Countering the GW skeptics

Nov. 7: Climate Scientists Team Up to Counter Attacks by Global-Warming Skeptics (Chronicle of Higher Education)

     Hundreds of climate scientists are joining a campaign to push back against critics, including politicians skeptical of climate change who have investigated or threatened to investigate researchers, the Chicago Tribune reported. The campaign, which the American Geophysical Union is expected to announce on Monday, represents a shift among climate scientists, many of whom have avoided the news media but now say they are willing to speak out against what they see as misinformation. “This group feels strongly that science and politics can’t be divorced,” said Scott A. Mandia, a professor of physical sciences at the State University of New York’s Suffolk County Community College, “and that we need to take bold measures to not only communicate science but also to aggressively engage the denialists and politicians who attack climate science and its scientists.”

Vote gap narrows slightly

Nov. 7:
THOMAS "T.J." PRENDERGAST
105,467 - 50.6%

KEVIN M. MULDOON
102,787 - 49.4%

—As of 5:00 p.m. today. See Registrar of Voters for daily updates.
    See also Votes Left to Count

    I've spoken with local politicos in the know, and they seem pretty confident that Prendergast will hang on to his lead, given that he has had one continuously since election night. Plus he still has a 2700 vote lead.

Now remember, Tea Partiers: these things aren't real

Nov. 7:
● Geoffrey Crawley, 83, Dies; Gently Deflated a Fairy Hoax (New York Times; 11/6)
● The original photos

The latest developments in the "prayer" lawsuit—with fun/disturbing details!

Nov. 7: Update on Westphal v. Wagner:

     As you know, several members of the district community and the wider community, including BvT, have filed a suit in federal court, asserting that the South Orange County Community College District has violated the Constitution (and has violated individuals' Constitutional rights) regarding the prohibition against government “establishment” of religion. We believe that the board, on several occasions, has pushed over the line with its prayers/invocations, etc.
     One such occasion is described by Judge Gary Klausner*:

…[A]t the August 2009 Chancellor Opening Session, a slide show was presented to the audience while the song "God Bless America" was played. The slide show was selected for presentation at the event by Defendant Mathur. The slides depict a variety of pictures, ranging from scenic American landscapes to patriotic images of men and women of the United States military. The presentation concluded with two slides picturing coffins of United States soldiers, and the following message, “Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you. Jesus Christ and the American G.I. … One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.” Defendant Mathur testified he had not seen these concluding slides before deciding to include the presentation in the event.

     A while back, Defendants (i.e., the board & Mathur) motioned for summary judgment (if that were granted, defendants would prevail and a trial would be unnecessary). Two days ago, and to everyone’s (or at least our) surprise, the judge, Gary Klausner, issued his ruling**, despite our request for postponement of the ruling until our side can file a similar motion, as per schedule.
     Klausner’s decision seems to have a little something for defendants and for plaintiffs.
     The Judge sided with us with respect to plaintiff’s "standing" to bring the case.
     He ruled that trustee Don Wagner's May 2009 harangue during the Saddleback Scholarship event and the Chancellor’s notorious "God Bless America" slideshow were independent constitutional violations.
     He thinks that the evidence we have adduced that the Defendants' prayers are presented with a religious purpose are substantial—and thus may violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause (i.e., the notion that government may not “establish” religion). That’s the green light for going to trial. (Of course, he has not yet read our brief for summary judgment. If we are persuasive, a trial will be unnecessary.)
     He ruled (I think) that John Williams’ notorious “atheists are going to hell” joke was not a constitutional violation:

Before the invocation, I thought I’d tell a little Biblical story. Today’s story is about Jonah. In grade school one day, a little girl spoke to her teacher about Jonah and how he was swallowed by a whale. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though they’re a large mammal they have very small throats. The little girl said, “But how can that be? Jonah was swallowed by a whale, and the Bible says so.” Again the teacher said it’s physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human. Undaunted, the little girl said, “When I get to heaven, I will ask Jonah.” To this the teacher replied, “What if Jonah has gone to hell?” The little girl replied, “Then you can ask him.”

