Head bangers

Gosh, the GOP “Voyeur” scandal just keeps rolling. It's wonderful.

It was never really about this Erik Brown character, a local “Young Republican” and businessman who has done business with the likes of Chuck "Tea-brain" DeVore and our own Don “Spanky” Wagner. Mr. Brown evidently was told by an RNC staffer to help take these people to the kinkyesque Voyeur nightclub (inspired by the movie "Eyes Wide Shut" and artsy-fartsy decadence and weirditude), and when the staffer’s credit card was rejected, he offered his own. Under the circumstances, clearly he should have been reimbursed (as indeed he was).

Chip "Staunch" Hanlon of Red County has been hopping mad about this whole business—mostly, it seems, ‘cause he really dislikes RNC chairman Michael Steele and his lavish and sloppy ways. (Or maybe it's because Steele isn't right-wing enough for 'im.) He’s defended Brown from the start.

Today, he’s still plenty steamed (THIS is the RNC's Response?!!). He notes the ugliness of the RNC’s handling of the scandal:

So, let’s see… in response to this week's little spending scandal, so far the RNC has:

• Let [Brown] twist in the wind while his business has been devastated

• Initially issued a misleading statement meant to mollify donors that it would recoup that money from [Brown]. The RNC has known all along that it would not be recouping money it reimbursed him for. [Brown] has categorically denied that he would ever repay the RNC money it owed him, something which the RNC is both aware of and agrees with (privately).

• Fired one staffer, one who obviously had the impression that spending money at a risqué nightclub was a normal RNC business expense

• Misled on the topic of leadership in attendance; in fact, two national committee members were present at Voyeur….

I’m looking forward to the inevitable leakage of the identity of these “two national committee members.”

Gosh, what do you suppose they’ll say?

“We really didn’t want to be there—gosh, we were scandalized! But, y’know, we didn’t want to embarrass our hosts, so….”

Right, so you stuck around and spent two grand.

 * * * *

Earlier today, I was in our office at Irvine Valley College. The Reb and I laughed about John Stewart's treatment of the scandal last night—and our recent Wagner/Brown post with its faux Wagnerian sexy political campaign literature.

After a bit, I said: “OK, this is funny, but you know—we’re being kinda unfair.”

I was referring to Brown and Wagner. I mean, these guys deserve ribbing, sure. But, really, this schnook Brown is obviously just a little guy who was thrown under the bus by the RNC. (Why is nobody surprised?)

And you can’t expect Don to know that his local right-wing propaganda supplier is stupid enough to go along with this faux-lesbian “Voyeur” excursion!

So, it’s a little unfair.

“OK, slightly,” said Reb.

Still….

“It’s the hypocrisy,” said the Reb.

Yes, that’s it. All the goddam endless hypocrisy.

 * * * * *

Got home a couple of hours ago. Just got a call from the Reb, who was still at the college.

Said Reb: “Good grief! Look at the email we just got!”

I looked. The email, from a certain IVC administrator, was entitled, "University of Phoenix Classroom Presentation." At the top of the email was the University of Phoenix logo (see).

The administrator(?) wrote:

[U of P] Offers online and on-campus degree programs at the associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level — each is a balanced combination of academic theory and practical application.

The University of Phoenix is interested in presenting a 5 minute overview of the degrees offered on their campus.

Help your students learn about another transfer opportunity.

To schedule a presentation please contact Michael XXXX, Corp. Ed. Liaison University of Phoenix at 949-380-XXXX

What?! Good freakin’ grief!

Reb told me that she couldn’t find anything at the college hard enough to bang her head against.

So she decided to head home.

(See Troubles Grow for a University Built on Profits (NYT))

Orange County’s nonprofit investigative news agency? Bring it on!

Well, here it is: Voice of OC: Orange County’s nonprofit investigative news agency. Check it out.

Read all about it in the OC Weekly’s Navel Gazing blog:

Voice of OC Launches!

The much speculated-about, much delayed, non-profit journalism website helmed by ex-Register digger Norberto Santana Jr. went live today....

I checked out some of the reporting on VOC, and it looks promising. Perhaps most interesting among today’s reports is:

Big Questions About a Little Known Tax

Workers at the County Assessor's office say the county has allowed as much as $125 million in uncollected taxes to slip through it's fingers because of a secret tax break offered to large businesses who use government leases.

"I'm very worried," said County Supervisor Bill Campbell after listening to a presentation made by Orange County Employees Association General Manager Nick Berardino at this week's supervisors' meeting.

Berardino came to the supervisor's meeting at the urging of assessor employees who say County Assessor Webster Guillory has been shorting the public on uncollected taxes….

The Morning Matinee: 2 Girls, 1 GOP

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
2 Girls 1 GOP
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

Don Wagner hired B*ner Boy—er, Bondage Boy

Today, Chris Prevatt of The Liberal OC (More Erik Brown OC Consulting Connections) describes GOP Party Boy (Bondage Boy?) Erik Brown’s connections with some local politicians, including Chuck DeVore, Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor, and—Don Wagner!

… South Orange County Community College District Trustee Donald P. Wagner … is running for the GOP nomination in the 70th Assembly district. … Mr. Wagner has availed himself of $2, 392.49 in services from this guy, paid for on March 9, 2010.

Prevatt provides a helpful graphic. Check it out (last item).

Meanwhile, The Hill’s Ballot Box reports that DeVore is trying to “downplay” his relationship with Brown, calling it “brief and straightforward.”

Ah, but

state and federal records show DeVore has spent more than $70,000 with Brown's company, dating back several years. That's hardly insignificant. Moreover, Brown served on the board of the Orange County Young Republicans – a group that DeVore has courted.

For more on DeVore/Brown, go to Chuck Devore did not have a guy-night boner with Erik Brown

Naturally, as a fellow widely known for his high regard of Don Wagner (he's "an anti-union, liberal-bashing, prayer-making right-winger. But he’s smart," I enthused), I’m more interested in the latter’s connection with Bondage Boy of Voyeur fame. DeVore? Who cares.

BB produced some “campaign literature and mailings” for Don. Earlier today, somebody slipped some campaign literature under my door. Don shoulda known better. (See Erik Brown's "Young Republican" praise of Wagner here.)

Gosh, do you suppose this is what Don had in mind?

