What is the Future of Public Schools?

Mission Viejo is fortunate to have non-political parents who are leaders for public education. These are not the city council majority members who posture at meetings and talk about education only to further their political careers. One of Mission Viejo’s parent leaders sent the following link about the increasing turmoil in public schools:

http://www.heartland.org/policybot/results/11496/Taking_the_Parent_out_of_the_National_PTAan_ exclusive_interview_with_Charlene_K_Haar.html

From the article: “PTA parents in general are concerned about what’s happening at their local schools, and the PTA leadership at the local schools deserves a great deal of praise: They do all of the work and raise all of the money that supports the state organization as well as the national organization. They get very little in return, except to see that their work is making a difference at their local schools.”

When Charlene K. Haar (author, “The Politics of the PTA”) was conducting research about schools, she received an accusatory letter from a PTA headquarters when she asked about the organization’s nonprofit tax return. It said her intentions appeared suspicious. After receiving the letter, Haar stepped up her research efforts.

Haar reviewed the decline in PTA membership. In 1965, the PTA had more than 12 million members. By 2003, it had less than half that number, despite dues of $1.75.

From the article: “[In the 1960s] the NEA decided to transform itself into a teacher union like its rival, the American Federation of Teachers. It was a time of great turmoil in the school systems, with many, many strikes for various and sundry reasons, with parents unsure of whether to side with the school administrators or the teachers.

“Although the PTA had moved out of the NEA headquarters in 1953, there was still a very close relationship between them. Many teachers were leaders in the PTA, just as they are today. The NEA let it be known that if PTAs continued to support the school board during teacher strikes, the NEA would pull its teachers out and start a competing organization. The PTA was afraid of losing members, and so, in 1968, the PTA Board of Directors--not the membership--set a policy declaring that, in teacher strikes, the PTA would not oppose the teachers and the teachers’ union. This eliminated parental support for the administration.

“Up to that point in time, administrators had made the majority of the decisions in dealing with school functions. But when the teacher union came in, union contracts affected not only the terms and conditions of the teachers but also other school operations parents were interested in, such as teacher assignments. Parents still are interested in these other issues, but local PTAs can no longer provide any support to parents who wish to challenge union positions. In fact, a few years ago at the NEA convention, NEA President Keith Geiger reminded the PTA that its locals were bound by PTA policy not to challenge the teacher union positions in collective bargaining.”

Other insight from Haar:

“The PTA came out strongly against a private school tax credit bill that was proposed in the U.S. Congress in 1977. They’re very much opposed to vouchers and tax credits of any kind, and even private schooling itself. They’re not keen on home schooling, either, and that is the ultimate in parental involvement. With charter schools, the PTA wants the same or more oversight as the regular public school system. In fact, they have adopted the same negative position about charter schools as the NEA.”

Haar’s advice to parents:

“… go to our Web site at www.educationpolicy.org, where I have placed general directions. Or, better yet, go to PTOToday.com and enjoy visiting with others who have disaffiliated from the PTA and started independent parent-teacher organizations.”

Adopt a Pothole

Residents who expect the city to discover street damage are finding they need to notify city hall if they want repairs. Call (949) 470-8405 to report the location of potholes.

Years of drought have been the saving grace of deferred street maintenance in Mission Viejo. With recent rains, residents are noticing the fragile condition of many streets. Watchdogs who have estimated the cost of bringing all streets up to good condition say the bill would be astronomical.

Who Will Investigate?
Letter to the editor

The city of Mission Viejo seems to have the eye of those involved in law enforcement once again, and in a way that’s suspect. I am referring to the $100,000-plus campaign donation from the deputies’ union to oppose the recall of Lance MacLean.

Unprecedented expenditures, possibly for politically purposes, involving the OC Sheriff’s Dept., occurred in the November 2000 election. Roger Faubel and Bill Craycraft were running as council incumbents. Faubel lost despite a reported $50,000 in police expenditures, which were not authorized by the City Council. The expense to the city was incurred to protect the incumbents’ campaign signs but not any other candidates’ signs.

The OC Register and other newspapers published editorials on the subject back then, questioning how the OCSD city contract was used to support incumbents, perhaps with an apparent bias in doing so.

Add to the current situation that Sheriff Sandra Hutchinson, a non-elected county official, replaced Jack Anderson as the Interim Sheriff. In my opinion, she dismissed him following her appointment to Sheriff because he was her biggest political threat in her upcoming election. He is a resident of Mission Viejo and a former Commissioner.

Assuming the deputies’ union proceeds with supporting favored politicians in all the cities they contract with, I wonder about that. Just who do we call on to investigate any improper actions regarding conflict of interest issues?

Bo Klein

Analysis of the Feb. 2 Election
by Joe Holtzman

MacLean has been recalled. Now let’s get down to some interesting facts.

MacLean had the financial backing/support of special interest that has never been seen in a local Mission Viejo election before.   

When the final totals come in, I believe MacLean's supporters’ contributions will exceed approximately $140,000.

Examples of MacLean contributors (and supporters):

• The Association of Orange County Sheriff Deputies ponied up, by my estimate, $105,000 and most likely more.
• The Orange County Apartment Association kicked in over $4,000.