     Klausner has denied us “injunctive relief” on the grounds that, in his judgment, our request is over-broad.
     Possibly, he held that the prayers do not have the effect that we claimed, but his writing can be hard to follow. For me anyway.
     As far as I know, our legal team has not yet had a chance to assess the implications of this ruling to the various issues and motions involved in the case. When they do, they'll confer with plaintiffs.
     So, there you are.

     *From the Nov. 4 ruling.

     Fans of abject right-wingery, here's a particularly interesting pair of paragraph from Klausner's ruling:

     Defendant Wager’s statement at this Scholarship Event attacked challengers of the invocation practice as “too uncertain in the strength of their own views that they cannot abode [sic] any mention in public of the divine.” He also sarcastically attacked the principle that it is improper for a public official to assert the existence of God. The character of Wagner’s opposition to a student-led invocation at the Scholarship Event, along with the content of the invocation he chose to deliver, raise a fact issue that he had supported the invocations with a religious rather than secular intent.
     It is questionable whether the motivations of a single trustee could call into question whether secular purposes advanced by the board as a whole were genuine. However, there are indications that other board members were motivated by religious purposes in maintaining the invocation practice. This Order will not outline every piece of evidence submitted that may support this determination. The following is some of the more salient evidence that has been presented: Defendant Fuentes characterized Plaintiff Westphal’s objections to the invocations as an attempt “to drive God from the public square” in an email to a colleague, and he testified that invocations are delivered before the Pledge of Allegiance at campus events because “God comes before country in our nation.” Defendant Padberg offered the response “I agree” to various emails from constituents supporting the invocation practice in terms such as “we must take back our Christian country,” “Please keep God in our community colleges,” and “you are going to be crying out to God soon enough when he releases his wrath upon this nation for turning its back on him.”6 Defendant Mathur approved a slide presentation which contained sectarian messages.7 Defendant Williams stated in an email that he was searching for an invocation to deliver at a campus event that would “liven things up a bit.” He indicated that he was looking for invocations delivered by Bill Clinton, noting that the former president was a devout Baptist.

     **The Klausner ruling: Case 2:09-cv-08528-RGK -AN

The footnotes:

6. Notably, Padberg offered more neutral responses, like as “I intend to fight for our right to pray” to more inflammatory emails, such as one condemning the “Muslim influence” in the school system.

7. Defendants allege Mathur was unaware of this content when he approved the presentation. ¶ However, Plaintiff Westphal stated in a declaration to the Court that Mathur emailed the presentation to all faculty and staff even after he learned of the content.

And then there were none

     We’ve been following the distressing story coming out of the State University of New York at Albany concerning a plan to phase out five academic programs, including French and classics. Here’s the latest: AAUP Challenges SUNY-Albany Program Cuts (Chronicle of HE; 11/5).
     According to the CHE, the “American Association of University Professors is urging the State University of New York at Albany to reconsider a plan to phase out five academic programs and lay off 20 full-time professors in those areas….” The Albany folks are writing back.

Prendergast still at 50.8%

Nov. 6:
Good news, I suppose. The latest from the OC Registrar of Voters doesn't change the status quo:

THOMAS "T.J." PRENDERGAST
97,851 - 50.8%

KEVIN M. MULDOON
94,658 - 49.2%

Each day, usually at about 5:00 p.m., the “unofficial count” is revised. Here are the revisions of previous days:

Sad clown

Friday, Nov. 5:
THOMAS "T.J." PRENDERGAST
93,889 - 50.88%

KEVIN M. MULDOON
90,629 - 49.12%

Thursday, Nov. 4:
THOMAS "T.J." PRENDERGAST
90,434 - 50.86%
KEVIN M. MULDOON
87,379 - 49.14%

Wednesday, Nov. 3:
THOMAS "T.J." PRENDERGAST
86,726 - 50.78%
KEVIN M. MULDOON
84,046 - 49.22%

Wednesday, Nov. 3 (1:00 a.m.):
THOMAS "T.J." PRENDERGAST
84,213 - 50.74%
KEVIN M. MULDOON
81,759 - 49.26%

