Dissent the Blog

There's a can of worms here somewhere

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:20:00 +0000

Public administrator sues to get his job back (OC Reg)

John S. Williams, who is disputing whether he retired from his elected position as the county’s public administrator, has sued the county to be restored to the post and to regain access to his office, from which he has been locked out.
A hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday at Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana on Williams’ petition for a writ of mandate ordering the county to restore him to his elected office, County Counsel Nick Chrisos confirmed….

Fireside Chat #2

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:44:00 +0000

South Orange County Community College District Chancellor Gary Poertner has issued yet another of his “Chancellor’s Perspectives,” which, coming within memory of his predecessor's 8-year reign of (essentially) Republican misrule (see The Wrecking Crew), come across like goshdarn Rooseveltian fireside chats. I present an abridged version. (Do use the link to read the whole thing.)
The upshot is that, in the last year, substantial steps have been taken to remove obstacles (apneas?) to what I’ve called the “ATEP dream," i.e., the flowering of fancy and impressive technical whizbangery, including partnerships with Big Money People, out where the Marines used to keep their helicopters in Tustin.
Perhaps most crucial were the two acts of clarification—regarding ATEP “ownership” (between the two colleges)—that occurred at Monday’s meeting of the SOCCCD Board of Trustees.
For IVC, it was a "good news/bad news" development. On the one hand, the notion nurtured at the college that IVC has special ownership of ATEP is now, officially, toast. On the other hand, Poertner's Solomonic decision to cut ATEP in half--each college gets half of the baby, including matching pink and blue buildings of equal square footage!--really favors IVC, given that Saddleback College is twice IVC's size. (On the third hand, there's so much space out at ATEP, each college can pretty much pursue its own projects and programs; but the money's still gotta come from the district, and it's hard to imagine that that moola will be equal. It'll likely go to whoever's got the tastier plans to sell to the BOT. Am I wrong?)

CHANCELLOR’S PERSPECTIVE:

It has been 13 months since I became Chancellor and promised in my first opening session to facilitate a resolution on issues related to ATEP, including what its focus would be and whether it would involve one or two colleges. Over the past several years, the district and colleges have struggled with ATEP issues that caused unnecessary friction district-wide. I have worked diligently to facilitate discussions with the college presidents and board of trustees in order to resolve these issues that impede progress. I am happy to report the following accomplishments and outcomes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND APPROVALS
There were many policy decisions that needed to be made in order to pave the way for progress. Over the past year, the board of trustees:
Reaffirmed their values and commitment to all students in the SOCCCD service area by reiterating that ATEP is, and always was, intended for both colleges to develop career technical education, workforce development and advanced technology training in order to meet the priorities set by the Board of Governors and State Chancellor’s office and contribute to the economy. At the board meeting earlier this week, the board approved two agenda items related to this. The first was to re-affirm the colleges’ original service areas and to identify ATEP as an independent service area for use by both colleges for career technical, workforce development and advanced technology training. The second agenda item specified that the land at ATEP would be available to both colleges in equal proportions.
. . .
Reallocated and approved $12.5 million in basic aid to help pay for the next buildings.
. . .
Supported discussions with the City of Tustin and County of Orange to facilitate land swaps of equal proportion that will provide an improved land configuration and allow for increased square footage build-out and better traffic flow. It is estimated that we could build between 900,000 and 1.7 million square feet on the 68 acres. That is enough square footage for the two colleges to do just about any programs they want, and it will also provide the district with ample land to develop partnerships to help pay for it….
Heard presentations from the colleges in September and December about proposed programs and partnership development for the site….

No fireside chats for Mathur, unless
he was roasting someone on a spit

DELINEATION OF RESPONSIBILITIES
At this point, policy decisions have been made, barriers have been removed and the board has signaled its support to accelerate the development at ATEP. Who will be responsible for what? District Services will continue to oversee site development, facilities planning, future partner ground and space lease agreements and funding efforts as is the case with other district/college development projects. The colleges will be responsible for identifying instructional programs, developing curriculum and offering classes at ATEP through their own planning processes. The college presidents are providing leadership to collaborate on a mutual agreement that will define the programs each college will offer at ATEP. As soon as this is accomplished, architectural programming, site planning and pending funding pursuits for the next buildings can continue.
The work that was appropriate for District Services, putting the foundation in place for the project to proceed, has been accomplished for the initial college building phases. Now the responsibility lies with the college presidents, academic senates, faculty and staff to make this goal and board direction a reality.
Everything is now in place for real progress to be made at ATEP and I hope that resolving these lingering issues will pave the way for increased cooperation and collaboration district-wide so we can move forward to better serve the needs of our community….

p.s.
In his “OC Politics” blog, occasionally self-destructive and routinely off-the-wall local politico, Art Pedroza, has written a semi-critical (and vaguely laudatory) “good-bye” to Tom Fuentes: O.C. Republicans Fuentes and Royce, Sr. wrap up their political careers. You might find it semi-amusing. Probably not.

Smouldering, anyway

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:34:00 +0000

     We got a couple of favorable mentions today in our pal Vern’s piece in today’s OC Blog (Is the OC’s tumor John Williams leaving or not? Carlson out in AD-74).
     He notes our involvement in early (and persistent) effort to draw attention to John Williams’ incompetence and corruption.
     Then he turns to Frank Mickadeit’s recent hagiographical crap about Tom Fuentes asking Keith Carlson to drop out of a race:

     ...Well, Schroeder lost that battle when sainted and moribund OC GOP chairman emeritus (and priest-abuse apologist) Tom Fuentes called Allan and Keith to his bedside and begged them to work this out for GOP unity. Homoerotic cigar-chomping courtier-columnist Frank Mickadeit has the whole pastel scene. Keith is out. Our tireless colleague Roy Bauer – who’s been on fire lately – reminds us of some history and what the scene was probably really like, with an appropos 15-year old passage from the Times:

     …The list of people who accuse Fuentes of trying to arm-twist them into abandoning bids for public office includes a host of loyal Republicans: Assemblywoman Marilyn C. Brewer (R-Irvine), former Newport Beach Mayor Evelyn R. Hart, former Superior Court Judge Judith Ryan and management consultant Nathan Rosenberg.
     All of them, at one time or another, sought the Republican nomination for public office. None heeded Fuentes’ advice, but only Brewer won the nomination.
     “He said my business would be ruined, and that my husband’s business would be ruined,” said Ryan, a challenger to U.S. Rep. Robert K. Dornan for his seat in 1992. “I was taken aback.”
     Fuentes calls Ryan’s charges “ridiculous,” but he does not deny that he tries to dissuade people from running against GOP officeholders.
     “I am staunchly loyal to incumbents,” Fuentes said. “I make no excuses for that.”….

Yeah, Frank. What about that?

