genius at work

ACCJC spanked by state auditor

California Auditor Criticizes CCSF's Accreditor (Inside Higher Ed; June 27)

     The California State Auditor on Thursday issued a scathing report on the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), the regional accreditor that has come under fire for its handling of the City College of San Francisco crisis.
     The auditor's office said the commission acted in an inconsistent manner with its decision to terminate City College's accreditation. The report found that City College was given less time to come into compliance than were other institutions. It also criticized the commission for a lack of transparency.
     In its recommendations, the auditor said the California community college system's chancellor should consider the possibility of finding a new accrediting body for the state's 112 community colleges….

June board meeting: pledge sans flag (or "Night of the Kumquat")

Where's the flag?

     Yes, it's 6:00 p.m. and I'm sitting here waiting for the start of the June meeting of the SOCCCD BOT. Looks like they're about to start. [Please see Tere's Board Meeting Highlights for her overview.]
     The room seems unusually full for summer. Don't see many green (faculty union) shirts either—maybe two or three of 'em, way in back.
     Marcia, Gary, and Tim are huddling about something. Meanwhile, there' a cute little girl sitting in the front row next to the CSEA guy (I think). Cute as a button. She's already writing "notes."
     Trustees Nancy Padberg and James Wright are absent, it seems. It's a skeleton crew tonight. Will it be a skeleton meeting?
     It's getting quiet. Maybe they'll start:

The original "pledge"—understandably
changed in '42

     6:05 — It begins. First, a report out from closed session: one action: 5/0 vote, approved 7 day time off with benefits to classified employee.
     Invocation: Tim Jemal briefly reflects on recent commencements, etc.
     Pledge: they seek to pledge to the flag but can't find the flag. Really. They turn completely around, hand on heart, seeking some stars and bars to pledge to. None found. Eventually, board Prez Prendergast notes that, just outside on the street, in that turning circle, there's a flag pole and flag. [True.]
     OK, so they direct their pledge to that. "I pledge allegiance...."
     Lots of meta levels here tonight, folks.

Two contentious elements of the “Initial Proposal to Amend and Modify the SOCCCD Academic Employee Master Agreement” (April 28, 2014)

• Schedule Counselors according to the needs of the Students: Establish the ability to shift counselor calendars to meet changes in the demand for their services for students.

• Establish a two-tier benefit plans with different options to reduce overall cost of benefits.

Public comments:

The lady doth protest too much

     Faculty member, Doug Barr, Saddleback counselor. Here to speak about contract proposal. Wants to address "counselors as teachers." Goes on (and on) about his background. He's building up to something, I know not what (but he is wearing a green shirt). Believes in counseling across the college. Has long sensed that some faculty have seen counselors as non-faculty. "We are all about student success," he insists. The way this is coming across [the district's proposed contract, I suppose—which, I gather, screws with counselors in particular]—is not in support of student success. We have a complex, diversified student population. Blah blah blah.
     Prendergast interrupts: two minutes up. Sorry (he says), forgot to mention the 2 minutes earlier.
     So the 2nd speaker, Margot L, states she'll give 'im her time.
     I do wish Doug would get to his point. He holds up a kumquat. It's very misunderstood, he says. On he goes about that kumquat. [Good Lord, I think he's used up his second two minutes, yammering about that kumquat!] Some don't realize that counselors teach! It's like the skin of the kumquat....(I don't get it) We counsel one on one. We teach classes. "They incredibly make a  difference," these counselors. He's going to give trustees some kumquats. If you are repelled by idea of counselors teaching, have a second kumquat, he says. (I dunno what he's talking about.) Counselors as teachers are incredibly valuable, he says. Creating personal relationships, that's the thing we do. Prendergast tries to shut him up, since Doug is way over his time. But he keeps going. Walks over to the dais to hand out kumquat kits or something from a crummy cardboard box that says "In-'n-Out" on it.

Flag theft!

