Public Education rallies across the country; unabashed liberal Fox

Photo from the New University

At Rallies Across the Country, Students Turn Out in Defense of Public Education (Chronicle of Higher Education)

     Less than a month before midterm elections, students, faculty members, and advocacy groups held rallies on campuses across the country on Thursday to show elected officials their support for public higher education.
. . .
     On several campuses of the University of California, which lost $637-million in state appropriations last year, groups also held events to mark Thursday's "National Day of Action to Defend Public Education."….

Unabashed liberal defies OC stereotype (R. Scott Moxley; OC Weekly)

     In Orange County’s vast sea of Republicanism, Melissa Fox stands nearly alone as a defiant Democrat. Espousing decidedly lefty political stances, Fox easily won her political party’s nomination in the fight for the 70th State Assembly District seat currently occupied by outgoing Republican Chuck DeVore. The district is overwhelmingly conservative and last elected a Democrat in, well, best I can tell, never.
     But in her race against traditionally conservative Republican Don Wagner, Fox isn’t trying to soften her stances or pretend she’s a conservative Democrat. In fact, she’s eagerly pushing a policy many Republicans label as class warfare. She’s calling for higher taxes on California’s corporations and wealthy citizens as the only way to correct an “unfair” tax burden on the middle class.
     Can that message resonate in suburban OC neighborhoods such as Newport Beach, Tustin, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest and Aliso Viejo? Fox’s admirers insist it can, but I’m not so sure. Especially given the present anti-tax, anti-government political climate, this South County small-business attorney may have taken herself out of contention.

Williams on TV; Moorlach and the County CEO are agin 'im

     The latest KOCE-TV interview of trustee and OC Public Administrator/Guardian John Williams is now available here.
     It looks pretty bad for Williams. Reporter David Nazar speaks with OC Supervisor John Moorlach, who now states that Williams just isn’t qualified to do the job. Further, he is concerned about Williams’ action of hiring real estate auction firm LFC (that’s Tom Fuentes’ pal’s firm).
     He has two questions: was it a sole source contract?* And was the hire approved by the Board of Trustees?
     The scene then switches to Williams’ office. Williams asserts that “the PAPG departments in California are exempt under the probate code from having to go through their county-approved vendor lists and all of those restrictions.”
     You can tell that John worked really hard to memorize that sentence. His hair looks perfect.
     —So I guess that’s a "yes" and a "no" to Moorlach’s two questions. Uh-oh.
     Next: cut to a shot of legal books. Reporter Nazar states that, on the contrary, “according to California State law, the probate code does not exclude PGPA offices from complying with county regulations regarding who they contract with." Oh-oh again.
     Back to Williams: he declares that, after the investigation is over, he will be vindicated.
     Next: we see an official from the County CEO office who says that there is cause for concern and for a review of Williams’ office.
     Uh-oh #3.
     How come no interview of Tom Fuentes?
     Not bad, though.

     *“Sole source contract” is variously defined as (1) a contract in which only one company can provide the service in question or (2) a non-competitive hire after contacting only one source/vendor, thus precluding competition.

• KOCE Grills Orange County Public Administrator

Spitzer on Bill Handel in the morning

     I just heard former Assistant DA Todd Spitzer's appearance on the Bill Handel Show on KFI. Spitzer did a great job getting the whole sleazy "Williams/GOP Cronyville/WTF" story out there in just a few minutes. He seems to think that the story, which includes the Fuentes/LFC connection, is "breaking." Hope so!

     SEE ALSO Does Fuentes promote LFC for free? (Don't think so!)

P.S.: A friend sent this summary of Spitzer’s points:

• Old news that John Williams' PA/PG was audited/examined in May 09. The findings were so bad that it prompted higher ups to recommend that Williams be removed from his position but the Board of Supervisors overruled that.
• Evidently Williams is so over budget in his dept. that he is now going to court to grab control of estates of the deceased to collect administrative fees in in spite of some very strict and clear laws about the right of families to administer estates.
• Williams is also using a public auction firm LFC based out of Newport Beach to dispose of estates. It seems that Thomas Fuentes is a principal in this firm. Williams used this firm and bypassed Board approval.
• Spitzer commented that Williams is never in the office because he is too busy taking junkets at the expense of the SOCCCD where he is a trustee. Williams’ assistant runs the office.
• Seems that Williams’ assistant is the girlfriend of the D.A.
• When Spitzer called Williams’ office to make sure that some cases that Williams’ office was handling would be handled correctly, the DA fired him the next day for “having an inappropriate conversation.”

Tom Fuentes: professional schmoozer, circumventer of open processes, and THUG

     I’ve been thinking about the mystery of Tom Fuentes’ occupation.
     Just what does this man do for a living?
     In documents, he states that he is a consultant. But what does that mean?
     Well, sometimes it seems to mean that he helps companies, and sometimes individuals, to get what they want—lucrative contracts, government positions, etc. For instance, he’s helped his pals at LFC get juicy County contracts (eyebrows rise); he’s helped his pal John Williams concoct a big, lucrative County job that's way above his IQ grade (more eyebrowage).
     That’s what this man does. I guess.
     Gosh, that’s a mighty odd way to make a living. I mean, just how does this work? Does Tom just show up and say, “OK, I’ll do what I do to try to get the county to hire you guys for such-and-such”?
     That’s pretty vague. But how is such amorphous blobulosity to be avoided, if his job is to get people to want to hire somebody? I mean, that could involve just about anything, couldn’t it?
     And wait a minute. Aren’t there usually defined processes for hiring and selecting vendors and such—procedures designed to ensure fairness and excellence and the like? How does a “consultant’s” job avoid running afoul of such processes? How can wining and dining and schmoozing and lolling about at the Balboa Bay Club spa avoid going way south of truth, justice, and the American way?