Tuesday, Nov. 2 (11:42):
THOMAS "T.J." PRENDERGAST
62,672 - 50.84%
KEVIN M. MULDOON
60,596 - 49.16%

ChinaCounty

     Nov. 6: THE PEOPLE OF ORANGE COUNTY ARE BRAIN DEAD. Once again, we are reminded that we live in an uncommonly corrupt county (see below). Even legislation to address corruption is corrupt. Are you aware of any of this? Do you know anyone (in OC) who is aware of any of this?
     Thought so.
     If you happen to see Tom or John or Don (or....), be sure to give them the secret handshake for me. And then look 'em straight in the eye and say, "See you in church, Bible Boy!"

O.C. ordinance aims to shine light on lobbyists (OC Register)

     The county Board of Supervisors next week will once again consider regulating lobbyists and themselves in the hopes of shining more light on how the county’s government makes decisions – and on who is whispering in their ears to influence those decisions.
     Lobbyists are required to register when dealing with the state of California as well as Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco counties.
     But those rules don’t apply when it comes to those trying to influence Orange County government.
     The County of Orange, which is responsible for more than $5.4 billion dollars in taxpayer funds, is the largest local government in California without a system to monitor and report on lobbyists and their lobbying.
     For now.
     An ordinance introduced by Supervisor Bill Campbell, up for consideration at Tuesday’s board meeting, would require lobbyists who make more than $1,000 a month for lobbying activities to register quarterly with the clerk of the board.
     Those lists would be available to the public.
     “It’s time to bring this out from behind the closed doors of their offices,” said longtime Orange County government watchdog Shirley Grindle, who sent a complimentary message to Campbell for bringing the issue to light.
     Operating without rules and behind closed doors, a handful of lobbyists have been allowed to exert an enormous amount of influence on county politics, Grindle said.
     “The public’s entitled to know who’s lobbying for special interests,” said Nick Berardino, general manager of the Orange County Employees Association. “It’s their government.”

Tom is constantly tending the machine

     But what exactly the lobbyists and the officials are talking about won’t be made public.
     And there is no provision barring lobbyists from raising campaign funds for the supervisors they lobby.
     Still, the proposed ordinance appears to be a step in the right direction, Grindle said.
     Failure to register would result in fines starting at $25 a week. Anyone who knowingly breaks the rules could be fined up to $2,500.
     Former State Sen. Joe Dunn – now executive director of the California State Bar - proposed a county lobbyist registration system in January, but the plan – which required both lobbyists and public officials to disclose their conversations – was dismissed by supervisors as unnecessary.
     Campbell’s less-restrictive proposal is the board’s answer to Dunn.
     Nationwide, lobbying expenditures grew by 5 percent, from $3.3 billion in 2008 to $3.5 billion in 2009. That’s up from just $1.4 billion in 1998, according to a June 2009 Orange County grand jury report entitled “Lobbying: The Shadow Government.”
     The amount of money spent on lobbying efforts in 2009 is roughly half the amount of money the federal government spent on the Federal Court system, in its entirety, the grand jury said.
     The grand jury estimated that 25 individuals and firms actively lobby Orange County public officials, but the public doesn’t know who they are, which officials they are talking to, or why.
     The Orange County grand jury suggested a county registration system which would include registration fees, mandatory reporting and fines and penalties if lobbyists don’t follow the rules.
     Campbell’s ordinance falls in line with many of the grand jury’s suggestions. If approved, the new rules would go into effect Jan. 1.
     “In this environment, any elected official who would vote against transparency is tantamount to laying out in front of a truck on the freeway,” Berardino said.

     ● See also: Son of Lobby Reform on Supervisors' Agenda (The Voice of OC; Nov. 4)

What's it all about, Donnie?

Strange music in the night

Auld Dubliner Pub

     Nov. 5: Earlier today, local politicos were squawking about how the GOP boys in Irvine (yeah, these guys) screwed up, Republicanwise. See for instance, Art Pedroza's post (and here).
     Included among the boys of Team Irvine are Kevin Muldoon at left and Don Wagner, second from right.