The wallpaper at Voyeur. Family scenes, I guess.

Heck of a job, Brownie

High-Tech Cheating Abounds, and Professors Bear Some Blame (Chronicle of Higher Ed)

"Grading homework is so fast when they all cheat and use the illegal solutions manual," quipped Douglas Breault Jr., a teaching assistant in mechanical engineering at Tufts University. After all, if every answer is correct, the grader is left with little to do beyond writing an A at the top of the page and circling it. Mr. Breault, a first-year graduate student, ended his tweet by saying, "The profs tell me to ignore it."….

Some Students Want 'Our Lord' Removed From Diplomas (Inside Higher Ed)

Some students at Trinity University, in Texas, want the phrase "our Lord" removed from the institution's diplomas,The San Antonio Express-News reported. The students note that not everyone at the university views Jesus as their lord….

'Math wars' over national standards may erupt again in California (San Jose Mercury)

Hold on to your graphing calculators: The passionate, contentious debate over how California students should learn math is ready to erupt again. ¶ While math formulas and properties may be delightfully precise, how best to teach them to children is not. As the United States prepares for the first time to adopt nationwide K-12 "common core" standards, mathematicians and educators are split….

ERIK BROWN:

You know who Erik Brown is, right? He's the local guy at the center of the latest Republican scandal. He’s also the President of Dynamic Marketing, Inc. here in Orange County (Rancho Santa Margarita).

He’s listed as the “Political Director” of the OC Young Republicans.

Well, I visited his Facebook page. And guess what? Listed there are his friends. Only one friend appears.

It’s our own Adam Probolsky! Adam has lots of connections to our district and to IVC.

Adam's connection to our district goes way back. He was the large fellow in the room helping Tom Fuentes engineer replacing Steve Frogue on our Board of Trustees back in 2000. He’s a member of the so-called OC Republican Mafia.

I'm trying to determine just how close Erik and Adam are. One thing for sure. Members of the power group of which Probolsky is a member are uniformly special. Gosh, anything's possible.

O.C. man billed Republicans for event at sex-themed club (Total Buzz/OC Reg)

A man who billed the Republican National Committee almost $2,000 for an event at a sex-themed West Hollywood nightclub runs a political consulting business in Orange and is listed as a member of the Orange County Young Republicans’ executive board. ¶ The Associated Press reported Monday that the RNC is seeking repayment from Erik Brown, the owner of Dynamic Marketing Inc., who was reimbursed for $1,946.25 spent on Feb. 4 at Club Voyeur. ¶ The club is described by Club Planet, a nightlife directory, as a place where “the female employees disrobe, pornographic pictures double as wallpaper, and patrons are advised to be ‘uninhibited’ in the photo booth.”….

The Red County blog has much to say about this Erik Brown brouhaha. Check it out:

Michael Steele's Bondage Party Has an O.C. Connection (The Hammer)

…DMI President and Gen Next member, Erik Brown, was who picked up that tab and ended up expensing it to the RNC.

According to sources who were in attendance that night, the "official" part of the evening started with 50+ person dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel, then carried on throughout the evening, eventually ending up at Voyeur. While RNC employees, who were in town to recruit members to its "RNC Young Eagles" program, did participate throughout the entire evening and did find their way to the bondage-themed club, Michael Steele himself was "not in attendance" for any portion of the evening. Brown, by the way, is reportedly a "Young Eagle" himself, a fundraising sub-group of the RNC which targets larger donors based on age group.

Presumably, the Daily Caller (which broke this whole story on its website earlier today) is continuing to pour through RNC disclosure documents. If so, it will likely find significant sums spent by the RNC on services rendered by DMI; not only do local politicos report that Brown liked to brag about his ties to this and other state-wide and national organizations and campaigns, but it would seem consistent with someone who would think he could get away with running through such a large expense….

But the story doesn’t end there. Later, Chip Hanlon wrote about the snafu, placing the blame not on Brown but on GOP chairman Michael Steele:

One Little Bar Tab Should Put Michael Steele at Risk

“Take us to the hottest nightclub in town.”

Those were the instructions given to Orange County’s Erik Brown by RNC staffers and in L.A., that’s one heavy-duty request. On Grammy weekend, it’s an even taller order, one which led to the now-infamous night at Voyeur in February, 2009 which was first reported on by the Daily Caller yesterday.

After a follow-up Red County post reported exclusively on some of the details missing from that original DC piece, for the rest of the day I found myself in contact with a number of that night’s key attendees, some of whom I know personally. After speaking with multiple sources I understand how the whole night went down but for the sake of putting the focus back where it belongs—the RNC—in my opinion there is only one moment from that night that matters….

Is Mr. Williams accountable? Apparently not

Remarkably, trustee John Williams is also Orange County’s Public Administrator/Guardian. As you know, two "scathing" recent Grand Jury reports have accused the fellow of gross inefficiency (his area became top-heavy with new managers), curious and worrisome promotion practices, and whatnot.

This led to a dire moment of decision by the OC Board of Supervisors, his bosses. Williams didn't show for that. But his lawyer, Phil Greer, did. You know Phil Greer. He was Chris Street's lawyer. He represented Raghu Mathur to get 'im the best deal for his "resignation." He's had some ethical lapses over the years.

But here's the thing: Phil Greer has also represented four of the five Supes. Conflict of interest, anyone?

So, naturally, the Supes took a look at Williams the County Officer and pronounced him okey-dokey. Remarkably, he kept his job. Amazing. Appalling!

And utterly predictable.

Still, some of Williams’ employees and former employees at the county refuse to play the OC GOP Crony Mutual Support Game; they persist in drawing attention to Williams' abuses and misconduct. One motif in the litany of criticism is the notion that Williams often seems to be somewhere else than at work. (As we've recently noted, Williams has spent weeks in Orlando on the district's dime—in just one year!)

One such critic contacted me back in January. I'll call him or her "Pen Pal." In that email, he (or she) described his former position at the Public Guardian/Administrator Office. He (or she) then wrote:

I am interested in obtaining the dates John Williams traveled out of town on SOCCCD business. My intent is to then do a public records request from the County to see if he used personal leave time or as my gut tells me falsified his timesheet and went out of town on the County dime.