* * *

     Near as I can tell, Fuentes has had a series of jobs that include stuff that has routinely invited suspicions of dire corruptophilic hinkyhood. (I’ve indicated moments of potential hinkoid suspicion with “Bing.”)
     From 1970-1974, Fuentes was OC Supe Ronald Caspers’ “executive assistant.”
     But get this. Back in 1986, during a debate, Republican congressional wannabe Nathan Rosenberg, responding to a Fuentean criticism, called Fuentes "a bagman" for Caspers. [BING] (Nowadays, Rosenberg is Chairman of the Board for the Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America. That’s right, this grad of the US Air Force Academy is a Boy Scout.)
     When Caspers died mysteriously in a boating accident off the coast of Baja, Fuentes got himself to a seminary to study for the priesthood. [BING!—well, he sure did act guiltily. He was supposed to be on that yacht but somehow missed the boat.]
     It didn’t take. He was outa there after six months.
     In the mid-70s, Fuentes became vice president of Robert Bein, William Frost and Associates, a big OC engineering firm. According to LA Times reporter Dexter Filkins (1996),

     Fuentes performed mostly personnel work for the firm and sometimes lobbied public agencies for contracts. [BING?] Fuentes had a trademark: a dozen long-stemmed roses for select local politicians.
     "Do elected officials take my phone calls because I am party chairman?" Fuentes asked. "Yes. But the overwhelming majority of my work was internal." [BING! The lady doth protest too much!]
     Earlier last year [i.e., 1995], Fuentes left the firm. He said he did so because he had an opportunity to sell his large stake in the company at a good price.
     Company President Bob Kallenbaugh would not comment on the reasons for Fuentes' departure [BING: "no comment"="shit happened"], but he said the firm and Fuentes are on good terms.
     Early last year, while still with the company, Fuentes lobbied members of the Anaheim City Council for the appointment of Tom Tait. Tait was appointed to the City Council in January 1995. Shortly afterward, in March 1995, Fuentes became a vice president at Tait and Associates, an Orange engineering firm where Tait is president.
     Both Fuentes and Tait insist there was no link between Tait's appointment to the council and Tait's hiring of Fuentes a month later. [BING! boys, this don't look good]

     Evidently, at some point in the last ten years, Fuentes ceased his VP gig with T&A, but he still “consults” for them.
     In recent years, he’s been known to pass out business cards that announce that he is the “Senior Vice President” of LFC, a fancy real estate auction firm, and it’s clear that he does spend time and energy urging institutions to hire ‘em, but he seems determined to obscure his connection with the firm. Who knows, maybe he’s got cards saying he’s the VP of other firms, too. Maybe “VP” is code for something.  Bagman.
     Recently, suspicions of impropriety have arisen with regard to Fuentes’ role in getting John Williams hooked up with William Lange, LFC’s owner, and securing lucrative country contracts for the firm. [BING!]
     OK, so here’s my point. I think I understand Fuentes' profession. Fuentes is a professional schmoozer and circumventer of procedures designed to secure fairness and quality. That’s my take. Am I wrong?

     Because I’m in a peevish mood, I shall close with this curious passage from Filkins’ 1996 article:

     In his drive to reduce the Democrats to political irrelevance, Fuentes has often taken on the role of GOP kingmaker.
     The list of people who accuse Fuentes of trying to arm-twist them into abandoning bids for public office includes a host of loyal Republicans: Assemblywoman Marilyn C. Brewer (R-Irvine), former Newport Beach Mayor Evelyn R. Hart, former Superior Court Judge Judith Ryan and management consultant Nathan Rosenberg.
     All of them, at one time or another, sought the Republican nomination for public office. None heeded Fuentes' advice, but only Brewer won the nomination.
     "He said my business would be ruined, and that my husband's business would be ruined," said Ryan, a challenger to U.S. Rep. Robert K. Dornan for his seat in 1992. "I was taken aback."

     Yeah. This is not an isolated story. It's part of a pattern. Remember those poll guards he hired to hang around Latino polling places back in 1988? And have you ever seen him scream at people—often women—during meetings?
     Tom Fuentes: professional schmoozer, circumventer of best practices, and THUG.

     SEE Guiding with an Iron Hand (LA Times, 1996)

P.S.: I found an old LA Times article that might explain the mystery of Fuentes' odd departure from Robert Bein, William Frost & Associates:

O.C. Company's Gift-Giving Gets Attention (LA Times, 1993)

     …[Robert Bein, William Frost & Associates or RBF] employs the services of two well-known political figures—county Republican Party chairman Thomas Fuentes and Costa Mesa City Councilman Peter F. Buffa, who also sits on the agency overseeing the San Joaquin Hills toll road.
     RBF has given officeholders tens of thousands of dollars' worth of gifts and campaign donations. And it has hosted many politicians at special company events, such as an annual Christmas party aboard a yacht in Newport Harbor and an Easter prayer breakfast at Le Meridien Hotel in Newport Beach.
     The company appears to have developed a particularly close relationship with top officials at the Santa Margarita Water District.
     RBF has provided district General Manager Walter W. (Bill) Knitz and his assistant, Michael P. Lord, with nearly $14,000 worth of meals, trips and other gifts in recent years--at the same time the firm was receiving about $13 million in engineering work from the water district.
     The FBI and the Orange County district attorney are now seeking to determine whether Lord and his boss violated federal or state laws governing the gifts that public officials can receive from people who have business before them.
     Friday, both water district officials were suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigations.

bing bing bing bing bing bing bing bing bing bing bing!

SEE ALSO:

● Firm Spent $12,000 on Water District Workers (LA Times, 1994)
● Water Officials Told to Report Past Gifts (LA Times, 1994)

Could it be that Tom promotes LFC for free? Inquiring minds wanna know!

     Gosh, just what does Tom Fuentes do for a living?
     Recently, DtB revealed Mr. Fuentes’ Form 700s—required filings for office holders on which they declare their sources of income. 700s are all about possible conflicts of interest, that sort of thing. You know: clean government.
     Well, it appears that Fuentes makes his money as a “consultant” to all sorts of firms and entities, from sleazy, right-wing propaganda outfits (such as Landslide Communications) to mysterious construction firms (Hilbrick Construction) to “institutes” of natural history (in Coto de Caza!).
     He’s like a bee, pollinating posies all over the county and beyond. Sheesh.
     Recently, an article in The Voice of OC revealed that Fuentes also busies himself with introducing his pals to Highly Important People and even maneuvering said pals into lucrative government positions.
     Take his pal and SOCCCD trustee colleague John Williams:

     …Tom Fuentes at one point had an office at [real estate auction firm LFC's headquarters], and sources close to the transaction [between LFC and the County] said he made the introduction between the company's owner and Williams.
     Fuentes said he couldn't remember making the introductions but admits it "may well have been the case."
     "I've known the owner of LFC for 30 years. I was there for a couple of years, and I know John Williams," Fuentes said.
     But, Fuentes said, "there's no business relationship" with the firm currently, which is why his state statement of economic interests (Form 700) filed with the South Orange County Community College District doesn't indicate any income from the company.
     Fuentes said he had his offices at LFC several years ago when he became a senior fellow with Claremont Institute because the firm donated office space to the program. He still regularly communicates with an email address with an lfc.com tag.
     Yet Fuentes said he had no knowledge of the [recent] LFC land transaction for Williams' office. However, he has always been a strong supporter of Williams, and sources say he has lobbied county supervisors on Williams' behalf.
     Fuentes' introduction of Williams to LFC was around the time that Williams convinced county supervisors to combine the appointed job of Public Administrator (with an annual salary of $20,000) and the elected job of Public Guardian (which pays $138,000) and hand both offices to him.
     Fuentes said he didn't recall lobbying for Williams in recent years but said he is a strong supporter and wouldn't discount the fact that he's let people at the county know his opinions in the past….