     Spoke with TJ Prendergast tonight at Auld Dubliner Pub in Tustin. He felt pretty confident about the election, though he agreed that it wasn’t quite a “done deal” yet. The latest update at the Registrar’s office (at 5:00 p.m.) looks good. The gap is widening. (93,889/90,629)
     It appears that he reads this blog pretty carefully.
     Prendergast’s favorite band is X, and this has impressed Rebel Girl, who discovered the factoid on P's Facebook page. She explained this in a voicemail from LA, where she's listening to the great Billy Bragg.
     “Looks like we’ve got a good trustee there,” she joked.
     Dang, it’s likely she’ll be meeting with Bragg after the concert, thanks to her pal Gary, who works for iTunes and who used to do A & R for Rhino. He seems to know everybody.
     I took some pics of IVC’s faculty/construction zone in A200 today. Looks like the new classroom will be great. John Edwards and Glenn Roquemore dropped by to say hello. I guess I looked pretty exotic, sitting there, grading exams, late on a Friday afternoon.
    We may as well start feeling good about Prendergast's victory. It is very good indeed.

By the time I left campus at about 5:00, workers had wrapped up the new room neatly in plastic. I joked that workers had mounted a "fine toxicity containment initiative," though I doubted that it could withstand traffic and windage. And it'll be hell to work in there, boy.

When I was 18, I did precisely the sort of work that is being done in A200 now. Brought back memories. Hence, I was glad to leave.

More criticism for IVC administration

     Nov. 5: CRITICISM OF ADMINISTRATION'S HANDLING OF THE "DISTURBED STUDENT" EPISODE. At yesterday's meeting of the Irvine Valley College Academic Senate, a senate officer described an unfortunate circumstance at the college this week. (See Rebel Girl's recent post: Running with scissors.) On Tuesday, she said, a student walked around the faculty office wing of the A200 Bldg., making menacing remarks about instructors. (There’s lots more to the story, but rest assured that the situation was alarming.)

     She offered the view that the college has not handled the situation well (note: Dean Karima Feldhus, who is very good with these situations, has been away with family this week), evidenced by the fact that there has been no public communication about the existing situation, and, worse, some of the student’s professors have not even been informed about him and the problem he now presents. She said that administration had a "communication" problem and that a "protocol" should be developed for such cases.

     For now, the senate can do no more than to agendize the matter for a future discussion.

Roquemore's curious account of the Schrader affair: "the gene pool"

Nov. 4:
     1. THE SCHRADER AFFAIR. You’ll recall that, at last week’s board meeting, IVC President Glenn Roquemore was smacked around by Board President Don Wagner. As he walked to the podium to make a presentation regarding IVC’s 25th Anniversary celebration, Wagner suddenly declared a break to allow everyone to go to the back of the room to get a piece of celebratory cake (donated, I think, by the IVC cafeteria). Glenn never did get to show his video.
     So he showed up today (at the Senate meeting) with that very video. He played it. It was pretty good, I guess. At one point, cheerleaders seemed to be screaming something about “big boobs.” That seemed perfectly natural, though a little surprising. (A colleague behind me groaned.)
     Only later did I realize that they must have been referring to “big blue” (blue is among IVC’s colors).
     Craig seemed to want Glenn to stick around for a Q and A. Oh really?
     People wanted light shed on the Dean Kathy Schrader situation. Roquemore was asked several questions about it. Glenn presented quite a yarn about the episode. You'll recall that Dean Schrader was called into Glenn's office about a problem: something objectionable that was said during an Oct. 22 meeting of the School of Biological Sciences (over which Schrader presided). Yes, Glenn's wife was mentioned during the meeting, he said, but "that was not the issue." He has always had an understanding with her (i.e., his wife), he said, that she would be treated just as any instructor is treated. –That sort of thing.
     He managed to say that with a straight face. It was remarkable.
     No, said Glenn, the problem wasn’t a remark about Glenn’s “spouse”; rather, it was a remark concerning classified employees: something about being at the “bottom of the gene pool.”
     The bio faculty have consistently told me that, when it became clear that something about the School meeting had upset Roquemore, they could not think what happened that should cause offense. What could it possibly be? They told me that Schrader has never been the type to joke about people at their expense. If anything, she attempts to suppress such talk. So what was this about? The joke about Kiana?
     I spoke with some of my bio friends after the meeting, and they expressed skepticism regarding some of Glenn’s account. They remained puzzled regarding the remark during the Oct. 22 meeting that caused offense. They were sure that Schrader had not made any remark at classified’s expense.
     A couple of hours ago, one of the biologists emailed me, explaining that "they" had listened to the first 45 minutes of the tape of the school meeting in question. (I have not heard it, though I have had at least two or three persons who were at the meeting describe the meeting to me.)
     In the email, “they” offer the following analysis:

Glenn’s account of the meeting is not truthful. The interesting parts of the meeting concern the discussion of the dedication (last week) of the Chemistry Annex and the discussion of a “lab coordinator.” One faculty member opined that he would not choose a “coordinator from that pool,” but it is very unclear what pool is being discussed. I commented that his pool reference is to the shallow end of the gene pool, a comment that is not audible to me. Kathy [Schrader?] then comments on not picking someone from the shallow end of the gene pool, which seems like a response to my comment, not a comment about any group in particular. Knowing me, I was probably commenting generally, not about a particular group, and if it was about a particular group it was about the administration not the classified staff. (In part, this is a paraphrase.)

     According to Roquemore’s account, Schrader was called into his office and confronted with the tape. He played it. She said nothing, he said. She then said that she was resigning. Later, when she was leaving, she said that he would have to fire her. Then, he said, she went off and locked herself into a building.
     Roquemore’s story involves Schrader in some sort of confrontation with a classified employee. It was his understanding, he said, that Schrader "threatened her.”
     Again, I have spoken with several bio faculty, and none can imagine Schrader threatening anyone.
     I do believe that one of our readers left a comment recently that provides the url to the “tape.” You might want to give it a listen. (I can't seem to access it. Besides, my hearing isn't very good.)

* * *

     I noticed that at least one of our readers imagines that I have some sort of relationship with Dean Schrader (I guess), who, we learned today, is on paid administrative leave. In fact, I have never met the woman.
     In my experience, Coronas and blog surfing just don't mix.

     2. A200 CONSTRUCTION-FACULTY ZONE.

Gosh, when we're not dodgin' "disturbed," scissors-wielding students, we're trying not to breathe particles of who-knows-what!

Workers get masks. Faculty (and students)--not so much.

More on the Schrader Brouhahahaha

     Nov. 3: THE SCHRADER BROUHAHAHAHA. I’ve thrown away my hearing aid and stuffed my ears with q-tips. Nevertheless, I hear lots of things about the Dean Kathleen Schrader brouhaha. Let’s just say that there are those who believe that, on the day that Schrader was “fired,” this is what occurred:

     Schrader was called into President Roquemore’s office and “reprimanded” for, well, something. As near as anyone can tell, she was reprimanded for, um, allowing bio faculty to joke briefly about his wife’s goddam cake. Or maybe about his wife, a notorious personage.

     OK, then Schrader leaves Roquemore’s office, still employed, and goes to her office, where she encounters her secretary, the woman who, we’re told, delivered the infamous School meeting “tape recording” to Roquemore’s office. (Was she Roquemore or Craig Justice’s secret mole? Was she an open mole? Want kind of college uses moles?)

     Naturally, at this point, Schrader is disinclined to murmer sweet nothings into the secretary’s ear. Instead, she roared something like, “Blah, blah, blah, you fucking bitch!”

     I dunno. To me, that seems understated. --Under the circumstances, I mean.

     Next (according to the story), Ms. Mole immediately rats out Schrader. Upon hearing Mole’s report of fresh Schraderian atrocities, Glenn fires Schrader.

     —Except for one thing. The law is such that, given these circumstances, Schrader cannot be “fired.” She’s not fired until HR makes that determination, and, as far as we know, HR has not made that determination.