     He's still going. Something about a sample assignment. I still don't know what his point is, though I'm sure it's kumquatular. Now he's looking for more people in the first row that he can give kumquats to. He knocks over a microphone. A kumquat rolls across the floor. He's still going. [A smattering of applause.]
     Prendergast: we've established a dangerous precedent (letting kumquat boy go on like that). Should stick to 2 minutes. Margot L comes up and insists on making a comment (she had ceded her time to Herr Kumquat). I forgot to listen to her. I'm pretty sure she dropped the kumquat theme.
     Next speaker: Amira Brown, IVC student. Apparently, she won some sort of student election, but she was robbed, owing to some irregularity, and so vote-getter 2 won the office (president?). (Some kind of Al Gore situation, I gather.) Urges prompt investigation. She has exhausted all resources. Nobody--not P, VP, et al.--will address her grievance. The injustice!
     Another student: wants to elaborate. It was an unfair election. Evidently, there was supposed to be a pre-elections committee, but they didn't form. The rules werent followed in various ways.
     Marietta Brown: wants to support her daughter, Amira Brown. Also attended IVC. Went on to get MA at Pepperdine. My daughter will fight hard to have her voice heard, she says. Has exhausted all avenues at college level. Male candidate was listened to, but not my daughter, she says. Unethical, unconstitutional IVC election. Her daughter's voice has not been heard.
     Gretchia Beron? -- not present, I guess.
     That's it for public comments.

Fac. union message: the kumquat is a misunderstood fruit

     Tod Burnet steps up. Thrilled and honored to do special commendation to Brooke Sauter [applause] Senior Adm assistant - classified employee of the year, California community colleges(?) She bows grandly (and ironically). Daily assists veterans, students. Her commitment to them, etc.

     Glenn Roquemore steps up. "What is this all about?" Good question. Thanks staff members, especially first responders, re their handling of June 3 fire/water main break. "An amazing, quick response." Saved our beloved PAC from terrible and unimaginable damage done, he says.
     8 people step up to stand near Rocky and his podium. Roquemore reads each name, waits for applause. On it goes. Photo op. More applause.

Board reports:

     Bill Jay: you witnessed praise, etc., we give to various segments of the college. We hope we've included everybody. If not, let us know. (Yeah, because we're all children, and all we really want is a pat on the head plus a guaranteed parking spot.)
     Tim Jemal: mentions Ohio and kumquats, a reference to the first public speaker and kumquat enthusiast. Attended commencement ceremonies. Thanks everyone. Attended interesting forum, OC business counsel, future of higher education. Reps from various segments. Serious issues discussed, unity between three systems included. Recent issue: BA in nursing here at SC. Couldn't come to agreement about that. Had healthy discussion.
     Marcia Milchiker: announced that Emeritus Institute, next year, will continue as it has. For many students, it's their lifeline. The "Comprehensive" CC District is safe for now. Attended the two commencements, as always. Thanks those responsible for commencements. A wonderful "evening." KSBR birthday bash, board retreat, etc.
     TJ Prendergast: reiterates comments about commencements. Praises the weather. The weather says nothing. "Nice to be a part of commencement," he says. Faint praise? Draws attention to budget at state, which passed, good for CCs. Happy that promises are being kept.
     Dave Lang: acknowledges "terrific" commencements. Especially wants to thank our two college Presidents. "Fine jobs you did." Recent board self-evaluation at country club. We miss Trustee Padberg. Looks forward to her return when her health permits. Etc.
     Student trustee. Commends staff members who caught the fire (flood? I should get a hearing aid) (at IVC). Proud of them. Working with UCI, will be there tomorrow.

Poertner: nuttin' to say

Chancellor's Report: No comments tonight

College Presidents:

     Burnett [SC]: the usual blather. Asks Audra Bedova (?) to stand up owing to contributions to commencement. Applause. Yammers about carreer pathways grant. College is busy preparing for Fall. Have a happy summer. He's off to vacation.

     Roquemore [IVC]: one topic: Ruth Higgins was there to help in our time of need. Students are being paid on time, financial aid. Borrowed her from SC. Things were piled up at IVC. She came up and fixed it. Roquemore seems to be reading. [I don't get it. Over and over, Roquemore refers to things that are fucked up at IVC--and perhaps finally getting addressed or fixed. Why is he still the President? Why was he granted a new contract? What's wrong with this board?] On he goes. Ruth stands up, receives applause.