     But wait! Anyone who’s ever met John knows how stupid he is. Why would Fuentes promote a government post for a stupid person? (And, sure enough, Williams has totally f*cked up the PA/PG office, or so says Common Sense and the OC Grand Jury. Twice.)
     Come to think of it, why has Fuentes promoted the careers of manifestly unethical bastards such as Mike Carona, Chriss Street, and Tony Rackauckas?
     It’s quite a mystery ‘cause everyone who knows Tom knows how pious he is—and how much he hates wasteful and ineffective government. To a guy like Tom, “Thou shalt not waste taxpayer dollars” is, like, the Twelfth Commandment (he’s got an Eleventh Commandment, too, but never mind about that).
     Did you notice how, in the VOC article, Tom distanced himself from LFC? He doesn’t know about the recent LFC/County land thing, he says. He only hung around LFC offices ‘cause Claremont Institute had offices there, he says.
     But wait just one darned minute! As we reported yesterday, people remember Tom urging, for instance, Orange Coast College to hire LFC for a big land sale. That was just three years ago.

A STAUNCH FELLOW:
     And there's something else. Recently, a staunch fellow visited me. He handed me a business card. I read it. I started to speak, but he cut me off with a gesture of silence. I guess he’s the staunch, silent type.
     “What’s the matter with you, dude? Are you some kinda Republican or something?” I asked.
     “Why, yes. I’m a moderate Republican,” he said. He then explained that, a few years ago, Fuentes handed him a business card, the one he had just handed me.
     Then Mr. Moderate Republican simply walked out the door.
     Gosh. The card—which is pricey and embossed—announces that Thomas A. Fuentes is “Senior Vice President” of—you guessed it—LFC!
     I’m experiencing cognitive dissonance. Surely a “Senior Vice President” for a big fancy company like LFC would get some kind of salary. But no salary from LFC is mentioned in any of Tom’s 700s! (I’ve examined Fuentes’ 700s going back many years.)
     Could it be that Tom does all this work for LFC for free? That doesn’t sound like Tom at all. He's into capitalism, man. He sleeps with a Teddy Bear he calls "Adam Smith."
     I’ve asked around, and it’s pretty clear that failing to indicate sources of income on 700s is pretty serious. And no wonder.
     Gosh, I just don’t know what to think. What do you think?
     Maybe the authorities should look into this.

Featuring Saddleback College:

Was Tom Fuentes a shill for LFC re the Coast Rabbit Island sale?

     As you know, recently, reporters have been sniffing around some curious factoids concerning “embattled” OC Public Administrator/Guardian John Williams and a firm — a contributor to Williams' reelection campaign — that has been selected (perhaps under the radar) to sell properties for the County (see "Auction House and Public Administrator").

     Legendary (i.e., notorious) OC Republican Neanderthal, Tom Fuentes, brought the firm, LFC (Lange Financial Corporation), and Williams together. (Fuentes and Williams have been on the SOCCCD Board of Trustees together since 2000.)
     Fuentes downplayed his association with LFC, seemingly suggesting that he never worked for the firm and that, at most, for a time he used office space at LFC that was donated to the Claremont Institute, with which Fuentes is associated. In fact, however, at one point, the SOCCCD biography for Fuentes identifies him as a “Senior Vice President” for the LFC group of companies.
     Further, to this day, Fuentes uses an LFC email address.
     Today, I received an email from a Coast Community College District source that appears to confirm the suspicion that Mr. Fuentes has been an energetic agent for (or advocate of) LFC—as recently as three years ago:

Roy:

     I didn’t want to post this on your DTB web site, as I am not in a position to have this attributed directly to me but thought you would be interested to know: When the Orange Coast College Foundation was selling its donated island in British Columbia–Rabbit Island in 2007—Lang had Fuentes call one of our trustees and Chancellor Yglesias and essentially try to get the Orange Coast College Foundation to use LFC as the auction agent for the sale. The Coast District and our trustees were not micromanagers and they said it is a Foundation Board decision and we are not going to force you to do anything. We found that LFC's commission structure was higher and we questioned if we would be best represented by an Orange County firm trying to sell a British Columbia property. LFC also tried to scare off a few reputable BC brokers by telling them they had a guaranteed listing on the property. We ended up going with a local BC broker who sold the property with good results and their commission was about 3% lower than LFC*, which wasn't chump change on the $2.2 million sales price. Bottom line is I definitely got the idea there was a connection between LFC and Fuentes and Fuentes wasn't shy about pushing LFC and using his contacts to do so.

— A reliable source at the Coast Community College District. Name withheld by request.

*3% of $2.2 million is $66,000

John Williams: Intergalactic Force for Goodness and Double Entry Bookkeeping

     Just a little while ago, Kimberly Edds over at the OC Register announced that the county will hire an outside investigator to "review the embattled Public Adminstrator/Public Guardian Office after accusations of mismanagement."
     Rebel Girl loves it when reporters reach for that very special adjective: "embattled."
     Other adjectives of note used in this latest installment of the ongoing saga of "John Williams, Intergalatic Force for Goodness and Double Entry Bookkeeping": "scathing" and "beleaguered."
     Most popular verb: variations of "mishandle."
     To read the whole report, click here.

     The county will hire an outside investigator to review the embattled Public Administrator/Public Guardian’s Office after accusations of mismanagement in the office responsible for managing $38 million in assets and the lives or deaths of 1,000 people each year.
     Assistant county executive officer Rob Richardson confirmed the county is looking into hiring a retired judge or law firm to look into the policies and procedures governing the office, but the decision of who that will be or how much it will cost the county has not been made.
     The review will target cases involving estates and conservatorships to make sure they are being handled within the law, said Stephen Dunivent, the deputy county executive officer overseeing the review. Also in the county’s cross hairs are property auction firms hired by the office and the process used to select those firms. [See our subsequent post above.] The review is expected to be done by early November, Dunivent said. Public Administrator/Public Guardian John S. Williams has hired his own personal attorney, Phil Greer, to represent him as an individual. Greer is not being paid by the county, Richardson confirmed....