Greer v. Supes (whose attorney is, um, Greer)

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:15:00 +0000

Williams Staying Put, Vows Court Battle (Voice of OC)

     Arguing he is an independently elected official, Orange County Public Administrator John Williams threatened a court battle this week unless county supervisors relent and allow him back into his office.
     County supervisors have locked Williams out, arguing he effectively resigned last March when Williams offered to retire in exchange for a reprieve from recall efforts over his mismanagement of the office.
     Earlier this week, Willliams' attorney [Phil Greer]* advised CEO Tom Mauk that he had simply changed his mind and no longer intended to retire. Supervisors, through their county counsel, have advised Williams that his resignation is final saying there's no turning back.
     While Williams' bio is still prominently displayed on the Public Administrator's website, he's been locked out of his office and the county is mailing him his final paycheck.
. . .
     By early 2011, supervisors had stripped him of his public guardian role and appointed an executive manager to take over operations for the public administrator post. Finally, Williams agreed to a deal whereby he would be able would retire on Jan. 23, 2012.
     Now, Williams' lawyer, Phil Greer, is promising to go to court for injunctive relief by Friday if supervisors don't back off from their demands that he leave his job.
     "It's improper and possibly illegal," said Greer, who has represented several [in fact, 4 of the 5] supervisors in recent years. "The board doesn't have the ability under the law, the California Constitution or the county charter to do what they've attempted to do. There was no retirement or resignation on the part of the Mr. Williams."
. . .
     It's the third time in recent years that county supervisors are dealing with the unseating of a countywide-elected official, having witnessed the removal of Sheriff Mike Carona over a federal indictment and the stripping of investment powers from Treasurer-Tax Collector Chriss Street.
. . .
     Campbell repeated numerous times in an interview that: "John Williams is an honorable man. He put it in writing to me that he intended to resign," Campbell said. "Why wouldn't we take him at his word?"….

*You'll recall that the SOCCCD paid Tom Fuentes' crony Phil Greer $25,000 to represent Raghu Mathur in his "negotiations" with the district—negotiations rendered necessary by (1) Don Wagner's desire to fire Mathur's conniving ass and (2) Fuentes and Williams' opportunity to give crony Mathur the best "deal" (i.e., fabulous cash prizes) whilst simultaneously tossing a fabulous cash prize to their Republican crony Greer, a fellow with a history of ethics issues but a nice ability to collect valuable cash prizes whilst hanging with Republicans in government (e.g., four of the five Supes of the OC Board of Supes).

Santorum attacks colleges again, doesn't know what he's talking about, is asshole

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:20:00 +0000

Santorum Attacks Colleges on Religion, Politics (Inside Higher Ed)

Rick Santorum, the Republican presidential candidate, on Wednesday again bashed colleges in a campaign appearance, urging those at a campaign event to stop giving contributions to colleges, CBS News reported. "It's no wonder President Obama wants every kid to go to college," he said. "The indoctrination that occurs in American universities is one of the keys to the left holding and maintaining power in America. And it is indoctrination. If it was the other way around, the ACLU would be out there making sure that there wasn't one penny of government dollars going to colleges and universities, right?" Santorum also accused colleges of being anti-religion, and of turning students against religion. "If they taught Judeo-Christian principles in those colleges and universities, they would be stripped of every dollar. If they teach radical secular ideology, they get all the government support that they can possibly give them. Because you know 62 percent of children who enter college with a faith conviction leave without it." (Several recent studies contradict Santorum's ideas on the relationship between higher education and faith. One study in fact found that while many young adults become less religious, the declines are greater among those who don't attend college than those who do.)

Mixed Portrait of Freshman Political Views (Chronicle of Higher Education)

New research reveals that college freshmen hold increasingly liberal views on key social issues like same-sex marriage and rights for illegal immigrants. But the progressive viewpoints haven't translated into significantly greater levels of activism or heightened enthusiasm for national politics….

OK, let's see Colantuono's report!

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:58:00 +0000

Public administrator refuses to leave office (OC Reg)

     John S. Williams, the county’s embattled public administrator and former public guardian, is refusing to leave office as he had said he intended to do.
     Williams in March signed a letter to Bill Campbell, who was then chairman of the county’s Board of Supervisors, stating “It is my intention to retire as Public Administrator – Public Guardian on Jan. 23, 2012.”
     However, Williams recently notified county officials that he does not intend to retire, and he reported to work on Tuesday, Jan. 24, staying at his office until about 2 p.m., said his attorney, Phil Greer. After Williams left, county workers moved in to change the locks on his office.
     John Moorlach, current chairman of the Board of Supervisors, released a letter dated Tuesday to Williams from County Counsel Nicholas Chrisos.
     “(T)he purported oral notice to the CEO and to me via your counsel that you desire to rescind your nine-month old resignation, is not effective,” Chrisos wrote.
     Moorlach said he told County Executive Officer Tom Mauk “we could change the locks and he’s off the payroll effective the 23rd.”
     Williams, 60, has served as the county’s elected public administrator since 2003. He had also served as the appointed public guardian until the Board of Supervisors fired him from that role in June amid accusations of mismanagement.
. . .
     Williams was most recently reelected Public Administrator in June 2010, when he received 204,175 votes, or 58.4 percent of the total cast in a four-way race. His term expires in January 2015.
     “They cannot throw an elected official out,” Greer said, adding that county officials are “behaving completely outside the scope of the law.”
     Williams won’t attempt to return to work while he is locked out, Greer said. “We’re not going to go in there and have some kind of confrontation. We’re trying to resolve this with the county if we can’t do that, we’ll obviously be in court,” Greer said.
     The Board made several agreements with Williams in exchange for his resignation, according to the letter from Crisos:

“(1) The Board allowed you tor [sic] remain as the Public Administrator for a one year period following the beginning of your term of office, which commenced in January 2011, at your full salary for both Public Administrator and Public Guardian, even though the Board had the power to reduce your salary when it removed you as Public Guardian; (2) The Board would not publicly release the highly critical report of your performance prepared for the Board by Special Counsel, Michael Colantuono; (3) The Board discussed with the CEO the option for the CEO to, within his authority, retain you as a consultant to the County for transition purposes.”

Williams never formally resigned or retired, Greer said. Williams’ letter to Campbell “indicated he was considering retiring around the first of the year,” Greer said….

SEE ALSO:

• John Williams Told to Stay Away from Public Administrator Office He Was Forced Out Of (Navel Gazing)
• O.C. administrator won't step down, is locked out of office (LA Times)

Spitzer weighs in

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:50:00 +0000

One of the comments that this morning's VOC article (about former trustee John Williams) attracted today is by former Assistant DA (and current Supervisorial candidate) Todd Spitzer. It reads in part:

     Is this really a shocker that the disgraced, former, PA/PG John Williams would refuse to leave despite his written promise to resign effective Monday? He should have been walked out of the County once it completed its outside audit of his mismanagement practices, pension spiking and inflated salaries. The County had to replace the locks to keep John Williams out. Unbelievable. We have had Mike Carona, Chriss Street and now John Williams when the County is supposed to be more accountable.
     Yes, I lost my job as an Assistant DA because I unknowingly called the Public Guardian on behalf of a crime victim to inquire whether the PG had an on-going investigation. I had no idea that the DA's fiance, Peggy Buff, was the Assistant Public Guardian. I had no idea until about a month later that he was involved in taking over the TapOut case and was reversed by the Court of Appeal. I did not know then that Williams's scheme was to go after decedents' estates in order to gain the court ordered administrative fees so that Williams could offset his padded and bloated budget with those fees after he was warned by the Board of Supervisors to get his fiscal mess in order about a year earlier.
     Williams was stripped of his duties; Buff was demoted and because of her political connections landed another job in another county department and the DA's staff assisted in helping Williams craft a press release to make me look like the bad guy which continues through their spin today.
     I was let go because I uncovered a needle in a haystack which led to another OC scandal involving a lot of high powered political figures…. [My emphases.]