He hoped that I would have the needed data concerning Williams' SOCCCD travel. I informed him that, regrettably, I did not have that data. But I encouraged him to get in contact with the OC Reg's Jennifer Muir who had recently made a documents request (as it turns out, he had already done that) and suggested that he do his own public records request with the district (SOCCCD).

He responded in a friendly way. He informed me that Williams would have competition come the next election. That turned out to be true. He said that he would keep me posted on his efforts.

I told him who to contact to acquire info from the SOCCCD. “Good luck,” I wrote.

A couple of weeks later, various events inspired Pen Pal to finally pursue the request with the district. He explained that he would compare the data from the district with County timesheets (these are signed “under penalty of perjury”). He felt confident that he could find evidence of fraud on Williams’ part if he could get to the relevant data.

In early March, he (or she) heard back from the district. District officials provided records of Williams’ district travel from 2007-09. Unfortunately, said the district, records prior to 2008 exist, but are hard to get to.

Two weeks later, I heard from him (or her) again. Pen Pal reported that the County was “stalling” regarding his requests for Williams’ timesheets. The data he requested are electronically filed, and yet, somehow, this information was taking forever to sift through.

Pen Pal informed me that, evidently, at least 19 people had read his request for Williams’ timesheets. Hmmmmm. What’s that all about?

A few days later, I put some of Pen Pal's data (re district travel) on the blog.

Today, Pen Pal sent me a quick note. He had received one timesheet from the County. He wrote:

There are two incidents on the one timesheet [that the County] sent me that shows how Mr. Williams spends his time at SOCCCD on the County of Orange time.

On the [information] that I received from SOCCCD concerning 4/20/2007, it states that Mr. Williams had a meeting from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. with the OC … Public Education [official] with then assemblymember Walters.

His timesheet for that day stated he worked 8 hours.

The SOCCCD [information] shows [that, on 4/23/07, Williams] had a special board meeting at 3:00 p.m.

His County of Orange time sheet shows 8 hours worked that day.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to [see a problem here]. Even though he is not required to submit a timesheet, he is still required to put in his hours is he not?

The county states that he does not have to fill out a timesheet, but I know for a fact that he submitted a time sheet every pay period, at least to the PA/PG HR manager. I will have to revise my request and resubmit.

Can’t wait.

Pen Pal is very concerned that some of the people at the county are—how shall I put it?—south of ethical. He's worried that timesheets are being shredded.

It's FuentesTown, Jake.

Enough with the lowlights! Here's the HIGHLIGHTS

Tracy’s always scintillating—and colorful!—“SOCCCD Board of Trustees meeting highlights” are now available here.

Tracy reports that the following actions were taken at the March 25 meeting:

• all consent calendar items, academic and classified personnel actions (except for 6.9….)
• retaining Community College Search Services as the hiring consultant firm in our district's search for a new chancellor, following interviews with five firms.
• accepting a $551,724 grant to IVC from the California Community College Chancellor's Office (CCCO) for Career Development Work-Based Learning Linkages to Professional Organizations.
• accepting a $79,000 grant to SC from the for the CCCO Community Collaborative Grant.
• agreement with R2A Architecture for $109,000 from basic aid funds for architectural services for the SC bridge replacement.
• SC certificate and degree revisions for the 2010-11 academic year.
• contract for independent auditing services to Macias, Gini & O'Connell….
• second and third year faculty contracts.
• resolutions approving the elimination at SC of two categorically funded classified positions through layoff, due to the completion of the 2008-10 enrollment growth for nursing AA grant and termination of funding.
• acceptance of the SOCCCD Faculty Association proposal for review and study, and set a public hearing on the proposal at the April board meeting.
• nominations for the California Community College Trustees Association 2010 Board of Directors.

Also included: “Reports and Comments”

Jody/Board meet

The last couple of days, I’ve been remembering Jody Hoy. I recall “repairing” her Mac computer (a simple fix that, she insisted, proved my expertise), enduring her advocacy of alternative medicine (she browbeat me until I took her homeopathic goop), working with her to try to recall trustee Frogue (we wrote a letter together and clashed over the spelling of “anti-Semitic”), and a hundred other things. We were utterly different people, but somehow we always laughed a lot together (her laugh was somewhat lusty) and we always fought on the same side of every serious battle, and there were many. She was a great person.

I Googled her name and came upon her photographic website. There, one finds this biography:

Jody Hoy grew up on the east coast and came to California in 1968. She has a doctorate in Romance Languages and Literature and recently retired as a professor of French at a college in Orange County. For four years she worked as a lecturer in Provence for the Smithsonian Museum International Tours. She is also the author of a book of interviews (in English) entitled The Power to Dream: Interviews with Women in the Creative Arts. Two things drew her to photography: the beauty of the light in Southern California and the birth of her son, whom she photographed with endless pleasure. She studied photography with Jerry McGrath and Jeff Minton.

It is plain that many people greatly valued her book of interviews of strong women. I came across many references to it, including this review (from 1996) in the LA Times:

A Revealing Private Eye: Book review: Interviews with creative famous women offer memorable looks at personal lives. (Cathy Curtis)

Thursday's board meeting:

I’ve got some notes from Thursday’s board meeting. Nothing much.

Don Wagner did the invocation, and he seemed to lay it on pretty thick. “Dear Heavenly Father,” he said, we’re standing here in this “Land dedicated to liberty”; and our blessings aren’t the product of mere mortals, nope, he said. They “come from You, our Creator.”

During public comments, there was considerable talk of teapots. Somebody said that Michael Shermer had been invited to talk about “Why Darwin Matters.” Bob Cosgrove said something about ATEP, accreditation, and the leadership of President Burnett (did I hear that right?). A woman who described herself as a “perpetual student since 1984” asked a series of mostly reasonable clarificatory questions about the board agenda. It was a like a scene from an old Frank Capra movie.

Trustees prepared for a long meeting, what with the five presentations from consulting firms who seek to help with the Chancellor hire. Some gave no reports, and the rest gave brief ones.

References were made to Burnett’s illness which kept him away—don’t know any details. Tom Fuentes referred to Saddleback College’s veterans’ memorial and once again thanked veterans. Dave Lang noted that the “tea party” was in fact a ceramics display, which he personally eyeballed. Ms. Baily didn’t have anything really to say, though she was very fetching saying it.