Tom Fuentes: ubiquitous paid consultant

     I’ve been sifting through Tom Fuentes’ form 700 filings re his gig as SOCCCD trustee.
     What are those?
     Well, according to the FPPC (guidelines),

The Political Reform Act requires public officials to disclose assets and income which may be materially affected by their official actions. The Act requires governmental agencies to ensure that their public officials (board/commission members, employees and consultants) disclose their interests on or before the statutory deadline.

     Hence, officials, such as elected trustees, must fill out a Statement of Economic Interests: form 700.
     I’ve examined many (not quite all of) Fuentes’ 700 forms covering several years. Here’s a brief description of what I’ve found. Essentially, these are Fuentes’ acknowledged sources of income.

     Oddly, LFC (Lange Financial Corporation), a real estate auction firm at which, according to Fuentes’ former district bio, Fuentes served as Senior Vice President, does not appear in the documents that I have seen.
     Fuentes’ presently has an “LFC” email address. Odd.

• The Claremont Institute, Claremont (unaffiliated with Claremont Colleges)
Conservative “think tank”
Fuentes: consultant
Fuentes has checked the $10-100K box, many years

     In fact, Fuentes is on the CI Board of Directors. Among the Board of Advisors: Roberta Ahmanson (wife of religious extremist Howard) and Tom L. Phillips (see Phillips International)
     In a recent article for the Voice of Orange County, Fuentes acknowledges having had an office at LFC that, he says, the firm provided to the Claremont Institute, for whom Fuentes consulted. Naturally, this constitutes a substantial “gift” to CI.

     We’ll have more about that circumstance at a later date.

• Tait and Associates, Santa Ana
Real estate, construction
Fuentes: Senior Vice President
Fuentes has checked the $10-100K box for salary, some years.

     Tom Tait (of T&A) is now running for Mayor of Anaheim. Fuentes has endorsed him.

• Enterprise Counsel Group, Irvine
Law Firm (labor and real estate law)
Fuentes: advisor
Most years, Fuentes checks the $10-100K income box for ECG

     ECG’s David A. Robinson is on the Irvine Valley College Foundation Board of Governors. He is former chairman.

• Law Offices of Linda W. Lau, Los Angeles
Fuentes: consultant
A one-time fee, $1-10K

• Nguyen for Congress
Fuentes: consultant

     No doubt this Nguyen is Tan Nguyen, who sent those nasty letters to Latino voters a couple of years ago; he’s still in court over charges of “obstruction of justice.”

• Stanbridge College, Irvine
Fuentes: consultant
For several years, Fuentes checked the $10-100K income box for SC, a for-profit

• Landslide Communications, Irvine (Jim Lacy’s firm)
Marketing agent for right-wing slates/slate mailers
Fuentes: consultant
Fuentes has for many years checked the $1-10K income box for smearmeister Jim Lacy’s firm.

• 7G Innovations, Newport Beach
Electronic payment processing and customer relationships management
Fuentes: consultant
For several years, Fuentes has checked the $1-10K box.

• Shared Success, Costa Mesa
Venture capital; business management consultants
Fuentes: consultant
Several years, checked the $1-10K income box

• Western CPAC, Laguna Niguel
Fuentes: consultant

     Jim Lacy (see Landslide Communications) is the chairman; Tom Fuentes is on the CPAC board of directors. In recent years, CPAC events have provided a forum for some remarkably extreme right-wing views.

• Hewitt Wolensky, Newport Beach
Law firm
Fuentes: consultant

     Hugh Hewitt is a popular conservative radio host and blogger.
     Hewitt is friendly to Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine. Recently, troubling irregularities occurred in a new program that provides IVC credit courses at Crean.

• Silvaard Institute of Natural History, Coto de Caza
(Terry Singer)
Fuentes: advisor
Small amounts ($1-10K)

• Hilbrick Construction, Newport Beach
Fuentes: consultant
One year, Fuentes clicked the $10-100K income box; another year, the $1-10K box.

     I’m not sure Hilbrick still exists. The above site describes it thus: “For-Profit Organization, Veteran Owned Business, Construction Firm, Service Disabled Veteran Owned, Contracts.”

• Investments:

Phillips International, Inc.
Publishing
I found two filings that checked the $10-100K box.

     Ultra-conservative publisher Tom L. Phillips appears to be a long-time Fuentes crony. He founded and serves on the Board of Directors of Eagle Publishing, which owns the notorious Regnery Publishing. Fuentes is one of four “external directors” of Eagle Publishing.
     Among Regnery authors are Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingraham, Newt Gingrich, Ann Coulter, Dinesh D'Souza, and Ted Nugent.

Spitzer weighs in

     Yesterday’s “Total Buzz” post concerning John Williams’ lie about a “transcript” of Todd Spitzer’s phone call to Williams' PAPG office (Spitzer call transcript does not exist) generated a great many comments, including this one from Spitzer himself:

     OCObserver, I know you read this once today; I think you need to read it again (my post to Brian Calle, editorial writer) regarding waiver of anything–its meaningless…they make up lies as they go along. You think Williams’ knew I had the phone call taped from the bad check program? And if I didn’t have the tape? So how can I defend allegations that didn’t exist the day I left the DA’s Office, but they exist now?