Artist's conception

     Further, until Schrader is “fired,” no one can be hired to replace her as dean.

     There’s been lots of murmurings about Schrader’s “replacement” (if that’s the word). The name that seems to come up the most is a tenured professor of Mathematics. I've heard that from several sources.

     Could be. That person definitely has administrative ambitions.

     If this "you bitch" story (or some version of it) is true, we are still confronted with this very odd fact: that Prez Roquemore reprimanded Dean Schrader, not for something she said about his wife, but for something her faculty said (without Schrader’s encouragement) briefly, informally, during a School meeting.

     There are some seriously incompetent administrators on this campus. I'm continually amazed that Roquemore has no trouble with that.

     But let a dean preside over a meeting in which people criticize the First Lady's cake, and there's hell to pay.

Jeez, now what?

THIS JUST IN:

More Than a Quarter of all Ballots Cast Tuesday Have Yet to be Counted (Voice of OC)

Roughly 28 percent of the total votes cast in Tuesday's election still needed to be counted as of late Wednesday afternoon, according to figures from the Orange County Registrar of Voters office, enough to possibly sway the outcome in a very tight race….

ALSO:

● Good news from our friends at Southwestern College: Victory!

Running with Scissors

Nov. 3: Worth noting that recent on-campus "incidents" (unreported here as of yet, but officially called "incidents," as in the benign-sounding "unusual incident report") have shown that there appears to be a serious problem regarding policy, practice and workplace safety.

In particular, some observe that the campus Student Code of Conduct combined with the Unusual Incident Reports protocol has limited effect when a student is unable to comprehend the policy. This is a catch-22 which bodes awful, leading in the very worst circumstance to one of those potentially tragic "we didn't see it coming…except we did" post-tragedy institutional mea culpas but with no real way, to be fair, to have done anything to fix it anyway.

Indeed, the ritual invocation of a policy and the filing of a report may create a dangerous sense of unjustified safety, when it is not frustrating everybody involved. Again, reciting a policy which a student doesn't understand (cannot understand) and filing a report (future evidence of nothing, finally, except inaction) amounts to building a thick file which will, after a tragically "unusual" incident cause everybody to shake their heads, scratch their heads and, uselessly, butt heads – institutional officials forced to defend themselves and victims still left defenseless or worse, lawsuits flyin' – with the problem still left unaddressed.
A quick consultation with colleagues at other institutions reveals a range of responses. Some schools are very proactive while others seem to struggle with situations that resemble ours. The wide range of practice suggests awareness of a problem. But it is not enough to be aware at this point.

One intrepid colleague suggests filing restraining orders and assault charges with outside agencies – thus going above the institution's head, so to speak, in order to ensure physical safety when the institution is unresponsive.

Others point to more vigorous enforcement of the MOU in their work contract as regards workplace safety.

One person slipped Rebel Girl the phone number of an Orange County sheriff. "Call," she said. "I would." Sobering.

Stay tuned. Stay safe.

A little history here for those without a long memory: The former president of this institution received a monthly security stipend – absent any real threat except, of course, political opposition.

The latest on the election

     Nov. 3: IS PRENDERGAST THE VICTOR? All day, we’ve been trying to nail down the really real outcome of the all-important Prendergast/Muldoon vote. I’m now inclined to think that it’s virtually a done deal and Prendergast won.
     I just checked with the OC Registrar of Voters, and, as of 4:55 today, they show this:

THOMAS "T.J." PRENDERGAST, III
86,726 - 50.78%

KEVIN M. MULDOON
84,046 - 49.22%

     So Prendergast is almost 1.6% above Muldoon. Whew!
     Still, the numbers don’t make much sense to me:

Prendergast: 86,726
Muldoon: 84,046
Total votes: 170,772

     Those numbers seem awfully low. I compared them with the numbers for (to pick a random South County trustee race*) the 2008 race between Tom Fuentes and Bob Bliss:

Bob Bliss: 126,936
Tom Fuentes: 168,530
Total votes: 295,466

     That’s a much higher number of total votes. On the other hand, yesterday’s election was a midterm, so maybe that explains the discrepancy.
     The numbers for the 2008 race are odd in other ways. There were 546,037 registered voters and 419,089 ballots cast. That’s an amazing 77% turnout!
     One might assume that 100% of those ballots sported a vote for either Mr. Bliss or Mr. Fuentes.
     Nope. Only 70%.
     Getting back to last night’s race: according to the League of Women Voters website, there was a “38.9% Voter Turnout (631,030/1,621,934)”
     39% is lots lower than 70%, dude.
     Also, where does this number—1,621,934**—come from? That’s way more than 546,037.
     I don’t get it.
     Also: if 631,031 ballots were cast and the combined total of Prendergast and Muldoon votes is 170,772, then only 27% of last night’s South County voters actually voted for Prendergast or Muldoon.
     Huh? Could that be right?
     So, the data we have remain a bit confusing. To me.

     (*Why, you may ask, didn't I compare the Prendergast/Muldoon race of 2010 with the race for the same seat four years ago? For some reason, I can't find that data at the OC Registrar of Voters site. Can't figure it out. **This number appears to be the total for the whole county.)

It appears that Prendergast wins by 1.4%

Nov. 3: With all precincts reporting:

THOMAS "T.J." PRENDERGAST, III
 84213 - 50.7

KEVIN M. MULDOON
 81759 - 49.3

NANCY PADBERG
100795 - 62.2

JACK FROST
61356 - 37.8

MARCIA MILCHIKER

102796 - 65.1

JILL E. CASE

55127 - 34.9

   • See OC Reg’s  Updated Orange County community college results
   • See Orange County 
2010 General Election results for all other OC totals

I've done some quick and dirty checking, and it appears that there is no applicable "automatic recount" provision for elections with close results. Does anyone know? And must the candidate pay for the recount?

As of midnight, Prendergast 1.6 points ahead of Muldoon

THOMAS "T.J." PRENDERGAST, III
62672 - 50.8

KEVIN M. MULDOON
60596 - 49.2

    (52% of precincts reporting. )
    Naturally, incumbents Nancy Padberg and Marcia Milchiker are shoo-ins. Forgetaboutit.
    Wagner, too. His district is heavily Republican.
    With any luck, he'll bail on the SOCCCD early.

SEE Register updates through the night.

Tracking CC trustee race results—in PIE-o-rama!

     Nothing new, but the OC Reg seems to be tracking the community college races—plus they've got very cool pie charts:

Updated OC Community College Races Results (click here)

Linda R

First returns: 8:43

● KEVIN M. MULDOON
36,221 ~ 50.9%

THOMAS "T.J." PRENDERGAST, III
34,962 ~ 49.1%


● NANCY PADBERG
47,082 ~ 67.0%

JACK FROST
23,240 ~ 33.0%


● MARCIA MILCHIKER
46,756 ~ 68.3%

JILL E. CASE
21,659 ~ 31.7%


● 70th Assembly District:

DONALD P. (DON) WAGNER (REP)
31,013 ~ 61.4%

MELISSA FOX (DEM)
17,738 ~ 35.1%

DEBORAH THARP (LIB)
1,774 ~ 3.5%

CUMULATIVE TOTALS

● AP projects that BOXER will win over FIORINA
● Brown victorious over Whitman
● Wagner victorious over Fox

The OC: making vote sausages tonight!

     View the "tally room" HERE.
     View the "loading dock" HERE.
     View the processing "assembly line" HERE.
     View the state of CA's "campaign finance" page HERE (look up Wagner/70th AD: gruesome!)

plus...

More LINDA videos: here, and here, and here, and here.