A passionless Chancellor Mathur, who spent the entire night doing a fine impression of a dead toad, noted the enrollment and FTES increases and the full-time faculty hires of the last three years. He quoted numbers, they seemed meaningless.

The board roared through the consent calendar, pulling only trustee travel requests, including a pricey trip to Washington. One can go to that sort of thing “locally,” said Nancy Padberg, who offered the sole vote against it. “Bing.”

Next came the consultant presentations, which I described here Thursday night. Surprisingly, the presentations weren’t tedious. In fact, listening to these consultants was kinda fun. It was clear that, whether or not they can help us hire a chancellor, they sure can sell themselves.

These consultant firms were apples and oranges. The slickest one comprised two natty guys and their love of whiz-bang technology. Another comprised over thirty consultants strewn across the country. Some emphasized their vast contacts and their network of people-who-know-people (some transparency). Others emphasized their skill wheedling on the telephone. One guy wore a shitty suit and tried to bland us to death. (I think Fuentes planted him.) Others were snappy dressers, including one fop who resembled Mr. Dirt (Mobil detergent gasoline commercials, 1970s). Some would spend weeks living at the colleges, while others would do their work from Texas or worse. An older lady noted her organization’s credibility. Somebody else said his company gave discounts.

Throughout these presentations, I kept wondering about the fit—or lack thereof—between these organizations and ours. The SOCCCD has a detailed Chancellor hiring policy—essentially set in concrete—and a stated commitment to do things thoroughly, professionally, and on the up-and-up.

But these firms (all of ‘em?) come with their own ways of doing things that don't obviously match our procedures and principles. One firm was accustomed to handling just about everything up to finalist interviews. The woman from ACCT spoke of trustees on the search committee(!). One consultant said that having a cool webpage (“pretty, attractive pictures”) is the key; others were all about the brochure—that they wanna help write. (Ours is already signed, sealed, and delivered.)

Fuentes, who seems committed to some sort of “running out the clock” strategy, kept asking, So, are we rushing things? These consultants did not converge on a single answer. Some seemed more comfortable with slow processes, but others said that finishing the process by fall was doable. Some conceived of hires in relation to August and January only while others seemed perfectly happy to pull somebody out of the middle of their semester somewhere.

Is there a Chancellor hiring season? Yes. And no.

Well, Padberg motioned to hire one of ‘em and that’s what they did, 4 to 3.

Pictured: TigerAnn, cat, this afternoon

A “pick-up” for Don’s competitor; Uncle Fester carps and bleats

The always uninspired Matt Cunningham reports that Don Wagner’s Republican competitor in the 70th Assembly race, Jerry Amante, has been endorsed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association. (See.)

Naturally, Amante, who declares that he “is the leading candidate in the 70th Assembly district,” is making the most of the endorsement.

Opines the always mediocre Cunningham, “This is a great pick-up for Jerry Amante, and helps secure his right-flank vis-a-vis primary opponent Don Wagner.”

Meanwhile, Don, who not long ago amputated an inflamed and fetid chunk of his own right flank--and who has yet to send me a thank-you note for my positive-negative endorsement (used in his campaign statement)--declares on his campaign website that “we need more faith in public life.”

Still included under “Latest News” on Don's website is a press release entitled Fuentes Endorses Wagner For 70th Assembly District.

Oh yeah? At the SOCCCD board’s meeting two days ago, Fuentes noted the “strained relationship” between the two factions of the board (Fuentes is now in the minority; Wagner leads the majority; hatred and snipery fill the room) that has been “festered and fostered” with “rash decisions” such as the decision to move forward to replace the resigning and universally reviled and illiterate and corrupt and increasingly silent Raghu Mathur (in June).

As I recall, Marcia responded to Fuentes’ unpleasant remark by saying that she was unaware of any festering. She looked around her. Nope. No festering.

But it should be acknowledged that her view of Tom’s plainly festering face was blocked by an enormous red, white, and blue pumpkin lolling atop board president Don Wagner’s besplintered gavel.

Following Marcia’s lead (sort of), I shall henceforth call Tom “Uncle Fester.”


Fester is the handsome fellow in the middle.

John Williams' empty, spinning head

As you know, several faculty and students—including atheists, agnostics, and believers—are challenging the SOCCCD's embrace of prayers and religious messages during public occasions such as “opening sessions” and commencement ceremonies. It is, we believe, a violation of the principle of separation of Church and State.

The 2009 Fall “Chancellor’s opening session” (for video, see end of this post), which occurred in August, is cited in the case for at least two reasons.

First, after trustee John Williams was introduced as one who will offer the invocation, he paused to tell a "Biblical" joke-story:

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.”

Second, at the end of the session, the Chancellor played a video that showed numerous patriotic images to the sappy country song, “God Bless the U.S.A.” Toward the end of this video (or slide show), some such words as these are displayed:

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you—Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Well, all of this came up in my recent depo. Here are some excerpts.

The questioner is the district’s attorney, Mr. V. Naturally, I am answering the questions. Occasionally, I’m referred to as the “witness.”

DID TRUSTEE WILLIAMS WRITE HIS LITTLE JOKE?

Q …Do you know who wrote this joke? Do you know if Trustee Williams actually wrote this joke?
. . .
A I would be very surprised if he could string two sentences together without screwing them up. So, no, I don't think he wrote it.

Q … When did you begin holding that belief?
. . .
A Well, I was joking when I said that, but he, I don't think, is a person I would ever expect to be able to produce this paragraph.

Q Okay. So you understood at the time that Trustee Williams was not the author?

A That is my belief.
. . .
Q When did you hold the belief – when did you form the belief that Trustee Williams was incapable of producing a paragraph such as this?

A I have seen much of his writing. … I remember looking at his writing during the suit of 1998 and he's a very poor writer and he often engages in malapropism during meetings. You know, “don't stay in your ivory castle,” … things like that. And so I have a pretty good idea of what he's capable of.

… I would just say that this is so much the kind of joke that is said in those settings [church] and when I combine that fact with the, oh, lack of imagination with this particular fellow, I'm guessing he found this on some Christian site. … Or maybe he heard it at his own church.
. . .
Q Okay. Is there anything that John Williams could say to you that would affect your religious beliefs, Professor?

A Well, I will acknowledge that he is not an authority for me, so I don't know exactly what you're asking.

Q You think John Williams is an idiot?