Brian,

     When you did the KOCE show two weeks ago a lot was not known about the facts. But you did know that I immediately opened up my personnel file once the DA’s Office does what it does best–spin the facts. There is and was nothing in my file to indicate any inappropriate conduct. In fact, I was granted my severance of three months which is not allowed if I was terminated for cause. They said I was terminated for cause, “inappropriate communication with the Public Guardian” but gave me my severance anyway; they can’t have it both ways.

http://totalbuzz.ocregister.com/2010/09/01/spitzer-opens-up-personnel-file/40063/

     Second, the Public Guardian and the DA are now engaged in a full blown cover-up. Read the article below. How does John Williams accuse me of making up the whole bad check program? Fortunately, for me, I had a tape recording of the bad check program confirming the Ruth Hull Richter case and sent it to Kimberly Edds, a reporter at the Register. What does John Williams say to Edds when asked who in the DA’s Office told him there was no bad check investigation? He won’t say! Of course; one liar protecting other liars.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/public-265670-silence-guardian.html

     We all know what’s really going on here. The DA is protecting his girlfriend in the Public Guardian’s Office where she is the Assistant PA-PG. Why? Because, two Grand Jury investigations and a recommendation by the CEO to make the Public Guardian appointed would strip John and Peggi of their positions. John’s double-dipping salary and pension would be in jeopardy and so would Peggi’s. They were already in the hottest of water before I ever called the Public Guardian.
     Add the fact that Susan Schroeder wants me out of the way to run for DA in 2014 and you have a group who lies, continues to lie and will lie at any cost to protect their jobs, their pensions, their salaries and most importantly, the only base of power they presently have having recently been forced out of the Sheriff’s Department with the fall of Mike Carona.
     How can anyone rely on these actors to be truthful? Isn’t that why John Williams hired Phil Greer as his attorney to now be his official spokesperson? Since when does the County allow a Department Head to hire a lawyer to fill the role of official department spokesperson? In addition, expect this audit of the PA-PG to be driven underground by Greer who will argue that the documents are Attorney Client privileged and no one, neither the public nor the media, will be able to get their hands on the results until they craft the “approved” public version.
     The last outside counsel hired by a department head was Mike Schroeder for now disgraced Sheriff Mike Carona. It’s the same ploy written out of the same political play book; call for an investigation on yourself after you are caught so you can look like you are the one who is concerned. When Carona took illegal campaign contributions from Charles Gabbard, Carona called for an investigation of his own campaign, the same way Williams is calling for an audit of his own department. “Attorney Michael J. Schroeder, a spokesman for Friends of Mike Carona, confirmed media reports this year that at least $10,000 – and perhaps as much as $15,000 – was illegally sent to the campaign in 2000.” (OC Register, August 6, 2004, Local) But that was in 2004! They waited for four years and only until after they were caught by the press! So you think John William’s call for a Board of Supervisors audit on his own department is out of a genuine concern for good government? Why did he forget to mention that Supervisor Pat Bates asked for the audit TWO WEEKS EARLIER?
     So the bottom line is this: I have nothing to hide; I am proud of my two decades of public service and will stand behind my record. However, I am not going to play games with my reputation and allow dishonorable people–who are proven liars and cover-up artists–to make up lies and distortions to serve their agenda.
     Let’s settle on this: The Orange County Register Editorial Board should call on the Orange County Grand Jury to convene yet another hearing into the District Attorney and Public Guardian. That way, we can all share our version of the facts. But most importantly, when they lie–and they will–they can be prosecuted for perjury. Right now, they can lie and protect each other without consequence. All I expect, Brian, is that you would consider the conduct of these dishonorable people who have enormous power in our County and consistently abuse it for their own personal gain.

Sincerely,
Todd Spitzer

Williams’ “proof” goes “poof”; Williams’ cred stays dead

     This morning, the OC Reg’s “Total Buzz” reported that John Williams’ guff about having a “transcript” of Todd Spitzer’s phone call with a PA/PG official was, well, way untrue:

Spitzer call transcript does not exist (OC Reg’s “Total Buzz”)

     When Public Administrator/Public Guardian John S. Williams broke his silence, accusing then-assistant district attorney Todd Spitzer of inserting himself into one of his office’s cases by fabricating a district attorney investigation and acting “in an irresponsible and reckless manner to further his own political/personal agenda,” he said he had proof.
     That proof, Williams told Total Buzz, was in the form of a telephone conversation transcript between the formerly high ranking assistant district attorney and a supervising deputy public administrator.
     In a Sept. 8 letter to the state Attorney General’s Office, Williams wrote that he included a copy of the Aug. 26 telephone conversation transcript between Spitzer and Williams’ supervising deputy public administrators.
     Total Buzz waited eagerly for the release of the transcript. But that transcript, as it turns out, simply does not exist.
     It turns out the document is not a transcript at all. Instead, it is notes scribbled down by Supervising Deputy Public Administrator Sheila Roberge following her Aug. 26 telephone conversation with Spitzer, Williams later told us.
     “We’re dealing with a matter of semantics,” said attorney Phil Greer, who is representing Williams. “There is a record of the phone conversation and it is an accurate representation of the conversation between the PA/PG’s office and Mr. Spitzer.”
     But according to Williams – and his attorney – Total Buzz can’t see the notes either. Without a transcript or even his supervisor’s notes we’ve seen no such proof of Williams’ claims.
     Spitzer, thought to be the heir apparent to the district attorney, was fired in late August after he began looking into allegations by a friend of the woman that the case was being mishandled by the Public Administrator/Public Guardian Office….

     OK, so you’ve got two choices. Either Williams is a big fat liar—or, he doesn’t know what the word “transcripts” means.
     I know John Williams. Either possibility is plausible.
     And, either way, the OC Public Administrator/Guardian is a jackass.

UPDATE: J. Frank Parnell of Red County/OC has added his two cents:

John Williams’ “Proof” goes “Poof!” – No Transcript Exists

...Just like in the old Sheriff Carona days, truth is the first casualty when politics are involved. District Attorney Tony Rackaukas’ girlfriend Peggi Buff is the second-in-command under John Williams. Michael Schroeder’s wife is T-Rack’s new second in command. Carona may have fallen, but the Schroeder-Rackauckas apparatchik remains in place. This nepotistic power structure within the DA and the PA/PG offices is more appropriate for La Cosa Nostra, not for the County’s halls of administration....

Fuentes, Williams, & LFC: new documents

     We’ve been following up a story (or stories) about LFC, a firm that has donated money to John Williams’ reelection campaign (OC Public Administrator/Guardian) and that seems to have strong ties with Tom Fuentes—as was reported recently in the Voice of OC. (Williams and Fuentes both serve on the SOCCCD board of trustees.)
     As VOC noted, the LFC website actually sports a testimonial from Williams:

     This is an odd juxtaposition of facts. LFC gives Williams campaign money and Williams provides LFC with a testimonial. Plus, recently, the County has used LFC’s pricey services (according to Williams’ testimonial).
     Equally curious are Tom Fuentes’ remarks. In the VOC article, Fuentes seems to downplay his relationship with LFC. He does acknowledge that he may have been the one who introduced LFC’s owner, William Lange, and Williams.