     Gosh, what do Mike Carona, Chriss Street, and John Williams have in common?
     Each was championed (as a public official) by OC GOP kingmaker--and, since 2000, SOCCCD trustee--Tom Fuentes.
     Fuentes was instrumental in having Carona--now serving time in federal prison--receive Irvine Valley College's "Hometown Hero" designation. Carona was invited to numerous IVC events, such as 911 commemoration ceremonies.
     Fuentes arranged to have former OC Treasurer Chriss Street give occasional presentations before the SOCCCD Board of Trustees.
     Fuentes helped Williams secure the Public Administrator gig in 2003, despite Williams' utter lack of qualifications.

Williams won't leave?!

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:57:00 +0000

Orange County's Public Administrator Won't Leave (Voice of OC)

[Note: Voice of OC has since UPDATED this story. Use link above.]

Last March, Orange County's embattled Public Administrator John Williams staved off a political execution by agreeing with the Board of Supervisors to retire on Jan. 23, 2012, which was Monday.
But despite that agreement – and an order to change the locks on his office door – Williams showed up for work anyway.
On Tuesday, he was officially told not to come back.
"The Board of Supervisors accepted your resignation as Public Administrator of Orange County effective January 23, 2012 up receipt of your letter of March 9, 2011," wrote County Counsel Nicholas Chrisos in a letter to Williams.
Williams' attorney and spokesman, Phil Greer, couldn't be reached for comment.
Williams has been a controversial figure in county government since 2009 when two scathing grand jury reports criticized his management of the offices of public administrator and public guardian, which oversee the complex estates of deceased people without heirs and those of indigent people.
The spotlight on Williams became intense in late 2010 when high-ranking assistant district attorney, Todd Spitzer,was fired by Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas after looking into allegations that Williams was mishandling a case involving a domestic violence victim.
The controversy was fueled by the fact that Rackauckas' fiance′, Peggy Buff, was Williams' second in command.
The Spitzer affair also drew a heightened focus on how Williams ran his office. An investigation determined that the county faced potential legal liability over mismanaged estates.
In the wake of the investigation, Buff was quietly moved into a six-figure job at the county despite a hiring freeze because of her relationship with Rackauckas.
Meanwhile, county supervisors, like John Moorlach, who were one-time political mentors to Williams as a fellow Republican quickly turned on him. They stripped him of his public guardian role. And appointed an executive manager to take over operations for the public administrator post.
It was the third crisis between county supervisors and a countywide elected official in recent years.
In 2008, supervisors had to figure out how to get then-Sheriff Mike Carona to step down. By the next year, they had to figure out how to get rid of then-Treasurer Tax Collector Chriss Street. And by 2010, Williams was under pressure to leave.
County supervisors can't remove an independently elected office holder like Williams.
So whether it's a federal indictment in Carona's case, or a bankruptcy-related lawsuit for Street or Williams' mismanagement, these countywide elected officials can't be forced to resign. They can only be recalled.
That was the road that Williams was on back in March until his attorney, Phil Greer, was able to broker his resignation.
Under the terms of that deal, as described by Chrisos in his Jan. 24 letter to Williams, he was able to stay in office with his full salary of $153, 206 even though all his official duties were handled by others appointed by county officials.
For example, Lucille Lyon was appointed Public Guardian in July.
Supervisors also placed an initiative on the June ballot that would transform the Public Adminstrator back into an appointed position.
On Tuesday, Moorlach said Williams – whom he once supported – had become a poster child for the campaign to turn the post back into an appointed slot.
Yet Chrisos' letter also noted that county supervisors had previously agreed to keep a lid on Williams' mismanagement of his agency by not releasing the results of their independent investigation to the public.
They even gave authority to CEO Tom Mauk to retain Williams as a private consultant during the transition, according to Chrisos letter.
Yesterday, supervisors apparently ran out of patience.
"The Board has fulfilled its portion of the obligation," Chrisos wrote. "Therefore, the purported oral notice to the CEO and to me via your counsel that you desire to rescind your nine-month old resignation, is not effective."
"Your final salary check and any leave payout will be mailed to you at your address on file. The CEO will separately determine the need to retain your services as a consultant."

Gosh, he must be soooooo wise

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:07:00 +0000

OC Register columnist Frank Mickadeit’s relationship to Tom Fuentes is, well, embarrassing. He hangs around ‘em like a puppy dog. He even genuflects.
Today, he tells the heroic tale of Fuentes, the old soldier, guiding the local party to victory with his dying breath, more or less:

Fuentes plays kingmaker from bedside (OC Reg)

For months, the remapping of the county's coastal Assembly seat, running from Huntington down to Laguna, has been a headache for conservative Republican leaders.
Last week, Huntington Beach Councilman Joe Carchio announced he is running for the new 74 Assembly District seat. This brought to four the number of Republicans in the race. The others: former state-party officer Keith Carlson, Newport Beach Councilwoman Leslie Daigle and Assemblyman Allan Mansoor, whose current district encompasses 20 percent of the new district.
Even before Carchio announced, the conservatives were worried that Carlson and Mansoor would beat up each other in June's primary, burn through money and pave the way for a Daigle win in November. They don't consider her a conservative.

Neither does Tom. You’ll recall that Tom was the guy who loved to label some of his colleagues in the GOP “RINOs” (Republicans in Name Only). I remember the time he called people "whores." He has no trouble judging who counts as a real Republican and who doesn't. And then he makes life difficult for those who don't measure up.
Sweet guy.
He seems to gravitate to felons, frauds, shysters, and creeps: Carona, Street, Rackauckas, Greer, Schroeder, et al.
He's very pious.
Mickadeit’s hagiography continues:

Enter Tom Fuentes.
As chairman of the Republican Party for two decades, he's had that talk a few times. I've had more than one politician tell me how angry – at least initially – they were when Fuentes told them not to challenge a more-experienced Republican….
Now, chairman emeritus [of] the county GOP and hobbled with cancer, Fuentes last Friday summoned Carlson and Mansoor to his bedside at his Lake Forest home. Current Chairman Scott Baugh and GOP insider Jon Fleischman were also there.
"It would be by the grace of God if I were around to vote for one or the other, so if I could offer a little counsel, that's about the best I can do at this point," Fuentes told me Tuesday.
"We just closed the bedroom door here and had a heart-to-heart. I've been convinced from the beginning that Keith and Allan are more devoted to the cause, the conservative movement, than to their own careers, and I think somebody just needed to remind them of that. I offered my sober reflection as best I could offer it, (in order to) avoid wasting conservative dollars. I don't feel it took a lot of nudging, we just needed an opportunity to lay it out on the table, or the bedspread, as it were."
In Fuentes' view, Mansoor, a former Costa Mesa mayor and sitting legislator, was clearly in a better position to take on Daigle than is Carlson, who has little name I.D. outside the party.
"The old chairman was saying we need party unity, and so I decided, yeah, (I'll) step down," Carlson said. "He makes a compelling case. It was not a strong-arm thing; he just wanted unity."