A Well, only in the loose sense of idiot….

Q So do you believe an idiot could affect your religious views, Professor?

A It's unlikely.

Q Probably would be impossible, right?

A If his head started spinning I'd be interested.

Q Okay. Short of that?

A No. … But, you know, the situation is that I'm sitting in this room where suddenly we're all told to stand without any sensitivity to the possibility that there are people who do not wish to invoke the Lord, but nevertheless he does that, and I find that offensive even though it is unlikely that anything he says will change my mind about the issues of religion.

THE “GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.” VIDEO:

Q … Okay, let's go to the video, the “God Bless the U.S.A.” video. … Have you ever heard -- well, you saw the video; right, you were there [for the opening session]?

A I did see it.

Q And what was the song that the video was -- the slideshow was set to?

A I believe it is a song by a well-known country singer. I don't know who that is but I think the song is called “God Bless the U.S.A.”
. . .
Q In fact, you've heard that song at, you know, Republican or Democratic Conventions?

[Yes]

Q Now, and the slideshow was largely patriotic?

A Yes.

Q But then you get to the – your problem is with the last slide?
. . .
THE WITNESS: If I had the opportunity to do a critique of the video, it would not restrict itself to the last slide but with regard to issues of religion and prayer pretty much it was the last slide.
. . .
Q And were you offended by any of the other slides when you saw them?

A I don't know if “offense” is the right word. I don't – I feel uncomfortable with the kind of sappy patriotic display involved in that kind of video.

Q Let me ask you this: Would you be objecting to this slideshow in this case if it wasn't for the final slide in this presentation?

A Probably not. … Except to say they have very bad taste in music.
. . .
Q Do you know how the district got a copy of the “God Bless the U.S.A.” slideshow?

A I have no idea.

Q Do you know who the author of the slideshow was, who actually prepared the slides?

A I do not.

Q Do you know who the speaker of the slideshow – who do you view the speaker to be of the slideshow?

A Do slideshows have speakers?

Q That's my question, do you view the district itself to be the speaker or one of my clients?
. . .

THE “OOPS” THEORY:

[The district’s attorney begins to push the idea that the video had not been previewed, and so the “Jesus” message was inadvertent.]

A I'm aware that these opening sessions are taken very, very seriously by the chancellor and some members of the board and that they are usually very careful about how they choreograph it and what they do in it. So my guess is they were involved in – at least one or two trustees and the chancellor were involved in choosing the elements, including the video.

Q Do you – have you ever been involved in the planning of a chancellor's opening session?

A No.

Q Have you ever attended meetings where a chancellor's opening session was planned?

A Never been invited.
. . .
Q Do you know if any of my clients watched the slideshow before it was played? … Do you have any factual basis to say “yes, I know that this person watched it before it was played”?
. . .
A I don't – I don't know that. I do know that they are very careful usually about what they present and so it would surprise me if they hadn't viewed it.

Q Do you know if – let's leave Chancellor Mathur aside, do you know if any of the other defendants in this case besides Chancellor Mathur, had seen even a second of the slideshow before it was played? …

You don't know how my clients got a copy of the slideshow?

A I do not.

Q Okay. Any basis, in fact, to say they got it – someone from the community, Orange County community sent it to a whole bunch of people including Chancellor Mathur on the Fourth of July?

A I did not know that.

Q Okay. And do you know if the e-mail that was sent to Chancellor Mathur and 25 other people said "A fitting video for the Fourth of July"?
. . .
THE WITNESS: I'm not aware of any of these facts.
. . .
Q …Do you know what day Fourth of July was in 2009? Do you know if it fell on a workday or on a weekend?

A I don't recall.
. . .

Q Do you know what he did, assuming Chancellor Mathur got an e-mail that was sent to him and 25 other people on a Saturday, the Fourth of July with a subject line, "A fitting video for the Fourth of July," and it had the attachment “God Bless the U.S.A.,” assuming all of those facts to be true; right, do you know what Chancellor Mathur did at that point? … Do you know if Chancellor Mathur ever viewed the entire “God Bless the U.S.A.” slideshow?

A No, I don't know that. I know that he's historically, obviously, very very careful about what he presents during these opening sessions and, of course, it's possible that he slipped up once.

Q All right. Do you know what religion Raghu Mathur is?

A I – I think he is – I'm sure he is religious. I couldn't tell you what religion it is.

Q Do you know if he's Hindu?

A I don't know that.

Q Do you know if – do you know if Raghu Mathur believes that Jesus Christ died for his soul or anybody else's soul?

A I don't – I really don't know. I mean, I have some factoids available to me about his religiousness but they don't paint a very clear picture. I know he is religious but I couldn't tell you anything beyond that.

Q Okay. But my question is do you believe that Chancellor Mathur believed that Jesus Christ died for his soul or anybody else's?
. . .
THE WITNESS: I have no idea.
. . .

BAUER’S CASE AGAINST THE “OOPS” THEORY

Q Were you ever informed that the showing of that slide, the final slide of the “God Bless the U.S.A.” presentation was unintentional?

A I have heard the claim made, but at the board meeting immediately after the August opening session there was reference made to the video. And as I recall it was discussed and praised, and there was an opportunity to explain if it was a mistake and no one took [that opportunity]. All of the board members were there, Raghu was there, and as I recall people expressed the idea that it was very good opening session, and they had only praise.

And when they made those comments they had already heard from, I think, Karla Westphal and possibly Margot who had objected to that video. That's right, that's what happened. They had already objected to the video and that “Jesus” line in particular and after that when the board discussed the opening session, they had an opportunity to explain any error that might have been made. They did not say anything about failing to preview the video. They didn't say they made a mistake. They heaped praise on the session and that was it. So at that point I believed that they were endorsing that video.

Q And they didn't do anything else…after the board meeting?

A Yes, at some point after that board meeting. mysteriously, we hear about a mistake, an honest mistake made. Well, the problem with that is they were at a board meeting in which explicitly Karla and Margot, who are very articulate people, explained the objection to that very video and that very slide. And if ever there was a time to say “sorry we screwed up,” it was just a few minutes later when the board did its reports and Mathur does his report. And they did bring up the opening session, but all they had to say was praise. If there had been a mistake, why didn't they say it then?