     But, Fuentes said, "there's no business relationship" with [LFC] currently, which is why his state statement of economic interests (Form 700) filed with the South Orange County Community College District doesn't indicate any income from the company.
     Fuentes said he had his offices at LFC several years ago when he became a senior fellow with Claremont Institute because the firm donated office space to the program. He still regularly communicates with an email address with an lfc.com tag.
     Yet Fuentes said he had no knowledge of the LFC land transaction for Williams' office. However, he has always been a strong supporter of Williams, and sources say he has lobbied county supervisors on Williams' behalf.
     Fuentes' introduction of Williams to LFC was around the time that Williams convinced county supervisors to combine the appointed job of Public Administrator (with an annual salary of $20,000) and the elected job of Public Guardian (which pays $138,000) and hand both offices to him.

     If Fuentes is not now working for (or working at) LFC, why does he have an LFC email address?
     In the article, Fuentes seems to imply that he never worked for LFC, but, as of four years ago when DtB explored Fuentes’ relationship with LFC, Fuentes’ SOCCCD bio stated that he was a "Senior Vice President of the LFC Group of Companies.” That title crops up in other documents as well.
     We’ve been examining recently acquired documents regarding Fuentes and his income. They raise interesting questions about Fuentes’ relationship with LFC (and Claremont) and the nature of Fuentes’ income. More later.

Evidently, the Claremont Institute is one of Fuentes' sources of income.

The world no longer within reach

Disappearing Languages at Albany (Inside Higher Ed)

The State University of New York at Albany's motto is "the world within reach." But language faculty members are questioning the university's commitment to such a vision after being told Friday that the university was ending all admissions to programs in French, Italian, Russian and classics, leaving only Spanish left in the language department once current students graduate. The theater department is also being eliminated….

See also: U. at Albany Will Lose More Jobs and Probably Close 5 Programs (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Community college class wait lists throw a wrench into students' plans (LA Times)

...Students registering at California community colleges this fall are facing unprecedented hurdles, as campuses have slashed classes in response to budget cuts. At the same time, enrollment has surged, fueled by the largest high school graduating class in the state's history, older workers returning to school for job training and more students being unable to get into the state's four-year universities....

SUNY-Albany "deactivates" its French Department

     The French department at SUNY-Albany has been "deactivated" by administrators looking to cut costs.
     Gulp.
     Here's a letter from one of the professors directly affected. It tells you better than I could the frightening circumstances.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Today the seven members of the French faculty at SUNY--Albany (all tenured) were informed that by presidential decision, ostensibly for budgetary reasons, the French program has been "deactivated" at all levels (BA, MA, PhD), as have BA programs in Russian and Italian. The only foreign language program unaffected is Spanish. The primary criterion used in making the decision was undergrad majors-to-faculty ratio. We were told that tenured faculty in French, Russian, and Italian will be kept on long enough for our students to finish their degrees--meaning three years at the outside. Senoir faculty are being encouraged to take early retirement. The rest of us are being urged to "pursue our careers elsewhere," as our Provost put it.

Needless to say, the decision is personally devastating to those of us affected, but it is also symptomatic of the ongoing devaluation of foreign-language and other humanities program in universities across the United States. I'm writing to ask for your help in spreading the word about this decision as widely as possible and in generating as much negative media publicity as possible against SUNY--Albany and the SUNY system in its entirety.

There is much background to add about how this decision was reached and implemented, too much for me to explain fully here. Suffice it to say that the disappearance of French, Italian, and Russian has resulted from an almost complete lack of leadership at the Albany campus and in the SUNY system. Our president, a former state pension fund manager, holds an MBA as his highest degree, has never held a college or university teaching position, and has never engaged in any kind of scholarship.

More disturbing still, due process was not followed in the decision-making process. The affected programs were not consulted or given the opportunity to propose money-saving reforms. Our Dean and Provost simply hand-selected an advisory committee to rubber stamp the president's decision. The legalities of the situation remain to be discussed with our union, UUP, but in the meantime I welcome any advice you may have.

best,

Brett

Brett Bowles
Associate Professor of French Studies

To read more, click here.
*

Tom Fuentes and LFC/Lange

     Recently, Norberto Santana of the Voice of OC reported that LFC—a company that Tom Fuentes worked for (still does?) and that contributed to John Williams’ PAPG reelection campaign—has been awarded a large contract to liquidate properties controlled by Williams’ office (see Focus on Contract Between Auction House and Public Administrator).
     We here at DtB have examined Fuentes’ ties with LFC before. What follows is from "Trustee Fuentes' boss, Buffalo Bill Lange" (2006).

FUENTES' SPECIAL MAGNETISM:

checked out Trustee Fuentes’ bio on the district website. It informs us that he is "Senior Vice President of the LFC Group of Companies.”
     So I looked up the LFC “group.” LFC is owned by one William Lange (the L is for "Lange"). The company arranges online auctions of real estate. Imagine that!
     Apparently, LFC is doing very well. According to a news release (likely authored by LFC) that appeared on PRnewswire in January,

In a record setting online auction, a 200… acre parcel of real estate in South Florida is being auctioned with a record setting seller's suggested value of [$]80 Million USD. This mixed use property has the potential to attract a wide range of buyers both in the US and internationally, in what is believed to be the highest value online real estate auction of all time.” The auction is being conducted by “LFC Online.”

     This Fuentes fella sure does have an interesting relation to big money. He’s like an iron filing in a world of Filthy Rich Magneto-Men.

BUFFALO BILL'S BEANS:

     If you go to the LFC website, you'll find a very odd “history” of the company. Inexplicably, the entire history is devoted to the tale of a "Buffalo Ranch" [see] in Newport Beach. We’re told that

     Until recently, this working ranch, located in the heart of Newport Beach, California, doubled as LFC’s corporate headquarters….
     In 1986, after a 25-year absence, LFC’s founder, Bill Lange, reintroduced a herd of American bison, commonly called buffalo, to LFC’s Buffalo Ranch. The new herd included Scotty, our 2000-pound male, along with Wendy, Amanda and Patti. The Buffalo Ranch soon became a standard fixture on the elementary school circuit. After all, not every city has its own buffalo herd!!
     Each summer LFC would invite its clients from throughout the United States and around the world to what became known simply as the “Buffalo Ranch Barbecue.” This one-day event became famous for its diverse group of guests. Chinese, Japanese, Mexicans, Canadians, Europeans and Americans would all show up in their best cowboy and cowgirl outfits to share a day of great country western music, good steaks and Bill’s Beans.