MacLean’s other contributors include:

• CH2M Hill, a worldwide construction management and consulting firm.
• Committee for Improved Public Policy, a Costa Mesa-based developer-funded Political Action Committee
• CR&R Inc., a trash hauler expected to bid on Mission Viejo’s upcoming $100 million trash contract
• Waste Management, a trash hauler expected to bid on Mission Viejo’s upcoming $100 million trash contract
• Judith Ware of Ware Disposal, a trash hauler expected to bid on Mission Viejo’s upcoming $100 million trash contract
• Designed to Win, Inc., a Santa Ana entity with unknown interests
• Kenneth Kachigian, Sr. Partner of Brownstein-Hyatt-Farber-Schreck, a large litigation firm with 12 offices throughout the U.S.
• Sharon  Cody – former mayor and DAWG leader
• Susan Wilson – LAFCO board member and former Planning Commissioner
• Sherri Butterfield – former mayor who failed to be re-elected after Brown Act conviction
• Santa Ana Diesel, Inc., a Santa Ana company
• Robert D. Thornton, an attorney with Nossaman LLP, which was retained by the OC Toll Road Agencies
• Susan Withrow, former MV councilwoman who failed to be re-elected after Brown Act conviction
• Scott Taylor & Associates, professional campaign consulting firm
• The South Orange County Chamber of Commerce
• Dave Leckness and his support network
• Friends of the Library led by John Maginnis
• Council member Trish Kelley
• Dan Avery (although having his support as a benefit is questionable)

(Note this is only a partial list.)

Teamed up against this massive amount of financial support were some concerned citizens of Mission Viejo, aware Mission Viejo taxpayers and alert residents. My estimate is the pro-recall group (including Dale Tyler) may have spent approximately only 25 percent of what the MacLean supporters spent.

What does this prove? "Justice and Virtue Ultimately Prevail!"

My predictions: Leckness will be more civil than MacLean. Leckness just may open a council meeting with a five-minute standup comic routine; that will be certainly more entertaining than Lance's diatribes.

I am now investigating where certain supporters of MacLean have registered their brooms: California or Transylvania.

Recall Update

The recall of ex-councilman Lance MacLean is history, and time is limited for him to request a recount. Does anyone think the Registrar of Voters didn’t carefully count votes in this election?

Per Election Code Section 15620, MacLean has five days from February 3, 2010, the date of certification, to decide whether to request a full recount. If there is a recount, MacLean will be responsible for all costs and will be required to deposit an amount determined by the Registrar of Voters that will cover the costs for that day's counting. All interested parties can attend the recount, which must be done in public.

New information about MacLean is emerging. In the face of another police report about violence, MacLean’s apologists will get to choose whether or not to continue clamoring about a “groundless recall.” MacLeanites have already embarrassed themselves by challenging the veracity of a UCI police report and other evidence of his violence.

The deputies union throwing more than $100,000 into opposing MacLean’s recall is a stunning display of hypocrisy with law enforcement’s protecting an elected official with a history of violence.

The Buzz

The biggest surprise about the Feb. 2 recall election of Lance MacLean was the close outcome. Nearly everyone correctly predicted MacLean would be recalled. Informal surveys by the pro-recall group (at storefronts and by calling precinct lists) found that residents wanted to recall MacLean by a wide margin. In the event MacLean claims he had the support of those who didn’t vote, surveys found he did not.

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During the Feb. 1 council meeting, opponents of the recall lined up to make public comments. As a noteworthy twist, almost none of them said anything favorable about MacLean. Among those speaking against the recall was former councilwoman Sherri Butterfield, who was found guilty of numerous Brown Act violations and trounced when she ran for reelection in 2002. Her comments probably didn’t help the anti-recall cause.

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When discussing the removal of campaign signs after the election, a recall supporter said, “Just let the deputies union and MacLean’s supporters take down our signs. They’ve taken nearly all of ours during the campaign.” All kidding aside, the pro-recall supporters quickly picked up their own signs after the election.

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What do voters think of automated phone calls? Here’s a reaction from a Mission Viejo resident: “I had been out of town following a death in the family before the election. When I returned home and listened to phone messages, I expected to hear the voices of friends and neighbors who were concerned about me. Instead, I had a number of robocalls from the likes of Trish Kelley and the deputies union. Calls like that are tacky at any time, and they were particularly offensive last week.”

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Join the Citizen Power Campaign by attending a rally at 10 a.m. on Sat., Feb. 13, at the Slidebar in Fullerton. The purpose is to support Unplug the Political Machine by qualifying the Paycheck Protection Initiative for the ballot. A message from the campaign: “Unlike the rest of us, public employee labor unions don't have to ask their members for a political donation, they just take it. Labor union bosses legally extract money from the paychecks of public employees to fill the coffers of their political slush funds.” The $100,000-plus from the deputies union to interfere in Mission Viejo’s recall of Lance MacLean should serve as a memorable example.

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All the outsiders and all of Frank Ury’s moneymen couldn’t put MUK together again.

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Here’s a question for anyone who believed the false statement that recall supporters were eager to end the OC Sheriff’s Dept. contract. Who would replace OCSD – the Keystone Cops? While OCSD might not be popular with everyone, a city-run police department under the thumb of an ethically challenged city manager sounds a lot worse than OCSD.