So, yes, I did hear about a claim that it was some kind of honest mistake. It does not in my mind fit with the fact they had an opportunity to explain their mistake and, if ever there was an opportunity, that was it and they did not take it. On the contrary they only praised the opening session.

Q Do you know how resolutions are passed by the Board of Trustees?

A I think so. … I think that they have to be agendized.
. . .
Q In fact, … a resolution was agendized [as it turns out, for a subsequent board meeting] and passed concerning that video?

A Yeah.

Q Do you still want an apology or is the resolution not good enough?

[Note: I don’t recall ever asking for an apology. It is possible that, at the aforementioned board meeting, Karla or Margot had demanded an apology.]
. . .
THE WITNESS: I honestly don't remember when the resolution was. My memory was it was the next meeting or the meeting after, but, you know, it would be typical of me to conflate these. [No, my memory was correct.]

But I do remember that the meeting right after that opening session they had just heard very clear, very strong objections to that video during the opening session and I believe they objected to Williams' comments too. … They had just heard these objections, and if you have something to say in response like, well, “we can understand your – that you're upset but we are here to assure you that it was only an honest mistake,” that's when you would say it, but they did not say it….
. . .
…So, you know, in my memory it was a later date that, you know, “we need to come up with an excuse for what happened” and then there's this claim that it was an honest mistake.

Q Do you know when the wheels got rolling on generating a resolution addressing that video?

A I have no idea.

. . . I have every reason to believe that what happened is they showed this video, then very soon after, they had a board meeting where vociferous objections were made to what happened during the opening session. And a few minutes after that, the board gave its reports and Mathur gave his report and they did comment on the opening session. And they said nothing about a mistake and seemed to be uninterested in saying anything but positive things [about the opening session]. And you can watch the video yourself and see for yourself. And at that point I had absolutely no reason to think that these people had made a mistake. On the contrary, they must have thought – they felt pretty good about how it went and what happened.
. . .
Now, I know how the situation works. It probably became clear to them thereafter that they were in trouble now, because if they're going to come up with some kind of excuse after-the-fact it's not going to look too good and that's exactly what happened.
. . .

Q Do you know what religion Marcia Milchiker is?

A I do.

Q What is she?

A I believe she's Jewish.

Q How about Trustee Lang?

A I believe he's Jewish.

Q You believe that Trustees Lang and Milchiker believe that Jesus Christ died for anybody's souls?

A I'm confident that they do not believe that.
. . .


Q …When you saw the “God Bless the U.S.A.” video did you for a second believe that Jesus Christ died for your soul?

A That's a very very odd picture. You're asking me if I had this moment of belief that Jesus Christ died for my soul?

Q Yes.

A I did not.

To see video of the Chancellor’s Opening Session (August 2009), click here.

Williams’ “Jonah” story/invocation: go to 07:20. (video)

The “God Bless the U.S.A” video: go to 2:47:20. (video)

The message about Jesus Christ: go to 2:50:10. (video)

Don, having just seen the video, betrays no indication that anything is amiss with the video:   2:50:31. (video)

Colleen Callahan for Public Administrator

Even me

Last night, while we waited for the start of the March meeting of the SOCCCD board of trustees, a friend hipped me to the fact that Board President Don Wagner, who is running for state assembly, mentions little ol’ me in his campaign statement!

No way! I said.

Yes way, she said.

She showed me. If you go to the OC Registrar of Voters site, you’ll find info about the Republicans running for the 70th Assembly District, including the Wagster. Click on the link to Don’s campaign statement and up comes, well, his campaign statement, where he informs us that “We deserve better from government. I oppose reckless spending, job killing regulations, and ever more taxes and bonds.”

He goes on to quote Ken Mettler, of the California Republican Assembly, Larry Smith of Family Action PAC, and State Senator Mark Wyland. He mentions some endorsements, including “radio host Hugh Hewitt, columnists Michelle Malkin and Star Parker.”

Then he writes:

Even my long time adversary, liberal college professor Roy Bauer, knows I threaten his leftist ideology. He’s written that I’m “an anti-union, liberal-bashing, prayer-making right-winger. But he’s smart.”

Leaders you trust, and the radical left, know that I’m the proven conservative for Assembly.

OK, Don. Send your thank-you note—and, if you’d like more of my special “support,” a fabulous cash prize—to Roy Bauer, School of Humanities and Languages, Irvine Valley College.

P.S.: my niece Sarah likes Gumby and Pokey.

Jody Hoy

Jody Hoy - professor emeritus of Irvine Valley College, writer, photographer, activist, friend - died yesterday, March 25, 2010, at her home in Laguna Beach.




from The Power to Dream: Interviews with Women in the Creative Arts by Jody Hoy:

"There was a theme that was being played out on a daily basis in the lives of practically every woman I knew (not to mention my own): how can a woman satisfy the demands of the creative will and still preserve an intimate life? All the women I interviewed were driven in one direction or another by the fierce imperative of the creative will - whether to art, literature, psychology, or music. And all of them refused to sacrifice the private dimension of their lives: all were unwilling to give up the intimate and sexual rewards of a woman's life...These interviews document the joys and difficulties of being a productive human being in the shape of a woman."

More later.

(All photographs by Jody Hoy)

What happened at tonight’s board meeting, mostly

Sheesh. The board is thoroughly settled into a savage Four-to-Three-itude. The New Majority listens to the New Minority carp. Then they wait a beat. Then they do what they wanna.

I’ll have more details tomorrow (or when I get around to it). I’ll just report the big issue tonight: the hire of a consulting firm to help with the Chancellor hire.

VC Bugay contacted 32 consulting firms, got ten responses, and, in the end, five could show for tonight’s board meeting with a presentation.

Board President Don Wagner brought the item (dead last on the agenda) to the front, and so, first thing, we all sat through five—count ‘em, five!—presentations, each taking about twenty minutes, including Q & A.

First at bat was Community College Search Services (CCSS), represented by a fellow named Don (John?) Romo. He sounded like he knew what he was doing. CCSS evidently helped with the hire of the State Chancellor. Sounds like CCSS does the first interviews. They do all the reference checking. They usually help with a “public forum.”

Trustee Fuentes wanted to know if CCSS would be able to find candidates in the private sector and at four-year colleges. Well, said Don, we’ll advertise in the Chronicle, and, dang, everybody reads that. Yeah, said Fuentes, but are we rushing things? Well, no, said Don, there are always great candidates out there. This thing is “doable.”