     Student government: blah blah blah

     Advancing items 6.1 and 6.2 (environmental analysis check list, ATEP). This is about a property switcheroo at ATEP in Tustin. (See presentation.)
     Fitzsimmons and Peebles come up. Real estate transaction, Valencia parcel, 4.3 acres
     Peebles: shows slide of ATEP site. Fumbles with mouse. 4.3 acre parcel
     Shows another strip of land: .57 acre. Can't really be used.
     Fitzsimmons: district would sublease. Convey to city. Two parcels. Removed from def. of district property. Blah blah blah.
     Unanimous Yes vote, both items

Consent calendar: any pulls? Nope. Unanimous yes.

6.3: tentative budget FY 2014-2015
     Deb Fitzsimmons. Board philosophy: financial strength and stability. Maximize ed opportunites, etc.
     Goes over budget development guidelines. Reserve: no less than 7.5%, etc. Basic aid: excess revenue, one-time uses only. Etc.
     Total funds: $636.6 million. (Whoa! 2/3 of a billion)
     Blah blah blah. (I tuned out for a bit.)
     Mentions that income not keeping up with increased expenses. PERS/STRS Rate and cost increases. Big trend.
     Salaries, benefits. 11.6% increase.  Benefits: 51% increase. Really significant. That's following the national trend. Meanwhile, our income will not increase accordingly.
     Looking ahead: "Lost purchasing power of 15% from lost state COLAs...."
     Etc.
     Any questions?

Skeleton crew

     Jemal: personnel costs, 86%. That's districtwide number. How does it break out per unit? Looks at exhibit A. Three charts, page 15. Any concern? (I didn't understand answer.) Q: Rate increases, PERS, anything we can do about that? A: Nope.
     Lang: a question about credit cards. Discrepancy between two sheets about basic aid. A: Credit card processing fees, student pay online. Lang: we're acting like collection agency for credit card companies? Nope/sorta. Lang seemed satisfied with details, which I can't explain here (didn't understand). Lang is very interested in this credit card expense. A: we pay fees to credit card companies; students don't pay. Lang: "Oh." Fitz: not a student cost, a cost to the district.
     Vote: unanimous. [Fitz adds:] thanks Davit and Carol for their work. "They do an excellent job."
   
     6.4: tentative student government budgets.
     Saddleback College: Student President speaks. Presents tentative ASG budget. Very excited.
     She's pretty smooth, polished. Budgets for 13-14 and 14-15 are same: $476K. New Gaucho Stamp revenue.
     Campus life allocation up by 20K. Etc. Blah blah blah.
     This little gal is pretty good. Good job. Great hoop earrings too.
     Questions? None.

     Irvine Valley college: student reps speak (after brief comment by Dennis Gordon).
     This kid (prez?) not so smooth. Kid goes over process: point, point, point. Pretty dry.
     Not bad though, really.
     Student treasurer speaks. He presents better. 13-14 budget $526. 14-15: $525K. So stays pretty flat.
     Highlights:
     Blah blah blah.

     Questions?
     Lang: what will drive $40K increase in revenue? Dennis G explains increase in bookstore revenue. $35K increase so far this year." So looks good.
     Vote: unanimous.

     Item 6.5. Cosmetology and Cosmetician.... Unanimous.
     Item 6.6. Computer equipment.... Jemal: districtwide? Per college? A: districtwide. Switched from Dell to HP. Better machines, lower price. Unanimous.
     Item 6.7. Software/Neudesic. Vote: unanimous
     Item 6.8. Blackboard, etc. Prendergast: still considered standard? Well, has largest market share. Vote: unanimous.
     Item 6.9. Board Policy revisions. Cellphones allowance, etc. Jemal: asks about allowance. Fitz: policy is being revised, clear distinction between policy, regs. Regs revised too. Reflects increased stipend. From $64 to $75. Etc. Blah blah blah. Vote: unanimous
     Item 6.10. Classified employee layoff res. Reduction of hours in one position. Vote: unanimous.
     Item 6.11. Full-time faculty hiring amendment. Vote: unanimous.
     Item 6.12. Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, revised fee schedule. Vote: unanimous
     Item 6.13. Ac Personnel Actions. Vote: unanimous
     Item 6.14. Classified Personnel Actions. Some changes, explained by Bugay. Vote: unanimous
   
Reports....
     7.2 Mission statements
     7.3
     7.4
     7.5
     7.6
     7.7

Nothing said about any of this.

Constituency groups reports:

Blah, blah, blah.

I'm outa here.

How about my kumquats!?

