barclay Theater on the campus of UC Irvine before the scheduled showing of "One World, One Dream," featuring music and dance performed by Chinese students from Beijing. The group was protesting to bring attention to China's human-rights record. Groups are increasing their protests as the Olympic torch makes it way toward Beijing for the start of the Summer Games.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks Chunk!

By the way, not only does Don sit on the Education Alliance Board (what a scamp he is!) - but many of our trustees and our fine chancellor regularly dine at EA events and no doubt clap and smile widely at the pronouncements made from the dais.

Makes you feel all warm inside, don't it?

Anonymous said...

The show must go on!

Anonymous said...

Of course they don't want religion "taught in schools." These people wouldn't lie to further an agenda, now, would they?

Anonymous said...

I am against bilingual education too. have you noticed that our fine spanish and french language classes do not allow a word of english? Having bilingual education is a crutch for the ignorant.

Anonymous said...

Define "bilingual education" first, then take a position.

Anonymous said...

That would be English, Spanish, French.

torabora said...

can non nos totus adepto per

Anonymous said...

Is it just me or does that Ahmanson philistine, er, philanthropist, look kinda like Chunk grew back his beard and put on some funny glasses? Is this one of those Photoshop gags Bauer is always doin, where trustees turn into dinosaurs? Well?

Roy Bauer said...

It's not a "Photoshop" gag. Google Ahmanson (images). You'll find this image.

torabora said...

I just took a quick look at the Ahmanson Foundation.

Seems it funds a heath clinic in LA that serves the immigrant community ...not exactly a "right wing" priority.

Just noticin'....

Roy Bauer said...

The Ahmanson Foundation was set up by the late Howard Ahmanson, Sr., back in the 60s. Our Ahmanson is the son, Howard Ahmanson, Jr.. Trust me, he's right-wing.

Anonymous said...

"Philanthropist" is a term that implies a sense of goodness. Ahmanson is little more than an idealogue who uses his money (that he did not earn on his own) to shove his narrow zealotry down the throats of others.

torabora said...

A true "right winger" wouldn't be providing funds to serve the medical needs of "immigrants" in LA would they?

Now if he was giving one way bus rides to Tijuana I would buy your take, probably he has elements of "right wingedness" but he also seems to have some "left wing" in him too.

And clearly he can't be so insane to really believe that he actually could integrate biblical law throughout our society any more than bin Laden can impose Shiara on the planet. Sheesh.

But his Foundation obviously thinks that they can make a difference helping indigent immigrants and I hope it is true and not a fictionalized account.

People are wonderful in that they can have oh so many different qualities...the ones that aren't spending their lives figuring out how to take from others are the ones I cherish.

Anonymous said...

This is from a recent discussion on the lovely Mr. Ahmanson:

"Part of recruiting allies means exposing who's behind Knight: the Traditional Values Coalition, the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family and the Christian Coalition, who have sponsored and funded almost every anti-public education and anti-labor piece of legislation and initiative in California in the 1990s, and were among the largest contributors to anti-immigrant and anti-affirmative action Propositions 187 and 209. Howard Ahmanson, the initiative's single biggest funder at $310,000, told Common Cause Magazine that "the Bible teaches that there should be the death penalty for homosexuals, sodomites [and] adulterers because it is treason against the family."

If he manages to help someone needy, I'd put it in the category of Hitler being a vegetarian.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...