Fuentes snorted.

Next up was McNaughton and Associates. Mr. Sperry McNaughton (aka Sharp McSlick) was sharp. And slick. After Riverside CCD went out a couple of times and got nowhere, Sharp swooped in and got the job done. He’s into the new technology—two-way live, long-distance interviews. No need to fly everybody around and waste money. Plus streaming video. Would have this thing done by September.

Fuentes asked again about soliciting candidates from the “private sector.” “That is a challenge,” said McSlick. More Fuentean snortage. McSlick seemed to imply that the search committee would work up the brochure/website, and that got Don Wagner worried. This guy was toast, despite his fine suit, expensive shoes, and smooth ways.

Next up was PPL. The only thing I remember about the name is that the “L” is for “leasing.” Mr. Don Averill (aka Mr. Bland Rumple) was as slick as rusty barbed wire, and not nearly as charming. I bet Fuentes brought ‘im in. He opined that quality candidates are not willing to leave their jobs in mid-term, so you’ve pretty much got to aim for a hire for August (maybe no-can-do) or for January. Fuentes purred. [UPDATE: a friend assures me that Mr. Averill, though unslick, has a considerable reputation for integrity. A really good guy, she says.]

Dr. Gary Owens of Academic Search was kinda slick, kinda not. His firm has 32 consultants, and they’re all ready to put in their 2 cents, which adds up to about 64 cents, and I don’t think anybody liked this guy. He reminded me of that guy who played "dirt" on those commercials twenty years ago.

At long last the ACCT gal got up there--I think her name was Judith Breadwine--and presented what that organization does. Gosh, did I hear her say that, usually, you’ve got two trustees on the search committee? Yep. “We’ve got the biggest ‘black book,’” she said. There’re ways of getting around the calendar problem, she said. Gosh, said Don, according to your schedule, we’re not even rushed to hire somebody by August!

I heard yet another snort.

I’ve gotta go, so let’s just say that Fuentes, Lang, and Williams did their predictable “slow down, you move to fast” routine while Padberg, Jay, and Milchiker did a pretty good, “Gosh, let’s get moving!”

Nancy liked CCSS. They’re a California firm. They hired the State Chancellor. Tom didn't like 'em. What else do you need to know!

Bill noted that, quite possibly, by the Fall, we’ll have three new trustees. So let's get moving!

“I call the question!” barked Nancy.

Boom! They hired CCSS.

Fuentes didn’t even bother to snort.

* * * * *
Tonight, a friend sent this:

Underdog candidate for county office takes on OC political machine (Orange County Local News Network)

Colleen Callahan is not a professional politician. By her account, she’s barely even a novice at the game.

But as a candidate for the obscure county office of public administrator, she finds herself taking on an incumbent who Callahan says is part of Orange County’s fabled political machine.
. . .
Callahan and two others – deputy public guardian Kevin Vann and former Orange school board member Steve Rocco – are running in the June 8 primary against incumbent John Williams, a former cop and longtime public official who has connections to many of OC’s top politicians.
. . .
Callahan worked her way up in the agency, eventually being promoted to oversee a clerical unit that handles the legal paperwork necessary to administer estates.

But she said the department took a turn for the worse when Williams was elected and took over in 2003. Williams, who also serves as a board member of the South Orange County Community College District, was often absent from the office and handed off day-to-day management to his deputy, Callahan said.

“I watched the agency deteriorate,” she said. “The way he reorganized the agency and doubled the management, which wasn’t needed … trickled down to where it started affecting the (staff). They had higher caseloads (so) they couldn’t go out into the field and see the mentally ill.”….

Yeah, like I said, only louder

Ah, the news business. I was telling a friend earlier today that, on a particularly slow news day—a glacial day—local reporters will sometimes pick up on some of our fine reporting here at DtB and then run like hell with it.

We laughed. I then briefly checked out the OC Weekly’s crew of bloggers. And waddyouknow. Not for the first time, our old pal Matt Coker did exactly that!

College District Board's Battle Cry: Send Lawyers, Hired Guns and Money

​The South Orange County Community College District … board votes tonight on whether to pay a private lawyer $25,000 in taxpayer funds for helping negotiate what the district calls the "Mathur settlement." Why the district must settle anything with Raghu Mathur, who in January was fired/didn't have his contract renewed/was lovingly told it's time to tackle new career challenges (depending on who is doing the spinning), is unclear. Why it's paying someone other than the lawyers it already pays to handle labor matters is equally murky. What is known is the lawyer in line to get the dough has more skeletons in his closet than a college anatomy department.

He's Phillip Greer, Orange County Republican politicians' attorney of choice.
. . .
Many GOP movers and snakers hire Greer at the recommendation of John Lewis, who is—how did Moxley put it? Oh yes—an "oily" Republican insider from disgraced, possibly prison-bound ex-Sheriff Mike Carona's old camp.

Greer also represents county Treasurer Chriss Street, who a federal judge earlier this month ruled had breached his fiduciary duty when he attempted to build an empire instead of protecting the assets of a trust he was hired to liquidate.

Street was ordered to pay more than $7 million in damages to the End of the Road Trust.
. . .
Irvine Valley College (IVC) philosophy professor and tenacious SOCCCD board critic Roy Bauer is … succinct in his summation of Greer on his Dissent the Blog:

Greer is the OC Republican mafia's consigliere. He's a total creep.
. . .
Your education tax dollars are at work, South County!

U. of California Leaders Call for Expanding Holistic Review in Admissions (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Leaders of the University of California apologized on Wednesday for recent incidents reflecting racial and ethnic intolerance on several campuses and proposed revising admissions policies systemwide to increase the enrollment of minority students. Speaking at a Board of Regents meeting in San Francisco, Mark G. Yudof, the system's president, said he had asked the Academic Senate to consider requiring all nine campuses to adopt consistent holistic-review practices that consider students' life experiences, as well as test scores and grades. The Los Angeles Times quoted Mr. Yudof as saying, "I want a system that is less mechanical and takes a serious look at a range of talents and skills and history, and takes into account poverty."

Mystery Solved!

As duly noted earlier this week, some were puzzled by the absence of requests for IVC Foundation Scholarship letters of recommendation.

Where had all the letters gone?