Yeah, whatever.
For the sake of balance, check out this article from the LA Times:

• Guiding With an Iron Hand (LA Times; Dexter Filkins) July 11, 1996

...The list of people who accuse Fuentes of trying to arm-twist them into abandoning bids for public office includes a host of loyal Republicans: Assemblywoman Marilyn C. Brewer (R-Irvine), former Newport Beach Mayor Evelyn R. Hart, former Superior Court Judge Judith Ryan and management consultant Nathan Rosenberg.
     All of them, at one time or another, sought the Republican nomination for public office. None heeded Fuentes' advice, but only Brewer won the nomination.
     "He said my business would be ruined, and that my husband's business would be ruined," said Ryan, a challenger to U.S. Rep. Robert K. Dornan for his seat in 1992. "I was taken aback."
     Fuentes calls Ryan's charges "ridiculous," but he does not deny that he tries to dissuade people from running against GOP officeholders.
     "I am staunchly loyal to incumbents," Fuentes said. "I make no excuses for that."....

Santorum's rules of honesty

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:05:00 +0000

The rules of a noisy Christian

Santorum: I don't need to correct claim Obama is Muslim (CBS news)

Rick Santorum said Monday he doesn't see the need to correct audience members who make misstatements. His comment came after a woman critical of President Obama at a forum misidentified the president as Muslim.
The woman told Santorum, "He is an avowed Muslim and my question is, why isn't something being done to get him out of our government?" Santorum responded: "Believe me ... I'm doing everything I can to get him out of the government."….

Here's what an honest man would do. He'd explain, first, that someone's being a Muslim (avowed or otherwise) is not a reason to "get him out of government."
Second, he'd explain that there is no reason to suppose that President Obama is a Muslim. On the contrary. He is, in fact, an avowed Christian.
Rick Santorum is not an honest man.
Neither are his followers, who listen to this crap without objection. (Well, obviously some of his followers are in yet another group: unbelievably ignorant people.)

Debra Morgan illustrates honest rhetoric

January's meeting of the SOCCCD Board of Trustees: despite some friction, ATEP moves forward

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:27:00 +0000

(See Tere's Board Highlights.)
It’s time once again for the monthly meeting of the SOCCCD Board of Trustees—that clueless crew that gets together exactly once a month to make decisions that they seem perennially incompetent to make. Well, at least the board is much less political than it used to be. How come? Fortuity, mostly.
Luckily, these days, we have a Chancellor who is very familiar with the colleges and who generally steers the board clear of folly.
Presently, the colleges await their fate at the hands of the accreditors, a crew that manages to be as clueless, in their own way, as trustees. Thou shalt devote many hours per faculty to SLOs, saith the accreditors. Would any intelligent being approach college accountability via SLOs? Absolutely not. Will that factoid slow the SLO speedwagon? Absolutely not. Can one find otherwise intelligent people defending this SLO cluster****? Yessireebob.
Plus there is our district’s (i.e., our board’s) continued embrace of the ATEP "dream," aka tossing big chunks of taxpayer money at the dirt 'n' derelicts of the old Tustin helicopter station in hopes of yielding—well, we-know-not-what. Reminding one of Sayre’s Law, in recent years, the ATEP “dream” has inspired a turf war between the district’s two colleges. It appears that, tonight, Chancellor Poertner will make like Solomon and cut that baby clean in two.
Long-term, the district faces serious money issues, like everyone else (see We need a $billion), but, short-term, we’re in high cotton—though said cotton (the basic aid gravy train) is projected to shrink with each year. Further, there are those in this state who, with increasing passion and focus, seek to toss us into the weeds along with everyone else.
About that, nervousness prevails.

* * *

It's 6:27, and the meeting is supposed to start at 6:30. A jacket hangs over Board President Nancy Padberg's chair, but no Nancy. Hmmmm.
6:40 — looks like the trustees are emerging. Roquemore and Poertner are huddling together. Looks pretty serious, i.e., Glenn doesn't have his usual plastic grimace.
6:44 — Nancy arrives. Aha! Bill Jay has returned (he's been absent for months). Now, if Tom Fuentes shows up, I'm just gonna freak! (He doesn't.)
6:46 — Nancy looks like she's ready for business. TJ Prendergast is talking with her. Everybody's here but Tom Fuentes, who I half expected to show up tonight just to piss me off. He's like that.
6:48 — Silence! The meeting begins!

Actions taken in closed session: nothing of consequence.
Lang does non-religious invocation. Pledge of Allegiance.

Resolutions:
(1) IVC comes up to receive a "resolution" for being selected as a "military-friendly school." So, as usual, somebody's getting a prize for getting a prize. Later, no doubt, IVC will get a prize for getting this resolution, ad infinitum. We get to use a "military-friendly" logo. I wonder if the logo will get a prize?
8 or so people stand up there near Glenn Roquemore basking in their resolutionariness. Marcia reads the resolution. "Very exciting," says Marcia, with little excitement. (She makes up for that a moment later by saying "aye" with such staccato violence that I have gone deaf.) There's applause. Speechifying occurs.
Glenn shows the plaque; he says he won't read it cuz it repeats what's already been said seven times. A photo op.
(2) Saddleback College President's Award for "leadership and innovation." Marcia produces much confusion over who should mention recipients—to the amusement of all. One of the honor recipients "passed away recently," says Burnett, which kind of takes the starch out of the thing. Some of the usual suspects up there: Claire, et al. No doubt they are deserving. Burnett explains that they're "all nominated by their colleagues."

PUBLIC COMMENTS:
Anna Maria Cobos — librarian, chair. Speaks in support of Academic Senate resolution (see later) re name of Library. She hopes that everyone will return in the fall to what is "really a new building." Let's embrace this by renaming it. (She joins the SC academic senate in asking that it no longer be named after James B. Utt, right-wing lunatic.)
Joseph Hassine and Shireen Ebrahim — two student leaders. An issue has been brought to us. UCLA has John Wooden. Boston U has MLK. Saddleback C has Ronald Reagan. Here we have "James B. Utt." He explains Utt's record. He quotes Utt's notorious remark about "barefooted Africans," etc., and mentions his opposition to Civil Rights legislation, etc. As a student, says Joseph, I believe that the college promotes diversity. James B. Utt doesn't stand for those things. Encourages the board to rename the library.

BOARD REPORTS:
Bill Jay — Glad to be vertical for a while. Thanks for the get-well cards, letters, etc.
Frank Meldau — wants to take a personal moment to introduce daughter, Anna, in the audience (she's very embarrassed, but she stand up; very attractive young lady). Looks forward to meeting with Chancellor. Will attend games, etc. Looking forward to "Astounding Inventions" this weekend at IVC.
Marcia Milchiker — we're delighted to have you back, Bill. Attended budget workshop at Saddleback College. Fitzsimons ran it, did a great job. We're doing great compared to many other colleges. We hire the best, and they're doing a great job. You can watch a video of the presentation.
TJ Prendergast — Got to attend staff holiday event at IVC. There's a photo out there of me wearing antlers. Attended intersession BBQ at IVC. Will be at Astounding Inventions.
Nancy Padberg — Missed the Presidents' cup games (IVC vs. SC basketball). The Academic Senate gave to SOCCCD services a plaque. She holds this up. Went to some event where our new trustee area boundaries were approved. Astounding Inventions this Saturday.
Dave Lang — Happy New Year. Wasn't aware of Trustee Jay's health travails — I'm glad that's he's back. Lang says there are some commentaries out there about areas and constituencies—driven by "student success" mandate that we now have. We'll need to spend more time on these areas as a board. Core (?) constituences—Emeritus, Community Education—I would hate to see reductions there. Those areas are important to us, especially to Saddleback College. Looking forward to those discussions.
Student trustee: (Nancy briefly skips this kid's turn and he either feigns or actually has a look, unmistakebly communicating offense. Sheesh.) Goes on about how he has managed to avoid buying textbooks, and yet has a 3.3 GPA. (Golly.) Goes to the Library and rents textbooks. Asks the board, please enable books to be rented. That would help lots of students.
Chancellor Poertner: two areas, already mentioned. One, redistricting approval from OC committee on school district organization. Student success task force? We'll wait to see what this means to us. We do not know yet.
Board requests for reports? None.