Scary OC

1. Killed by Cops

     It doesn't matter if you're an unarmed homeless white guy, a skinny teenage white girl with a butter knife, an unarmed black man, or any number of armed and unarmed cholos and ex-cholos: Cops across OC LOVE to kill folks, especially because they know they'll get off scot-free. They have shown the country that OC law enforcement really is color-blind: whatever your ethnicity or class, you JUST MIGHT get offed by them for no good reason. Yay, OC justice!

—From Gustavo Arellano’s The 10 Most Stereotypical Ways to Die in Orange County

Sobel wins anew

     Somehow, we managed to miss this recent court victory for our good friend attorney Carol Sobel.
     From nearly a week ago:

Appeals court panel ends L.A. ban on homeless living in vehicles (LA Times)

     For the second time in two years, a federal appeals court has struck down a key enforcement tool in Los Angeles' efforts to deal with burgeoning homelessness, declaring a ban on living in vehicles an invitation to discriminate against the poor.
     A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decided unanimously Thursday that a city ordinance prohibiting people from living in vehicles was unconstitutionally vague. That ruling followed a 9th Circuit decision in 2012 that prevented Los Angeles from confiscating and destroying possessions that homeless people leave temporarily on sidewalks.
     Both ordinances had been enforced, along with other policies, to help the city cope with a homeless
     "The City of Los Angeles has many options at its disposal to alleviate the plight and suffering of its homeless citizens," wrote Judge Harry Pregerson, who was appointed by President Carter. "Selectively preventing the homeless and the poor from using their vehicles for activities many other citizens also conduct in their cars should not be one of those options."
. . .
     Civil rights attorney Carol Sobel, who represented the homeless people, said it was past time for the city to try new strategies.
     "Honestly," Sobel said, "these policies are bad."

Board meeting on Monday

     This morning, Chancellor Poertner sent members of the district community his usual heads-up about next week’s (June 23) meeting of the SOCCCD BOT. He provided this link to the agenda: HERE.
     Monday's meeting looks like it might be quick and uneventful. No big reports, no dog and pony shows, etc.
     Curiously, Saddleback College Prez Tod Burnett's report (to the board) includes this item:

     Evidently, this fine honor failed to clinch the Chancellor gig (at Riverside CCD) for the Todster. On Tuesday, RCCD announced that someone else (among three finalists) had won it. 

     I noticed that IVC Prez Glenn Roquemore’s report (for Monday’s meeting) includes this announcement regarding the demolition of the old A-400 building and the construction of its replacement:

Also this morning, denizens of IVC were informed that

     Demolition of the A 400 building will begin this Friday, June 20, and is expected to be completed by the end of next week. The demolition process may cause sound disturbances at times. Following demolition, soil will be removed from the site in order to prepare for new construction.

What we used to believe in, what we must believe in again

The Miseducation of America (CHI)
By William Deresiewicz
The movie 'Ivory Tower' and the rhetoric of crisis and collapse

     …The truth is, there are powerful forces at work in our society that are actively hostile to the college ideal. That distrust critical thinking and deny the proposition that democracy necessitates an educated citizenry. That have no use for larger social purposes. That decline to recognize the worth of that which can’t be bought or sold. Above all, that reject the view that higher education is a basic human right.
     The film recounts the history and recent fate of that idea: its origin among the philanthropists of the industrial age, figures like Peter Cooper, founder of his eponymous Union; its progressive unfolding through the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862, the GI Bill of 1944, the postwar expansion of the University of California, and the Higher Education Act of 1965, which created the federal student-loan and grant programs; and its deliberate destruction under Ronald Reagan and his ideological heirs.
     Free, high-quality higher education (just like free, high-quality school, which we continue to at least pretend to endorse): that is what we used to believe in; that’s what many other countries still believe in; that is what we must believe in once again….