Now, there's an answer: computer glitch.

Though not really a glitch, per se.

New computer system + modules (podules?) + adaptation time + lack of resources = no letters of recommendation for this season.

Okay, we get it.

Still one wonders about communication. Why no announcement was made early on. Maybe folks thought faculty wouldn't notice or didn't really care.

Rebel Girl is inclined to imagine that we are at our best when we're asked to solve problems together. She thinks, given a chance, we could have worked it out. Maybe someone would have even suggested that we go back to our old ways for just this year. You know, stone tablets. Pen and ink. Letters printed on letterhead.

Too bad this opportunity was missed.

As someone commented earlier this week, faculty often anticipate the scholarship awards ceremony because of their student applicants - because instructors are asked to be part of the process through composing those letters. These instructors are, in a way, rooting for their students. And the students, when they are notified of their awards - are grateful and let their teachers know.

Rebel Girl has no idea of who among her many students applied for scholarship this year.

*

Hiring consultant presentations tomorrow night

Item 9.1 on the agenda for tomorrow's meeting of the SOCCCD board of trustees concerns the hiring of consultants to assist in the Chancellor hire:

RE: SOCCCD: Hiring Consultant Presentations
ACTION: Discussion

BACKGROUND

At the February 22, 2010 Board of Trustees meeting, the Board voted to move forward with the Chancellor hiring process per BP 4011.6. The Board appointed a board designee to coordinate the recruitment process. The Board approved a Special Meeting, which was held on March 11, 2010. At this meeting, the Board of Trustees approved the hiring of a consultant to assist with the Chancellor hiring process. The Board approved three consultants to present to the Board at its regular March meeting, as well as any additional consultants the Board felt it appropriate to consider.

STATUS

The Board of Trustees has directed that there be presentations by two consultants in addition to the three previously approved; further, the Board has directed that proposals and possible presentations be sought from four other hiring consultants recommended by Board members.

"One Classroom, from Sea to Shining Sea"

Last week in the New York Times Susan Jacoby made a case for real national educational reform in her essay, "One Classroom, From Sea to Shining Sea."

It's a provocative piece that zeros in on local and state control as the root causes that promote inequality of instruction and achievement across the country - along with a "lack of a national curriculum, national teacher training standards and federal financial support to attract smart young people to the teaching profession."

She points out the recent case in Texas:

...the Texas board’s social studies revision forms a blueprint for bad educational decision-making. Chosen in partisan elections, the board members — most lacking any expertise in the academic subjects upon which they are passing judgment — had already watered down the teaching of evolution in science classes when they turned their attention to American and world history. Thus was Jefferson cut from a list of those whose writings inspired 18th- and 19th-century revolutions, and replaced by Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin and William Blackstone. This is certainly the first time I’ve ever heard the “Summa Theologica” described as a spur to any revolution.

No Frenchman could conceive of a situation in which school officials in Marseille decide they don’t like France’s secular government and are going to use textbooks that ignore the Napoleonic code (and perhaps attribute the principles of French law to Aquinas).

Here are her solutions to a problem that is so obvious to all of us who work in higher education:

First, even though a national curriculum cannot be imposed, serious public intellectuals of varying political views need to step up and develop voluntary guides, in every academic subject, for use by educators who do not disdain expert opinion. The historians Diane Ravitch and Arthur Schlesinger Jr., who disagreed politically on many issues, advocated for just such a set of national history standards in the late 1990s. These guidelines met with approval from just about everyone but the extreme fringes of the left and right.

Second, the federal government must invest more in training and identifying excellent teaching candidates. France, faced with a teacher shortage in the early 1990s, revamped its training system so that aspiring teachers would receive a partial salary in the last year of their studies. Prestigious institutes for teacher training were also set up to replace less rigorous programs, with admission based on competitive national examinations. Which makes more sense — investing resources upfront in attracting the brightest young people to teaching, or penalizing teachers who fail further down the road, as No Child Left Behind attempts to do?

Finally, the idea that educational innovation is best encouraged by promoting competition between schools and pouring public money into quasi-private charter schools should be re-examined by both the left and the right. One of the worst provisions in the Obama administration’s $4.3 billion “Race to the Top” program strongly encourages states to remove restrictions on the number of privately managed charter schools. Here again, we have the worst of both worlds: a federal carrot that can lead only to a further balkanizing of a public education system already hampered by a legacy of extreme decentralization.

Yes, now that the reform of our health care system has begun, let's take on the classroom.

To read Jacoby's essay in its entirety, click here.

What’s with South County trustees and the Brown Act?

Capo district violates open-meeting laws for 5th time (OC Reg)

An Orange County judge has ruled that Capistrano Unified's school board violated the state's open-meeting laws in August 2008 when it held a closed-door evaluation of its then-superintendent, the fifth time the governing body had been reprimanded in the past three years for Brown Act violations.

Superior Court Judge David McEachen ... said last week that CUSD did not properly prepare the agenda for the closed-door meeting and thus failed to inform the public that it was holding a discussion about whether to put then-Superintendent A. Woodrow Carter on paid administrative leave. The agenda referred only to a "performance evaluation," not disciplinary action.
. . .
McEachen also ruled that trustees should have provided notice they were bringing in a non-district employee for the evaluation session – school-law attorney Spencer Covert – who served as a one-time, pro-bono consultant during the meeting.

Capistrano Unified's school board has been sternly reprimanded five times for repeated Brown Act violations, the first four by the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

The board was reconstituted entirely between the first four violations and the most recent one, with the new "reform" trustees pledging a new era of accountability and transparency.
. . .
Trustee Mike Winsten stressed that the most recent Brown Act violation was not of the same magnitude as in the past, when the D.A.'s office issued four consecutive stinging reports, the last of which said some former trustees had exhibited "disturbing disdain, if not outright contempt" for constituents when meeting behind closed doors. (Continued)

About a dozen years ago, the SOCCCD board engaged in "persistent and defiant" misconduct re the Brown Act--the anti-secrecy in government law. Or so said the judge.

Their lawyer? That would be CUSD's attorney: Spencer Covert.

CUSD's attorney these days? Phil Greer. Yep. Mathur and Williams' recent advocate.

BTW: The Capo district's current board is dominated by trustees affiliated with Education Alliance. Our own Don Wagner sits on EA's board.