Discussion item: none tonight.
Consent calendar. Only one item pulled.

Solomon's wisdom

6.1 Service areas. IVC, Saddleback, and ATEP
Gary Poertner: board actions requested to help define development of ATEP. We're trying to answer the question: is ATEP within any particular service area? What about on ATEP campus?
Last spring, there was much discussion about whether there is a boundary line that defines the service areas. The notion of El Toro Rd. as boundary line came up. (We see crude map.) Research was done. The board defined this boundary in 1985, when IVC was first approved as an independent college. Foresaw possible difficulties.
This issue did come up to some degree. Well, if this is the line, does it follow that ATEP belongs to IVC? This agenda item reaffirms the line, but says that ATEP is not included in this definition. Back in 1985, there was no ATEP. Probably want to act on this first.

Lisa Davis Allen

IVC Senate President Lisa Davis Allen: some concerns expressed by IVC faculty. I'm requesting that we delay this item for one month for opportunity to get clarification for concerned faculty.
Padberg: this isn't about programs. I don't see the problem.
LDA: faculty have concerns about the service areas. The notion that IVC has area to north, etc.
Prendergast: can we wait a month, Gary?
Poertner: one month will likely not matter, unless it concerns the "new market tax credits." We need a program design for that. So we need to settle who has programs at ATEP. I don't know if this makes a difference.
Fitzsimons (Vice Chancellor of Business Services): yes, a month would make a difference. We need to show progress, and we're behind. Waiting could jeopardize our funding.
Poertner: Is it one college or two colleges at ATEP? 6.1 settles only that. (I'm not sure I understood his point.)
Padberg: I don't think we ever intended that the whole thing (ATEP) would go to one college! It would be very unfair to have all of that acreage controlled by one college.
Prendergast: we've been given clear presentations from both campuses—a month ago—so I don't understand what IVC faculty are concerned about.
LDA: I have received concerns from IVC faculty. They seek clarification on the service area inside ATEP—how it will create problems for the larger service area of IVC.
Padberg: I don't hear you saying the type of concerns.
Lang: I'm a bit confused about why IVC faculty need more time. This has been a long-standing issue in the district. I realize that there are lots of internal politics about this issue. But the Chancellor is only asking for clarification: are both colleges participating here, programatically? How would feedback in a month change anything?
LDA: Saddleback College senate was not made aware of programs until December. This hasn't been "shared out" to our senate either. Faculty have not been informed of programatic decisions(?). (I think that's what she's saying. Not sure.)
Padberg: this has been on agenda repeatedly. If faculty haven't paid attention, they bear some responsibility. We need to move forward. Nothing here will impact either college.
Meldau: the board wants to allow both campuses to make use of the facility, have programs. All we're asking here is to agree that there is an interest in having both colleges have access to land at ATEP. (Meldau has definitely been speaking up more in recent months. A good thing, I think.)
Matter carries unanimously.

Exhibit B: ATEP à la Solomon. Saddleback pink, IVC blue

6.2. Next question. How will each college participate in the ATEP property? Shows a map (exhibit B; see above). We don't actually own the property below the pink line on the map. We've been told for years that this would be settled. In the short run, we'll try to avoid land we can't build on. So we asked planners to plan so that both colleges share the land that we can build on. There's so much square footage here, there's lots of room for both colleges. Two sections: one for IVC, the other for SC. They are equivalent. Pink and blue on the map. We designate the "pink" building as SC; and the blue as IVC's building. For as long as there's disagreement, we can't go forward. We can always go back and repair our decision if it proves problematic. So 6.2 concerns these two 5 acre sections only (above the pink line).
Lang: I do have a problem here. Why can't we share the space of two buildings between the two colleges. Why are we locking into each college getting its own building?
Poertner: Saddleback's proposed use will be harder to share. Joint use of the facility would not be possible.
Lang: let's leave our options open here. Those with the best plans and programs should get set up first. Why lock into this two building idea? I have a problem with this concept plan.
Padberg: seems angry: Why don't you make an amendment to the motion? she shouts. Or so it seems to me, but I'm sensitive, as you know.
Lang: tries to speak, Nancy says no, others get to talk, dude.
Milchiker: we've been discussing ATEP for "way too long." (Understatement of the century.) We learned that ATEP cannot be run by the district. So each college has to have their own programs on ATEP, if there is to be accreditation. So we should give a portion to IVC, a portion to SC. Let's get moving. We can change things later. This will force the two colleges to start planning. So let's approve this. (I'm weirded out by how sensible Marcia sounds tonight.)
Poertner: another thought: when we begin building this out, there's nothing stopping us from sharing the first building and working out an agreement until the other building is built, etc. It is not absolutely necessary to have two buildings, but we've got to say there are two colleges, and here's each one's space. We need to make this decision. Let's go forward.
Prendergast: there's plenty of space out there. We don't have to worry about equity between the colleges. This is just getting the ball rolling.
Meldau: I like the idea of splitting the land. We have to get started. The process is taking way too long — it seems to drag out. Nothing we're doing here will inhibit process going forward. We want to get moving.
Lang: I don't want to delay the project any further either. I want to ask the Chancellor: how important is exhibit B (the map with two buildings) to the item?
Poertner: if we don't make a decision, we'll get in dutch with the tax credit thing.
Fitzsimons: we need parameters here. She goes into the tax credit stuff and my eyes are glazing over. We need to provide specific detail to give confidence to investors. We don't have that now.
Jay: this gives maximum flexibility, so will support it.
They vote: unanimous.

6.3 Nomination of blah, blah, blah.
6.4 review and study of policy revisions. Accepted, unanimously
6.5 Sabbaticals....
Milchiker: read all of the 19 sabbatical proposals. Fascinating. Can we have a presentation to the board of these sabbaticals?
LDA: it's a requirement to report results. Some of these can be presented to board. Sure.

6.6 Academic Personnel actions. Carries unanimously.
6.7 Classified Personnel actions. Carries unanimously.

Reports: (little or no discussion throughout)
7.1 Speakers
7.2 Basic Aid report
7.3 Retirement trust fund
7.4 Facilities plan status report
7.5 Financial status report
7.6 Interfund transfer of cash

Written reports: shared governance groups, etc.

James B. Utt

Saddleback College Academic Senate: resolution read. (See it here.) Senate recommends that the Library be renamed. Mentions Utt's record and remarks. The Library was never properly named. Senate Prez wants to "encourage" this as agenda item.
IVC Academic Senate, LDA: mentions lecture series, etc.
. . .
IVC President Roquemore: presentation before accreditors (ACCJC). Based on smiles in the room, seemed to go well. (Uh-oh.)
Saddleback Prez Burnett: also presented before the ACCJC. We hired a new financial aid directors. "We stoled him." Blah, blah, blah
Etc.