     I’m not making this up, honest I'm not. If you take the online tour, you learn lots more about the history of the Buffalo Ranch:

...the Buffalo Ranch was used as a working part of the Irvine Ranch until 1954, when buffalo rancher Gene Clark opened it as a public attraction and imported over 100 head of buffalo to the 115-acre parcel of land….
     Occupied in the 1970’s by the late famed architect William Pereira, a self-proclaimed "barn freak," the Buffalo Ranch red clapboard barn and buildings provided a tranquil and relaxed setting for Pereira, who renamed the ranch "Urbanus." From his office atop the silo, Pereira produced plans for UC Irvine and Fashion Island.

--Well, I guess that explains why so much bullshit emanates from UCI. But I digress. This history continues:

     From 1986 to 1994, The LFC Group of Companies made the Buffalo Ranch our headquarters…. Employees played volleyball on the back lawn, tended the bison, held western barbeques and enjoyed the rustic setting of Lange Financial Plaza.     Newport Beach provided the perfect setting for the bison to roam amid beautiful surroundings. When The Irvine Company announced plans to develop the adjacent property into condominiums and apartments, an outspoken contingent of Orange County residents took it to heart. Attempting to block the proposed development, they started a grass roots organization called "Friends of the Buffalo Ranch." The development ultimately received approval from the planning commission. Part of the barn structure was declared an historic site and was moved to the Orange County Fairgrounds.
     The bison herd was donated to the Discovery Museum of Orange County and auctioned (naturally). Becky was donated to the Orange County Fairgrounds and is still visited today by Buffalo Bill [i.e., William Lange] and his family.

BUFFALO BILL'S WILD FRAUD SHOW

     I Googled the name “William Lange” with “LFC” and I didn’t find much.
     I did, however, find that, in 1997, Lange was sued by the government. Evidently, the Justice Department was convinced that “Buffalo Bill” was committing fraud in a very big way. A year after charges were filed, the matter was settled, and the defendants (including Buffalo Bill) admitted no wrongdoing.
     The charges are amazing. You’ve really got to check this out. I tell you, this "fraud" yarn is like an episode of Knott’s Landing! Picture Buffalo Bill as William Devane and his wife as Donna Mills.
     The tale is told on the website for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) news releases [News Release]:

FDIC PRESS RELEASE:

SETTLEMENT OF LAWSUIT AGAINST FORMER FDIC AND RTC CONTRACTORS

     The suit described in PR-49-97 (7-18-97) [see below] was settled by an agreement between the United States Department of Justice, William W. Lange, Alisha A. Jensen Lange, Lange Financial Corporation, Asset Clearinghouse, Inc., and Richard H.W. Bennett, executed by all parties on November 13, 1998. That agreement contains a statement that it does not constitute an admission of liability or an admission of the truth, substantial merit or validity of any previously disputed claim or factual assertion.

[The site next presents what appears to be an earlier press release [from 7/18/97?]:

THREE FORMER FDIC AND RTC CONTRACTORS SUED IN MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR FRAUD CASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

     FDIC Inspector General Gaston L. Gianni, Jr., announced today that the Justice Department filed suit July 15 against three California residents charging them with fraud that resulted in nearly $3.6 million in profits from contracts issued by the FDIC and the former Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) to auction assets.
     This case is the result of an ongoing investigation by the FDIC Office of Inspector General. The defendants named in the lawsuit are:
• William W. Lange of Corona Del Mar
• Alisha A. Jensen Lange (William Lange's wife) of Corona Del Mar, and
• Richard H.W. Bennett of Yorba Linda. Mr. Bennett is a certified public accountant and the brother-in-law of Alisha Lange.

     The civil complaint, filed pursuant to the False Claims Act, alleges that the defendants fraudulently acquired contracts and overbilled the two agencies for work performed. The three were allegedly responsible for more than 2,500 false claims submitted to the FDIC and the RTC.
     In the scheme outlined in the lawsuit, Ms. Lange owned "on paper" a sham company called LFC Real Estate Clearinghouse, Inc. (LFCREC). The company in fact was created, owned and operated by her husband, William Lange. The Langes improperly certified that LFCREC was woman-owned, enabling the firm to obtain lucrative government contracts. Those contracts, procured from 1992 through 1994, called for the LFCREC to auction property for the FDIC and the RTC that the agencies had acquired from failed financial institutions.
     According to the lawsuit, LFCREC fraudulently obtained contracts to perform more than a dozen auctions in California, Texas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey. The shell company was paid more than $1 million in commissions, approximately one percent of the assets sold. LFCREC was also reimbursed more than $2.5 million for expenses the firm claimed to have incurred in connection to the auctions.
     The civil complaint alleges that LFCREC was a shell company for Lange Financial Corporation, a Newport Beach firm that is one of the largest auctioneers in the country with several subsidiaries. In addition to falsely stating that LFCREC was woman-owned, LFCREC allegedly hired subsidiaries of Lange Financial to perform auction-related work and failed to disclose that the subsidiaries were "related companies." The subsidiaries purportedly overbilled for services, including charging the government $80 per hour for work that cost $24 per hour. Mr. Bennett allegedly prepared and submitted "padded" bills to the FDIC and RTC.
     Under federal law, the Langes and Mr. Bennett are potentially liable for damages of up to three times the nearly $3.6 million paid to LFCREC, and up to $10,000 in fines for each of the more than 2,500 alleged false claims. The Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA) provides an additional $5 million penalty for making false statements designed to influence the RTC and the FDIC.

     Like I said, it’s essentially an episode of Knott’s Landing.

     And our Tom Fuentes is the Senior VP of Buffalo Bill (Devane) Lange’s LFC.

     Why does this make so much sense? I am filled with calm and a profound sense of understanding.
     Be likewise.

SEE ALSO
● William Lange LFC's Blog
● 106 F.3d 391 (Appeal of judgment) Also here
● LFC Group of Companies
● REAL ESTATE COMMISSION See p. 7
● Quatloos/Investment Fraud Skip to last section: LFC Marketing Group, Inc. v. Loomis (09/19/2000)

● Auctioneer Is Accused of Scheme to Defraud U.S. (LA Times, 7/17/97)

Courts: William W. Lange, who helped broker deals for O.C. properties, is named in $43.5-million civil suit.