To the deniers

     Some of our readers appear to be climate change skeptics or deniers.
     Such persons should read a document recently produced by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and The Royal Society called “Climate Change: Evidence & Causes.” It was released on February 27 of this year:

Climate Change: Evidence and Causes

     This report—issued by two of the most respected scientific organizations in the world—makes a clear case against skepticism/denial (i.e., it explains the case for anthropogenic global climate change, etc.) and explains the nature and grounds of the scientific consensus thereof.
     A brief overview of the report can be found in a recent edition of Ethics and Climate:

Why the US Academy of Science and the Royal Academy’s Easy To Understand Report On Climate Change Science Has Ethical Significance

     Unfortunately, most skeptics/deniers have little understanding of science—or good reasoning—and thus they are not discouraged from pursuing unfalsifiable theses or theories. In particular, they seem attracted to conspiracy theories of an unfalsifiable kind. That is, it appears that, for many climate change skeptics, nothing can ever count as evidence that a "persuading the world that humanity is causing disastrous climate change" conspiracy among scientists and/or the media is not occurring.
     Insofar as this is true, their view is not scientific; it is profoundly unscientific and irrational.

A Discussion on Climate Change: Evidence and Causes from The National Academies on Vimeo.

Among the (video) presenters: Ralph John Cicerone, current Pres. of the NAS and a former chancellor of UC Irvine.

Saddleback's Tod Burnett fails to snag Riverside's Chancellor gig

"Celebratory cupcakes" were
consumed

Dr. Michael L. Burke named RCCD chancellor (Riverside City College Viewpoints)

June 17, 2014

     Milwaukee Area Technical College President Dr. Michael L. Burke was named the Riverside Community College District Chancellor at the June 17 Board of Trustees Meeting held at Moreno Valley College. The news works as the conclusion to a nine month search process.
. . .

Prayer boy

     Burke was one of three candidates for the position of RCCD Chancellor. The other two candidates included Sacramento City College President Kathryn E. Jeffery and Saddleback College President Tod A. Burnett….

Obama Comes to Orange County (Rebel Girl)

Rebel Girl tries to capture the moment.

Last Saturday Rebel Girl and her family got up before dawn and drove to Angel Stadium. They spent hours waiting for a commencement ceremony whose procession of graduates lasted over an hour and whose speeches took less time than those at IVC graduation. There was, she noted, no prayer. There were flags. There was the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" (by a talented UCI MFA) which reduced the middle aged man sitting next to her to tears. There were plenty of people on the dais but only a few were introduced by name. The Jumbo-tron showed others whose names were familiar to UCI alums like Rebel Girl and Red Emma — the Peltasons, aged and waving, the widowed Mrs. Aldrich standing beside them.

There was pomp and there was circumstance and eventually, there was the President of the United States, Barack Obama. To say he was greeted warmly does not do justice to the power of the standing ovation (three, by her count). You could feel the people surging forward. You could feel them listen.

He had a lot to say.

Rebel Girl admired him for seizing the rhetorical situation, meeting the expectations — and going beyond. He praised the graduates (highlighting some individuals in the crowd), humored them (Zot! Zot!) and then did what commencement speakers do, offered warning and advice. The media will tell you that he talked about climate change. He did. But he talked about that in the context of valuing education (the education the graduates just received) and valuing America — and yes, choosing hope over cynicism.

...since this is a very educated group, you already know the science. Burning fossil fuels release carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide traps heat. Levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere are higher than they've been in 800,000 years.

We know the trends. The 18 warmest years on record have all happened since you graduates were born. We know what we see with our own eyes. Out West, firefighters brave longer, harsher wildfire seasons; states have to budget for that. Mountain towns worry about what smaller snowpacks mean for tourism. Farmers and families at the bottom worry about what it will mean for their water. In cities like Norfolk and Miami, streets now flood frequently at high tide. Shrinking icecaps have National Geographic making the biggest change in its atlas since the Soviet Union broke apart.

So the question is not whether we need to act. The overwhelming judgment of science, accumulated and measured and reviewed over decades, has put that question to rest. The question is whether we have the will to act before it's too late. For if we fail to protect the world we leave not just to my children, but to your children and your children's children, we will fail one of our primary reasons for being on this world in the first place. And that is to leave the world a little bit better for the next generation.

Now, the good is you already know all this. UC Irvine set up the first Earth System Science Department in America. (Applause.) A UC Irvine professor-student team won the Nobel Prize for discovering that CFCs destroy the ozone layer. (Applause.) A UC Irvine glaciologist's work led to one of last month's report showing one of the world's major ice sheets in irreversible retreat. Students and professors are in the field working to predict changing weather patterns, fire seasons, and water tables -- working to understand how shifting seasons affect global ecosystems; to get zero-emission vehicles on the road faster; to help coastal communities adapt to rising seas. And when I challenge colleges to reduce their energy use to 20 percent by 2020, UC Irvine went ahead and did it last year. Done. (Applause.) So UC Irvine is ahead of the curve. All of you are ahead of the curve.