I should add that at least one student group (Saddleback College student government) supported the Saddleback College Academic Senate "library" resolution. So the trustees were getting it from all directions.
That was about it.

Rebel Girl's Gallery Corner: It's a Small World

noreply@blogger.com (Rebel Girl) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:11:00 +0000

Small World But Not If You Have to Clean It - by Barbara Kruger (1990)

An occasional series for those moments when Rebel Girl is forced to admit she has no words.
None.
Nada.

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Announcing Red Emma’s literary column in OC Weekly

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:48:00 +0000

This morning, our pal Gustavo Arellano introduces a new column:

Introducing Our New Weekly Books Column with the Bibliofella!

Its author? None other than Dissent the Blog’s RED EMMA—he of the literary radio show on KPFK.
Check out Red’s introduction to himself and his blog above.
But please know that, were James B. Utt alive, he’d be all over this shit.

Dissent the Blog echoes

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:31:00 +0000

In this morning’s Sunday OC News Notes, Navel Gazer R. Scott Moxley notes that

It's not surprising that a public library at a local community college was named for an ultra-conservative politician who opposed the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act in the 1960s and now the Academic Senate at Saddleback College is seeking a new name, according to Dissent the Blog. They wonder: Will college trustee, uncle Tom Fuentes step in to protect the shameful memory of James B. Utt? Or will Fuentes see yet another opportunity to put Ronald Reagan's name on something?

Utt the Nut gets Patch job

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:58:00 +0000

I noticed this morning that the Mission Viejo Patch has run with our story about James B. Utt (they do credit us):

Saddleback Library Namesake No Fan of the Beatles (Mission Viejo Patch)

Peter Schelden (MVP editor) mentions Utt’s curious slam of the Beatles and his appearance on “Dr. Burpo’s” evangelical radio show, in which he connects a sex education advocacy group to communism and pornography.
Oddly, Schelden doesn’t mention Utt’s unfortunate remarks about “barefooted Africans.” Nor does he mention Saddleback College Academic Senate's November 2011 "resolution" sent to the BOT, recommending a new name for the Library, given especially Utt's curious anti-Civil Rights voting record and racial remarks.
Schelden ends by asking, “What do you think the new library should be named?” Gosh, maybe you should inform this fella.

Academic Senate sends "resolution" to BOT recommending that the Utt Library be renamed

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:18:00 +0000

Upon perusing the agenda for Monday's BOT meeting, I happened upon this letter to the Board from Saddleback College Academic Senate President Dan Walsh with a senate resolution recommending that the "James B. Utt Memorial Library" be renamed. (I found it under the governance groups' "reports" section of the agenda.)

The resolution, evidently passed in November, notes that "the building was never officially named through any action by the SOCCCD Board of Trustees."

The key "whereas" is this one:

Whereas ... James B. Utt repeatedly made disparaging racial remarks and voted against both the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, in contradiction to the stated Saddleback College values of collegiality and inclusiveness....

The recommended new name? —The "Saddleback College Library and Learning Center."

Catchy.

Is Walsh asking that the matter be agendized? Perhaps he is hoping that can be avoided.

The senate better hope that Fuentes isn't paying attention to all this. But I'm sure he is.

I don't see Fuentes sitting still for this. Even in his diminished state.

Expect fireworks.

"The rest is history," says Moorlach

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:11:00 +0000

History

I noticed this mention of Tom Fuentes on (OC Supervisor, Chairman) John Moorlach’s blog the other day:

John Moorlach's Postings

…Tom has been valiantly fighting cancer. Regretfully, the cancer is winning. As he related to me in a recent e-mail: “These days, my morphine and oxygen line keeps me going, day by day.” All to say, please keep Tom and his wife and children in your prayers during this most difficult time. One mutual friend recommended to me today that mailing a brief note, some 20 words, would be of great encouragement to Tom. If you need his mailing address, please let me know.

Always looking for "talent"

Tom and Assemblyman Mickey Conroy approached me at a convention in the fall of 1993 with the question, “Why don’t you run for County Treasurer?” As the Administrative Partner of a local C.P.A. firm, anytime I was invited to serve on a Board, it was always as Treasurer. I did not react well to the challenge. But, after giving it much thought, the rest is history. To say that Tom Fuentes changed the course of my life would be an understatement. Thank you, Tom, for an incredible journey of service to the residents of Orange County that I have enjoyed these many years.

The CAFÉ BIBLIOTHÈQUE

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:19:00 +0000

CAFÉ BIBLIOTHÈQUE. I've just returned from sabbatical, and so I was a little surprised to discover—yesterday, at a senate meeting—that the IVC Academic Senate's so-called CAFÉ concept is alive and well. You'll recall that the Academic Senate's President, Lisa Davis Allen, has long championed this idea, which, a year or so ago, was explained during Senate meetings as follows:

[Academic Senate President] Lisa [Davis Allen] had an idea and has full support from [VPI] Craig [Justice]. The concept is a space, a home, for faculty to gather, to be trained, with cabinets [to] house text books, journals, a place for colleagues to talk, a place to explore and test new software and technology, a place to do grant writing, – all things that relate to excellence in ... teaching – a place to house people, technology, and support all in one place. We would be able to go into a space/place and meet with peers, discuss teaching, problems, strategies. It would be wide open. A morale booster of sorts.

Later, the planned facility took on the acronym "CAFÉ" (i.e., the "Center for the Advancement of Faculty Éxcellence")—an unfortunate moniker, since it inspired the notion among some non-faculty that the faculty, and only faculty, would soon have their own, well, café!
But it's not a café. OK? It's a "faculty excellence" center. No waitresses or waiters. No goofy little round tables and awnings. Maybe a coffee machine. A Mr. Coffee.
Slightly better informed non-faculty were put out, not by the notion that faculty would soon have their own restaurant, but by the apparent fact that the CAFÉ, whatever its nature, was to replace a seriously nice space (in the fancy BSTIC building) that had for years been devoted to students (namely, the MRC). Now, as far as I know, in fact, the elimination/move of the MRC was a development independent of the appearance of the Senate's CAFÉ — it had more to do, I think, with disastrous irregularities that had been discovered in the manner in which faculty ran labs in certain areas on campus. Or perhaps it reflected simply an effort to bring back that space to the use for which it was intended (Craig Justice). Whatever the cause, the move to eliminate or move the MRC did not come about simply because faculty insisted on having some goofy faculty center.
The anti-CAFÉ (or anti-CAFÉ at MRC) backlash in August was so strong, I guess, that the decision to locate the dang thing in that seriously cool space in BSTIC was reversed. From afar, it seemed that the "faculty space" or CAFÉ idea had been killed.
But no. Yesterday, during the semester's first Academic Senate meeting, I learned that the CAFÉ idea is alive and well and the facility will in fact be located on the first floor of the IVC Library, where the old "Learning Center" used to be. (Gosh, I wonder where that operation has gone to?)
Check out the pics above and below.

The Academic Senate crew hasn't had a chance to rearrange the deck chairs yet.

One of two offices in the CAFÉ space. I call this the "Captain's Quarters."

Another office in the space. I'm guessing this will be the office of the sommelier.