A little election night music

I'm your top prime cut of meat, I'm your choice
I wanna be elected
I'm your yankee doodle dandy in a gold Rolls Royce
I wanna be elected
Kids want a savior, don't need a fake
I wanna be elected
We're gonna rock to the rules that I make
I wanna be elected,
elected, elected

I never lied to you, I've always been cool
I wanna be elected
I gotta get the vote, and I told you about school
I wanna be elected,
elected, elected

Hallelujah, I wanna be elected
Everyone in the United States of America

We're gonna win this one, take the country by storm
We're gonna be elected
You and me together, young and strong
We're gonna be elected, elected, elected
Respected, selected, call collected
I wanna be elected, elected

Alice Cooper, 1972



REBEL GIRL keeps tellin' me that, tonight, we're going back to 1978:

Starting at 8:00: monitoring local election results

     Wanna keep track of tonight's election results?
     Starting at 8:00 p.m., when the polls close, you might go here, which, of course, is the OC Registrar of voters' live page.
     The South Orange County Community College District races are about 1/5 of the way down the page.
     Milchiker and Padberg are shoo-ins.
     The race to watch: Prendergast v. Muldoon.
     The fate of the district turns on the outcome of that race. If it goes Muldoon's way, it's just a matter of time before the district plunges into Fuentean darkness.

Watch streaming video of last Monday's Wagnerian hostility

Glenn: enjoying a smoke during better times

     Click here: Board Meetings/streaming video
     Scroll down. Then click on Video for the October 25 board meeting.
     Moment #1: To see board president Don Wagner essentially delete IVC Prez Glenn Roquemore’s presentation concerning the college's 25th Anniversary, “jump to” item 2.4: Presentation.
     The moment occurs at 9:10 into the video. The screen goes black for the next 12 minutes. Very odd. At 21:35, the meeting continues, and Wagner says, "Can we close that door, please?" --That's the door to the cake and related artifacts of the 25th Anniversary thing. Wagner's had enough of that, evidently.
     Moment #2: The next moment occurs with item 6.4: IVC's administrative reorganization. Glenn definitely gets a grilling and a chilling. It's as those these people were telling him, "Gosh, Glenn. Why can't you be more like the excellent Mr. Burnett over here? Why be such a total f*ck-up?"

In OC, the entrepreneurial spirit lives!

Man sentenced in student-visas scheme (OC Reg)

     A man who orchestrated a scheme to take tests on behalf of foreign students so they could remain in the country under student visas was sentenced Monday to five months in federal custody and five months of home detention.
     Eamonn Daniel Higgins of Laguna Niguel pleaded guilty on April to a charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. According to authorities, Higgins and other people he recruited posed as foreign students in universities in the area, including Irvine Valley and Saddleback colleges.
     Higgins and others took tests on behalf of the foreign students, who were required to be enrolled in school in order to remain in the United States under student visas. In exchange, Higgins charged at least $1,000 per exam.
     The 46-year-old man was a legitimate tutor at one point, but beginning in 2002, Higgins began the scheme.
     At least 119 students, all men from Middle Eastern countries, are believed to have paid Higgins for the illegal services….

CSU considers tuition hikes of 15.5% by next fall (Sacramento Bee)

     Despite getting a hefty increase in state funding this year, California State University is considering tuition hikes that would bump student costs by a combined 15.5 percent between this fall and next – on top of a 32 percent rise last year. ¶ The University of California also raised fees 32 percent last year, and is expected to discuss another increase in the weeks ahead….

Four Loko Does Its Job With Efficiency and Economy, Students Say (Chronicle of Higher Education)

I know! Let's cut humanities, physics, and sociology!

Regents told of probable degree program cuts (Maryville Daily Forum)

     Northwest Missouri State University President John Jasinski told the school’s Board of Regents Friday that six undergraduate degree programs and one master’s degree program will likely be eliminated from the catalog because they aren’t attracting enough students. . .Undergraduate programs targeted for elimination at Northwest include a comprehensive major in statistics (B.A., B.S.), humanities (B.A.), alternative energy (B.S.), physics (B.S., B.S.Ed.) sociology (B.S., B.A.) and a comprehensive major in foods and nutrition (B.S., restaurant and food service management option only)….

Why, soitanly!

How Kaplan Recruits Veterans (Inside Higher Ed)

     A Kaplan University recruiting manual for admissions officials dealing with veterans who might enroll suggests creating “fear, uncertainty, doubt” about competing colleges, according to an investigation by Bloomberg News, which obtained a copy of the manual….

Sad news