Your generation reminds me of something President Wilson once said. He said, "Sometimes people call me an idealist. Well, that is the way I know I am an American." That's who we are...

...The point is, you know how to dream. And you know how to work for your dreams. And, yes, sometimes you may be "super underrated." But usually it's the underrated, the underdogs, the dreamers, the idealists, the fighters, the argumentative -- those are the folks who do the biggest things.

And this generation -- this 9/11 generation of soldiers; this new generation of scientists and advocates and entrepreneurs and altruists -- you're the antidote to cynicism. It doesn't mean you're not going to get down sometimes. You will. You'll know disillusionment. You'll experience doubt. People will disappoint you by their actions. But that can't discourage you.

Cynicism has never won a war, or cured a disease, or started a business, or fed a young mind, or sent men into space. Cynicism is a choice. Hope is a better choice. (Applause.)

Hope is what gave young soldiers the courage to storm a beach and liberate people they never met.

Hope is what gave young students the strength to sit in and stand up and march for women's rights, and civil rights, and voting rights, and gay rights, and immigration rights.

Hope is the belief, against all evidence to the contrary, that there are better days ahead, and that together we can build up a middle class, and reshape our immigration system, and shield our children from gun violence, and shelter future generations from the ravages of climate change....

At the end, sitting there with their twelve-year-old child born down the road at UCI Medical, two UCI graduates whose lives were transformed by that university but who never attended their own commencements felt somehow, that they just had, some twenty years later.  This one was for them.

To read Obama's full speech, click here.

The little guy waits patiently.

County to Renew Contract With Firm Sued By Feds (Voice of OC)

     Orange County supervisors are scheduled this week to grant a welfare management contract to a well-connected firm that was sued by the federal government for aiding an alleged Medicare fraud scheme.
     The firm has contributed directly to the campaign accounts of all county supervisors….

Here in OC today

Obama urges UCI grads to take action on climate change (OC Reg)

Reprieve for CCSF (Inside Higher Ed)

City College of San Francisco may get two more years to work on keeping its accreditation, thanks to a shift by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges….

Oh my, summer fun

Eric Cantor Defeated by David Brat, Tea Party Challenger, in G.O.P. Primary Upset (NYT)

     In one of the most stunning primary election upsets in congressional history, the House majority leader, Eric Cantor, was soundly defeated on Tuesday by a Tea Party-backed economics professor who had hammered him for being insufficiently conservative….

California Teacher Tenure Law Unconstitutional (HuffPost) [K-12]

     P.S.: on the 13th, the president of our local faculty union communicated with members re this ruling. She wrote:

     Some of you have written to ask if the recent Superior Court decision in Vergara v. the State of California on the legality of "tenure" (which is actually referred to as permanent employment) affects the community college system.  It does not.  This ruling pertains only to Education Code statutes dealing with the permanent employment of K-12 teachers.     If you would like more information on this ruling, here is a link to the CTA page on the decision:  http://www.cta.org/Issues-and-Action/Ongoing-Issues/Vergara-Trial1.aspx.

     Please note that my original post indicated that the ruling concerned "K-12."

Decision on RCCD Chancellor a week away

     I just read that “The decision to fill the position [Chancellor, Riverside Community College District] will be made in the next Board of Trustees meeting June 17 at 6 pm. in Student Academic Services, General Assembly Room 121 at Moreno Valley College.”
     As you know, Saddleback College President, Tod Burnett, is among three finalists for that position.
     If Burnett gets the gig, there’ll be big changes at the SOCCCD.

"Piece of My Heart" - Company of Thieves, Daryl Hall

Last Saturday: SOCCCD self-evaluation board meeting

     Just noticed this. Evidently, the board met on Saturday to hold a "Board Self-Evaluation Workshop" before the public.
     Did anyone attend?

The Great Burrito War of 2014

Lalo Alcaraz, "La Cucaracha."

The Great Burrito War of 2014 has entered its third week. And, as with most battles, progress is difficult to measure.

