Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Nothing happened

.....I’m tempted simply to say that nothing happened at tonight’s meeting of the SOCCCD board of trustees.
.....The closed session started at 3:00 and was supposed to be over by 6:00, but the trustees didn’t emerge until 7:30 or so. I really don’t know what they were doing in there all that time. We all figured they were screamin’ at each other about something.
.....When the open session finally started, I was surprised by the board’s mood. We all expected the trustees to be horribly grumpy. Nope. They got down to business, and there was a minimum of snipery, although Nancy’s invocation seemed to have a bit of an edge to it.
.....I do believe that her invocation made a special mention of Carl Karcher—you know, the hamburger guy.
.....The board took its time with resolutions and presentation re Professors of the Year. The part-timers didn’t show, but the remaining honorees did. No doubt Tracy will have pictures. (See Tracy's highlights.)
.....There were no public comments.
.....Trustee reports were unremarkable.
.....McCullough, Roquemore, and Kopecky updated us on educational and facilities master plans. That was mildly interesting I suppose. Nothing new.
.....I shoulda brought my Whoopee cushion.
.....Marcia pulled lots of things from the consent calendar, though that didn’t seem to produce the usual grumbling. She wanted to see the landscaping planned for the IVC Performing Arts Center and ATEP. Sure, why not.
.....As per usual, Nancy P had lots of questions about any new expenditures that might be hinky. Also, she was peeved about the list of District Institutional Memberships. Some of her favorite trustee organizations weren’t on the list, but another organization—one she did not like—did appear on the list. What’s up with that?
.....At first, Mathur became defensive; then he lurched into dismissiveness. Don tried to move things along, but then Tom piped up to urge the tabling of the item. Why not wait for more info?, asked Tom. In the end, the trustees voted to table, with an almost imperceptibly testy Don offering the only dissenting vote.
.....VC Bob King needed to make a last-minute change to the academic personnel actions, which inspired Dave Lang to fret about Brown Act concerns—i.e., does this provide sufficient notice? King was ready. He explained that he had sought the advice of one Wendy Gabriella, and she was OK with it. “Well, as long as you’ve got her approval, we’re cool,” said Wagner, smiling.
.....Next came the classified personnel actions. Wagner immediately turned to Wendy and asked, “Any problem with this one?”
.....It was a goddam love fest.
.....The board couldn’t say enough wonderful things about the Saddleback College Veteran’s Memorial Project, which, evidently, has been spearheaded by Nancy Padberg.
.....Well, that was about it. I videotaped lots of it, but I don’t know why.
.....That Don Wagner should does run an efficient meeting. Golly.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Paris Hilton was there?

Anonymous said...

Carl Karcher? Didn't he sell hamburgers?

Anonymous said...

Doesn't the Brown Act require PUBLIC notice of actionable items, not just notice to "one Wendy Gabriella"?

Anonymous said...

Hi all,

The Brown Act does require PUBLIC notice of all items. Everything was fine. I believe Wagner and King were joking, although it isn't quite as funny when you have to explain the joke.

Wendy Gabriella

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Wendy. Given your District’s history, it’s very disturbing to read about one of your Board members and the V.P. of Human Resources “joke” about Brown Act compliance. It calls into question the integrity of your published Board Agendas, and the people who develop them. The taxpayers are watching, and they are not happy.

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

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