Yesterday, I asked LDA if the Senate had hired waitresses yet. She seemed to take that in good humor. Yuk, yuk, yuk.
I also asked if some effort would be made to provide space for part-timers. As on previous occasions, LDA answered that the CAFÉ is for faculty, and part-time faculty are, of course, faculty. QED.
Part-timers, are you reading this? I've got just one thing to say.
OCCUPY.
Are you feelin' me?

WHAT'S SMALL, DREARY, AND PACKED WITH VAST EMPTINESS? Also today I had occasion to visit IVC's Administration Building. Oddly, inside, it is a vast empty space surrounded by (mostly) enclosed offices.
I don't get it. Is this vast empty space a dancehall or something? Is it a space reserved for those dang "Amazing Invention" kids? Maybe it's where Glenn plans to land the next time he jumps out of an airplane, dunno.

COLD, METALLIC & INDECISIVE. Another interesting new feature of our campus is new signage. The new signs are everywhere, and I bet they're pricey.
I haven't yet decided whether I like these signs. The style is a tad cold and even lurid. Encountering one of these signs is like finding a wedge of titanium in one's organic ramen.

LANG'S HOBBY. Upon visiting the IVC Library, I noticed a display in the entrance area. Evidently, Trustee (and vicious backstabber) David Lang is a baseball fan, or maybe more specifically a fan of the old Negro Leagues. Check out these pics.

It's a pretty cool collection, I guess, even if Lang is the worst kind of back-stabbing opportunist.

GREAT LAWN. Here's another IVC construction project—something called the "Great Lawn." This looks pretty cool. I hope they're not payin' too much for it. My dad coulda done it for 'em cheap.

ADMINISTRATIVE POSIES. I happened upon Dean of Academic Programs Kathleen Werle, who was holding a small planter of proto-flowers. —Something about some kind of Chinese or Vietnamese festival coming up. Not sure.
These bulbs haven't sprouted yet. But it's always good to see people who are into posies and such and who are willing to spruce up the campus.

The former Media Resource Center (MRC) in BSTIC. No CAFÉ here

Will John Williams step down on Monday?

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Williams submitted a letter of retirement effective Jan. 23, 2012, but there is no guarantee he will retire at that time.
. . .
Williams is paid $153,206.40 a year to head the combined Public Administrator/Public Guardian departments – a paycheck he will keep despite losing half of his job.

—OC Register

Williams

You’ll recall that, starting about two years ago, former SOCCCD trustee and Orange County Public Guardian/Public Administrator, John Williams, became an icon of Republican and OC corruption and incompetence. I won't go into details. Eventually, the OC Supes fired his ass from the Public Guardian gig, but they couldn’t fire said ass from the Public Administrator gig, since it’s an elected office, and the dolts of OC voted for the guy, fair and square and with brains of hare.*
The latter part of this saga is covered in these articles:

• Williams Wants [to] Keep His Job Until Next Year, Then Retire (Voice of OC, March 10, 2011)
• Williams stripped of public guardian duties (OC Register, March 22, 2011)
• Public Guardian fired by county supervisors (OC Reg, June 7, 2011)

I’ll cut to the chase. At some point, it had become clear to our Stupid Supes that their crony Williams (among other things, 4 of the 5 Supes shared the same ethically-challenged lawyer with Williams!) was a total and massive screw-up—so much so that the County faced serious liability issues each day he stayed on the job. But, again, since Williams had been duly (and dopily) elected as Public Administrator by the clueless OC electorate, nobody had the authority to fire him.

Hare

     Such is the majesty and mystery of democracy.
     But ("There's always a big 'butt'") he did eventually agree to “retire” at a future date, namely, January 23, 2012—two years before his term actually expires.
     That would be three days from now. Monday.
     But is he a man of his word?
     Ha! That’s just a rhetorical question. Of course he isn’t a man of his word. He's a lying, scheming "fiscally conservative" jackass from hell. But that doesn’t mean he won’t retire on Monday anyway. After all, it must be a drag working (or whatever he does there) where nobody wants you and everybody hopes to God you’ll stay away often and soon and permanently.

Hund

     Of course, maybe he never actually shows up down at the County. Wouldn't be surprised. Does anybody out there know? Has he been in Orlando all this time? Do they send his checks there via MickeyMail?
     We at Dissent the Blog look forward to the big reveal on Monday.
     Will this asshole, this hundemensch,** who helped make both the County of Orange and the SOCCCD a laughingstock, step down like he said he would? Hmmmm?

* Pace hares!
** Pace dogs!

Etta James...

noreply@blogger.com (Rebel Girl) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:32:00 +0000

*

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A Solomonic approach to ATEP "ownership"

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:19:00 +0000

I finally got a chance to glance at the agenda (available here) for Monday’s meeting of the SOCCCD board of trustees.
I noticed these curious items under “general action items”:

6.1 - SOCCCD: College Service Areas
Approve Resolution #12-04 reaffirming the two college campus service areas within SOCCCD and establish a separate ATEP service area for both Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College to share in approximately equal proportions with complementary, non-competitive Career Technology Education programs and related services for the district at large.
6.2 - SOCCCD: ATEP Site Assignments for Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College
Approve Resolution #12-05 and the building concept plan for ATEP site assignments for college building and infrastructure locations. This resolution includes the approval to: (1) assign approximately equal land sites for each college’s building, including infrastructure, and parking; (2) to support that future ATEP site development will be allocated in approximately equal proportions to each college for educational use and for potential ground leases or space leases with educational, business, and commercial partners, and (3) contingent on available funding, continue to move forward with the planning and design for the next two ATEP buildings (one for each college). Ground leases and space leases will be managed by district services. The revenue will be used to support further site development at ATEP.

I’m told that Chancellor Gary Poertner is behind this “Solomonic” concept of dividing ATEP into two equal portions for the two colleges. As you know, in recent years, the issue of who "owns" (my word) ATEP has become contentious between the district's two college presidents.

A recent Fuentes sighting

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:53:00 +0000

If you’re into OC GOP Central Committee “inside baseball”—not me, brother—check out Jack Wu’s column today in the Newport Beach Independent.
Wu mentions that he acted as Tom Fuentes’ driver for Monday’s Central Committee meeting.
The occasion? For Fuentes, it was a chance “to swear in his son T.J. as an alternate member of the Central Committee…”
Fuentes, that noisy "fiscal conservative," remains trustee for Area 6 of the South Orange County Community College District, though he has attended only one board meeting since last March, owing, presumably, to his terminal cancer. His colleagues on the board have consistently acted to have him receive his trustee pay despite the absences. Presumably, he also continues to receive the hefty benefits that go with the job.
Fuentes is reputed to be wealthy—the Balboa Bay Club seems to be his second home—though he and his family live in a relatively modest home in Lake Forest.

1924 op-ed cartoon in the Fullerton Tribune
(unearthed recently by Gustavo Arellano)

Plagiarist Reeve loses City Council "invocation" debate: "we're not a church"

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:21:00 +0000

Reeve first attracted attention last summer when he urged the
City Council to allow citizens to carry guns at city parks

Plagiarist, Islamophobe, and wild-eyed right-winger Derek Reeve is in the news again:

Council: Don't Invoke Deity Names (San Juan Capistrano Patch)
From now on, the prayers that kick off San Juan Capistrano City Council meetings will come from council members only and be nonsectarian.