Still, Rebel Girl, a field marshal by default, was heartened to discover the cartoon above, published this past Thursday in the Los Angeles Times and syndicated around the country. It's the work of Lalo Alcaraz, creator of the forthcoming FOX animated series "Bordertown."

You can follow the battles and skirmishes via the Facebook page Cultivating Invisibility: Chipotle's Missing Mexicans.

If you have no idea about what this is about, the FB page will help you figure it out.

Oliver North in Orange County (remembering North's visit to Saddleback College eighteen years ago)

Heroic liar

     [See LA Times article at end.]
     The OC Weekly’s R. Scott Moxley reports on Oliver North’s recent visit to the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda. (Oliver North Comes To Nixon Library).
     North was there to bash the Obama administration—and to promote his new book, an “explosive new thriller.”
     Naturally, the audience was receptive:

     "The next big scandal … is going to be how the United States Government responds when the Iranians make an announcement that they've ceased their nuclear program and we're now going to sign a deal with a bunch of other countries saying all sanctions are now lifted," said North with a dramatic, conspiratorial tone he employs on Fox when he mentions Democratic Party presidencies.
     The Orange County audience—overwhelmingly dominated by folks with silver hair, pale pigmentation, hearing aids and, probably, coupons for 4 p.m. Sizzler dinner specials—moaned in disgust.

     North, whose infamy (and fame, I guess) developed starting in 1986, has a history of speaking at local colleges. For instance, back 1993—a year before his failed bid to become a U.S. Senator—he spoke at Chapman University (North Will Speak at Chapman).

     And, as you know, in 1996, he spoke at Saddleback College (North's Appearance Draws Warm Reception; 9/21/96). The gig was arranged by then Assemblyman Bill Morrow.
     You remember that guy. According to Wikipedia,

     Morrow was elected to the California State Assembly to represent the 73rd District in 1992. … In 1998, Morrow was elected to the California State Senate with 60% of the vote to represent the 38th District. In 2000, he ran for the Congressional seat of retiring Representative Ron Packard and came in second to Darrell Issa.... Morrow was reelected to the Senate in 2002 with 66% of the vote.

 

     Morrow, an off-road vehicle enthusiast, was caught and cited in 1996 by a ranger for doing "doughnuts" in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in a four-wheel-drive vehicle with special legislative license plates.
. . .
     In 2005, Morrow made headlines when he formally joined the Minutemen anti-illegal immigration organization, serving several weekends watching the U.S./Mexico border near the small border community of Campo, California.
     Morrow also became a hero to the skateboarding community. He pushed laws that reduced liability for skateboard accidents, making it feasible for cities to build skateboard parks.
     A conservative Christian, Morrow also is a prominent advocate for "traditional family values." He is a pro-life leader on abortion issues and an opponent to experimentation on human embryonic stem cells. In 2005-06 Morrow authored Senate Constitutional Amendment 1, which limit marriage to "one man-one woman."
. . .

     Toward the end of his tenure in the California Senate Morrow sponsored the controversial "Students Bill of Rights," which was modeled on David Horowitz's Academic Bill of Rights. Morrow introduced the bill "to help protect students in our public education system from harassment and abuse." However, some critics alleged that the bill's vaguely worded requirements—e.g., to respect the "unsettled character" of the social sciences and humanities—denied the distinction between plausible theories and implausible theories, giving theories like Holocaust denials an academic respect not warranted by the evidence." This criticism was given further support when Morrow publicly claimed the bill "treats all ideological perspectives the same." In addition, the bill required social science and humanities faculty to "provide students with dissenting sources and viewpoints." Given the bill's vague criteria, some critics alleged that this requirement could be used to force faculty to cover implausible theories in their classes. Though the bill gained some media attention, it never made it out of committee….