JAMES S. GRANELLI - TIMES STAFF WRITER

     William W. Lange, an auctioneer who has worked for tycoon Donald Trump and sold some of Orange County's properties in bankruptcy, was accused in a civil lawsuit of creating a phony female-owned business to win federal contracts.
     The suit, filed by the U.S. attorney's office, also accuses Lange, his wife, Alisha, and her brother-in-law, Richard H.W. Bennett, of covering up evidence of the alleged sham company and of overbilling the government as much as triple the going rate.
     The recent lawsuit seeks $3.6 million that government agencies paid in commissions and expenses to Alisha Lange and her LFC Real Estate Clearinghouse, which prosecutors called a front for William Lange and his Lange Financial Corp.
     With trebling of damages and other penalties sought for false claims, the total amount the government is seeking is $43.5 million.
     The lawsuit stems from work Clearinghouse did in the early 1990s for the Resolution Trust Corp. and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., agencies that were disposing of assets from, respectively, failed savings and loans and failed banks.
     U.S. Atty. Nora M. Manella said[*] that in helping to clean up the S&L debacle of the 1980s, "Mr. Lange masterminded a multifaceted fraud that allowed him to profit illegally from the savings and loan crisis and from programs designed to help women."
     John Petrasich, attorney for the Langes, denied that his clients did anything wrong, calling the lawsuit "nonsense." Clearinghouse, he said, "is and was from its inception a wholly owned company of Alisha Lange."
     He acknowledged that William Lange was an officer in her company, but that fact didn't make it ineligible for special consideration under federal rules granting preferences to minority- and female-owned businesses in contracts awarded by the RTC and the FDIC.
     The agencies regularly used outside contractors to manage, market and sell real estate, securities and other assets held by failed financial institutions.
     Clearinghouse handled more than a dozen auctions nationwide of primarily residential real estate for the two agencies in the early 1990s, according to both sides.
     By then, Lange Financial, founded in 1986, was becoming a major auctioneer nationwide by helping financial institutions, real estate developers and others market and sell properties that weren't otherwise moving.

*In March of ’99, in court, U.S. Court Judge Manella opined that the SOCCCD's action against me/Dissent was “Orwellian” (1st Amendment Battles).

John Williams, chromochunks, and the free will problem

     An hour ago, a friend wrote me a brief email. It concerned John Williams. He wrote:

     I was looking for some tax documents today in the garage and I came across one of my college homework assignments for Biology 101 entitled "Williams Syndrome and the Brain." This assignment was from 1994. It completely explains why Williams is the way he is. My research on this issue concluded that Williams Syndrome is caused by a minute piece missing from one of the two copies of chromosome 7.

     The friend quoted his 1994 paper: "People with Williams Syndrome, commonly referred to as Williams People, generally score below the average on an IQ test, and are likewise classified as having mild to moderate mental retardation."
     I wrote back:

     Yeah, but if Williams is a "Williams Person," then he can't help himself. He can't be held responsible for those missing chromachunks! No free will! 

     I prefer to think of him as an "Asshole Person."

     I’m sure my friend was kidding about this “Williams People” business (and that he was aware of his descent into “incorrectness”).
     For nearly two years now, Williams, chromosomally challenged or not, has grown as an embarrassment for the Schroeder People who run this benighted county. And it now looks like he’ll continue to sprout ever more spectacular flinch-worthy doofutudes.
     Here’s the question of the moment, I think:

     When does a guy like Williams begin to be an intolerable liability to his sleazy pals in the OC Corrupto-Republican Cronysphere? 

World's most disgruntled man found living in South County

Raghu P. Mathur and his most recently alleged anti-Mathur "discriminator"

     In a statement released earlier today, former SOCCCD Chancellor Raghu P. Mathur said that, "because of my obvious superiority, I keep being discriminated. But those people will be sorry, for I have God on my side."

     Mathur had nothing further to say.

When you can fake that, you've got it made

     It's been a crazy day. I finally settled down and landed in front of the TV.
     I watched a new series (on A&E) entitled "Teach," starring Tony Danza. That's right: Tony Danza, the "Taxi" actor. (I think he had another series, but I'm sure it was crap.)
     "Teach" is an odd reality program. We see Danza attempting to teach English to high school kids in Philadelphia. It's kind of crazy.
     He obviously has much of what it takes to teach. He's funny, he's reasonably intelligent. He's pretty serious. He obviously wants to do well.
     The people around him don't give 'em any breaks. Especially the kids.
     It looks like he's going through hell.
     This is a reality program starring a celebrity. Could it be that this unpromising thing is managing to be, um, real?

Republicans ♥ For-Profits

Senate Scrutiny, Round 3 (Inside Higher Ed)

     The increasing divisiveness of the debate over the federal government’s role in the oversight of for-profit colleges (and the growing likelihood that nonprofit higher education will get roped into the scuffle) was on full display Thursday as a Senate committee convened for its third hearing examining the sector.
     Framing his concerns about the sector’s $24 billion stake in the federal financial aid program and what he called "misleading, deceptive, overly aggressive or fraudulent" practices that lead students to enroll at for-profit colleges, Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, singled out the institutions for scrutiny. “They figured out how to be profitable even when the students are not successful,” he said. “There’s irrefutable evidence now that something’s gone wrong with this industry. I’m not saying that everybody’s bad in the industry, I’m just saying that the system has gone wrong.”
     Harkin reiterated his pledge to sponsor legislation relating to for-profit colleges early next year. But he conceded the need for further investigation and more hearings, because “I don’t know exactly what needs to be done.” He also announced that the next hearing on the sector would be in early December and focus in part on the increasing share of funding going to for-profit colleges from the tuition assistance programs for veterans, active duty military and their families.
     At the start of the hearing … Harkin unveiled a report analyzing some of the data submitted to the committee by 30 for-profit colleges as part of his staff’s investigation of the sector. The report focuses entirely on the for-profit sector and does not include data on nonprofit colleges and universities as a basis for comparison.
     That, said Senator Michael B. Enzi (R-Wyo.), was problematic. “I agree there is clearly a problem in higher education – now you’ll notice I didn’t limit that comment to for-profit schools,” he said. “It’s naïve to think these problems are limited to just the for-profit sector. We’ve been looking at this in a vacuum.”
     Harkin countered: “The point is that only 16 percent of community college students borrow money; 95 percent of [students at] the for-profits borrow money and they borrow money at a higher amount than they do at the community colleges.” Tuition for for-profit programs can be significantly higher than for comparable programs at community colleges, he said, pointing to findings from the Government Accountability Office’s August report on the sector. To him, the examination was not one done in a vacuum but one focused on the most pressing area of concern….

Sunny Girl

Reportedly, Don Wagner is the guy at left.

An old issue

Two brats, Kanab, Utah

They wanna be just like Mike