Prayers said before City Council meetings will now be rotated just among council members and must remain nonsectarian, the council decided Tuesday in a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Derek Reeve opposed..
“I’m a Christian. I believe in Jesus Christ,” said Councilman John Taylor. “I don’t have a problem with someone saying his name. But other people might.”
Reeve raised the issue on what should and shouldn't be said during an invocation after a guest he brought in to pray at the December meeting was criticized by other council members for mentioning the “Son.”
Typically, council members take turns giving the invocation. But Reeve said he wanted to give his turn to various members of the community of differing faiths, as a way to reach out after the council found itself caught up in recent controversies involving religion.

Mr. Reeve, who, despite his rich history as a plagiarist, is also an adjunct instructor at Saddleback College, caused the larger of these controversies when he joked, during a City Council meeting, that he had named one of his dogs “Muhammad.”

Kramer: "We're not a church...."

Reeve said he instructed resident Gary Stache, a leader in the Vineyard Community Church in Laguna Niguel, not to say the name Jesus or proselytize. But when Stache ended the prayer in the “name of the Son,” Councilman Sam Allevato became upset, leading to this week’s discussion.
Reeve prefers the idea of rotating people of different faiths to do the invocations, he said.
“All religions should be encouraged. They all have one thing in common, and that is faith, the faith that tomorrow will be a better day,” he said.

Reeve is, of course, ignoring atheists and agnostics, of which there are many in SJC.

“I’ve been on a lot of boards. I go to a lot of meetings,” said Allevato. “It’s always kept nondenominational, and that’s what I’m comfortable with.”
He added that mentioning a deity could make some feel “disenfranchised.”
Resident Steve Behmerwohld urged the council to do away with invocation altogether.
“I think you do a good job. I don’t think you need divine intervention,” he said.
The council did vote to keep the prayers, but they must not call upon the name of any specific deity.
“We’re not a church here,” [Mayor Larry] Kramer said. “We’re a public institution. We should act like one.”

See also New gun law shoots down San Juan tradition (OC Reg)

Are we doing Early College wrong? Part II

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:22:00 +0000

Recently, I described my one-and-a-half hour stint teaching “Early College” at a local high school. I described that episode in relation to long-standing faculty worries about this sort of program.
The piece elicited a comment from the director of a large Midwestern Early/Middle College program, who suggested that IVC’s “direct credit” approach—that is, an approach in which groups of high school students are thrust all at once, and with little preparation, into college classes (at the high school)—is unlikely to succeed. According to the Director, a proper and viable “Early College” program brings pre-college students to the university or college and works with them extensively until they are prepared to join college courses.
I wrote him, asking for a fuller explanation. This morning, he wrote back. He provided me with impressive data that suggest that his program is highly successful. Beyond that, he made these points:

Many schemes around the country are called “Early College,” but the successful programs comprise “colleges” created by secondary schools on college/university campuses, that are tightly aligned with those institutions and that see themselves as part of them.
In these successful programs, students are not brought into college courses until they demonstrate the academic and life skills necessary for college success. (He cites the work of David Conley.)
In general, one cannot plop high school students into a college course setting and expect them to succeed. Successful programs are mindful of typical high school student deficits and entail faculty working with students as coaches as well as instructors.
IVC’s sort of “Early College” program puts high school students into instructional circumstances that “do not taste, feel or smell like college.” Thus, many institutions of higher learning are unwilling to view such instruction as college instruction. Colleges and universities tend to require that EC courses be taught at colleges, on a college course time schedule, with most of the students in the class being actual college students.

I also heard from a college employee who reported that, in the early days of IVC’s EC program, he sought to gain a sound grasp of how the scheme prepared students for degrees or transfer, but that eluded him. His probing questions to those in charge were poorly received and generally unwelcome. This employee found himself sometimes recommending to students that they try OCC.
Another employee described tense and uncomfortable sessions with immature high schoolers and their parents who seemed incapable of understanding the importance of student maturity for college success.

See also ABC’s and PhD’s: Early College (Mama PhD, Inside Higher Ed)

Ignorami

noreply@blogger.com (B. von Traven) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:09:00 +0000

How many ways can you be wrong? Mitt hits 'em all

The Campaign and Higher Ed (Inside Higher Ed)
[MITT ROMNEY] …Romney's views on for-profit higher education were the focus of an article Sunday in The New York Times. The article described statements by Romney in New Hampshire, where he suggested that students concerned about the high cost of higher education consider enrolling at for-profit colleges, and in Iowa, where he specifically praised Full Sail University. Also in Iowa, Romney said that for-profit colleges "hold down the cost of education." And in an interview with The Ames Tribune editorial board, Romney said that for-profit higher education would force nonprofit colleges to cut costs, and eliminate "unnecessary" departments.
The Times article noted that when Romney endorsed for-profit higher education and Full Sail, he did not mention that the university's chief executive, Bill Heavener, is co-chair of Romney's Florida fund-raising team. Nor did he mention contributions from the chair of the private equity company that owns Full Sail, or from Todd S. Nelson, chief executive of the Education Management Corp., which is currently facing a suit from the U.S. Justice Department over its recruiting practices.
While Romney praised for-profit higher education as a financially practical alternative to traditional colleges, the Times noted that Full Sail is not inexpensive….
[Notoriously, for-profits account for most student loans, which are federally insured; and their students' default rates are very high, and, when default occurs, tax-payers end up paying off the loan.]

Foot in mouth again

[JOE BIDEN] ...In Pennsylvania, Biden responded to a question about why college costs keep going up by noting that it was a "puzzle" and that there was "no one thing" responsible. But among the factors he identified were increases in faculty salaries. "Salaries for college professors have escalated significantly," he said….
. . .
Most experts would agree that labor costs (faculty members and all other employees) are a large part of college budgets. But nationally, during the past few years when double-digit price increases at many public institutions have frustrated so many students, parents and politicians, it would be hard to point the finger at escalating faculty salaries. According to national data from the American Association of University Professors, the average salary for continuing faculty members increased by 1.4 percent in 2010-11, just under the rate of inflation. The figure the year before was a 1.2 percent increase, well below inflation. And these figures are for full-time faculty members, and so don't reflect the increased reliance of colleges in recent years on adjuncts, who are typically paid much less than others, and who frequently lack benefits….
. . .

Won't eat French fries either

[NEWT GINGRICH] A new ad on behalf of Newt Gingrich, after accusing Romney of being a moderate, of supporting government mandated health care and more, raises a new scandalous charge: Romney speaks French. There is even a clip (toward end of the ad) to verify the charge.
Rosemary G. Feal, executive director of the Modern Language Association, was not impressed with the ad. Via e-mail she said: "That Mitt Romney speaks French is probably great news for the million and a half U.S. residents whose first language is French, and it might also influence others who value knowing more than one language. Campaign strategic message fail!"

Price of Success (Inside Higher Ed)

If low graduation and student transfer rates at City Colleges of Chicago don’t start improving, the system’s leaders could lose their jobs. That’s because the formal job responsibilities of the chancellor, presidents and even trustees include graduation rate goals.
. . .
“You cannot continue with a 7 percent graduation rate,” said Rahm Emanuel, Chicago’s mayor, at news conference last summer. “We owe the taxpayers – and most importantly the students – a better community college system.”....