     Morrow also spoke at the 1996 Saddleback “Oliver North” event.
     Here are some excerpts from the Times article covering the event (written by Michael Granberry):

     …North was ready to field his first question.
     The young man approached the microphone in the brightly lit Saddleback College gym and wanted to know about a recent newspaper series. Was what he had read [see] in the San Jose Mercury News really true, the man asked:

     Did a connection exist between the Nicaraguan Contras whom North once supported and drug dealers in South-Central Los Angeles, who allegedly helped fund the Contras with proceeds from the sale of crack cocaine?
     For the first time all day, North appeared momentarily flustered. Coy and cool from the moment he set foot on campus and embraced by virtually every adoring fan who extended a hand or hug, he suddenly sounded irked.
     Calling it "a frivolous, crazy question," North, 52, told the man: "I want to be very specific. I do not know, nor have I ever known, anyone who would tolerate drugs coming into this country. . . .
     "Where were these accusers in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 . . . when Congress conducted one of its longest inquisitions in history" into allegations that North masterminded a plan to finance the Contra rebels in Nicaragua by selling weapons to the Iranian government.
     "Where were they then?" he demanded. "Can you tell me that?"
     North's response was punctuated with more thunderous applause from the highly partisan crowd that packed one entire side of the Saddleback Gauchos basketball arena and included a who's who of Orange County's Republicans.
. . .

     North was convicted of aiding in the obstruction of Congress, accepting illegal gratuities and destroying documents. The courts overturned his convictions on appeal in 1990.
     [Predicted] protests failed to materialize, with only one 60-year-old man from Dana Point holding up a sign that read "California Is Clinton Country" and jockeying for position with a handful of dark-suited students from the Young Americans for Freedom [see]. The latter group wore "YAF" on their lapels and carried such banners as "United We Stand, Liberal We Fall" and "Ollie Never Went Whitewater Rafting."
     Aurnie Sutliffe, who appeared to be the lone Democrat anywhere in the vicinity, was outside the gym arguing to anyone who would listen that a Clinton supporter ought to be given equal time—even in Orange County, where recent polls show Clinton running neck-and-neck with challenger Bob Dole. "At a college of higher education, both sides ought to be given the opportunity to present their views," said Sutliffe, who seemed genuinely surprised upon being greeted warmly by a smiling North, who spotted the pro-Clinton sign en route to the gym and walked over to pump Sutliffe's hand and thank him for coming.
     Moments later, North said he agreed with Sutliffe—that college campuses ought to be forums of every political view, even if it meant having to listen to the likes of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
     "And furthermore," North told a reporter, "I'd be disappointed if there weren't a few protesters."
. . .

     An ex-Marine who rose to fame as a key player in the Iran-Contra arms deal, North was invited to Saddleback College by Assemblyman Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside), who introduced North and the subject of his speech, "Is the U.S. Constitution Still Relevant?"
     It is relevant, said North, who wore his boyish, gap-toothed grin most of the day and whose answers occasionally provoked murmurs of surprise among the crowd, though in no way chilling their enthusiasm.
     After being serenaded by a drill team that wore glittery American flags as tight-fitting vests, and getting to meet the great-great-grandson of Francis Scott Key, North took aim at the street curfews imposed on teenagers by some cities. Hitler, he said, was a big fan of such curfews….

How's this for communication? The Foundation event shell game

     If one goes to the page announcing the IVC Foundation "Golf Classic," one now encounters the above. (Announcement.)
     How odd. Back on May 21 (see graphic below), IVC Prez Roquemore announced that people were "lining up" for the June 10 tourney. Now, it seems, the event has been rescheduled to an unspecified date in the Fall: "The...Golf Classic will take place on Fall 2014...."
     On Fall? Used to be "on Tuesday." Now it's "on Fall."
     And why no announcement that the June Classic has been cancelled and rescheduled?
     Golly.
     Here's what the webpage looked like previously:

     —They're a curious bunch, this crew that runs IVC. They're really not much into the "communication" thing, are they?
     Or the honesty thing.

Roquemore's Pravda piece, May 21: "Sponsors are lining up..."

Zot

UC Irvine's Antsy 'Eaters (OC Weekly)
Is the university doing as much as it can to help students with mental-health issues?

…UCI has seen more student suicides over the past eight years than any other university in Orange County: 11. In 2006, a UCI undergraduate leapt to her death from an 11th-story window at a hotel in Atlanta. A year later, a male undergraduate was found in a social-sciences building with a fatal gunshot wound to his head. A year after that, a male transfer student suffered a gunshot injury to the head while in Fontana. In 2010, an international graduate engineering student was discovered by a pair of hikers with a plastic bag over his head days after he had disappeared from his apartment, taking nothing but some petty cash. Last year, a prominent LGBT speaker jumped to his death from the top of a parking structure as other students looked on….