Four out of five CVESD board members think Doug Luffborough is the man for the job

Photo: New CVESD board member Doug Luffborough

FEB. 18, 2009 UPDATE: Well, I guessed wrong on this one. I felt pretty confident that it must have been Larry Cunningham who voted against Doug Luffborough (see post below), but it turns out it was David Bejarano.

I guess I now have to admit the obvious: I don't know why board members made the decisions they made. I like both David Bejarano and Doug Luffborough, and I trust they will work together well. And it was silly of me to think that Larry Cunningham would ever have the courage to vote against the board majority; it's not how he does business.





ORIGINAL POST:

Reading between the lines here, I'm thinking that Larry Cunningham is the one who voted against the new board member. Poor Larry. He's really missing Pat Judd, who lost both his board seat and his job last year, and who seems to be applying for a job in every school district in southern California. "Pat Judd" is by far the most frequent search term that leads visitors to my site. I suppose Larry also misses Bertha Lopez, and the old Pamela Smith, the one who voted like an obedient right-winger.


Nonprofit director appointed to Chula Vista school board
By Pablo Jaime Sáinz
February 6, 2009
La Prensa

The executive director of a non-profit social services agency has been appointed as the new member of the Chula Vista Elementary School District this week.

Douglas Luffborough III will serve the remaining two years of former board member Bertha Lopez’s term. Lopez was elected to the Sweetwater Union High School District board in November...

The district school board voted 3 to 1 to appoint Luffborough at a special meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 3, after a process where community input was taken into account and after receiving 23 applications for the position...

During his interview and presentation to the board, Luffborough said that he was the best candidate for the job because he has a very special reason to become a board member: His daughter, who is a student at a school in the district.

“She is the first reason why I decided to apply for this seat,” he said. “I want her and all the children in the district to have the best education possible.”

That commitment and passion for his own children’s education is what impressed board member Russell Coronado and led him to vote for Luffborough for the position.

“As a parent myself, I saw that Douglas had the passion needed for this job,” Coronado said. “It’s not only about having the professional experience and the right credentials, it’s about having the love for our kids.”

Days earlier, Coronado said he sent out a massive e-mail to members of the community asking them for their input regarding the school board appointment. He said that having children in the district was one of the factors community members sought in the candidate.

“Since a special election is not being considered, community input at this stage is vital,” read Coronado’s e-mail. “ I believe that it is imperative that we gather as much information prior to the selection of this very important position....I would also encourage you to attend the February 3rd meeting. Along with your input and with collaboration, I believe that we will be able to make a decision that is open, honest and right for our school district and community.”

Board President Pamela Smith said that it was a difficult decision appointing just one person from the seven final candidates.

The other finalists were Pamela Bauer-Fischer, a lawyer; Hector Espinoza, a school administrator; Beatrice Fernandez, a resource teacher and parent coordinator; Carol Green, an instructional assistant; Mary Anne Stro, an educational consultant; and David Wallace, a business owner...

Luffborough said that he had a rough time growing up.

He said he was homeless during his senior year in high school, that his father was absent from his early life, and that his family struggled financially...

Will the court quash my deposition subpoenas of CVESD officials?

I just checked online to see the Tentative Rulings on CVESD's motion to quash my deposition subpoenas of Tom Cruz and Susan Fahle (in photo at left), and found that the court has continued the motion for two weeks.

This means I don't have to put my suit on tomorrow morning and go down to the courthouse, which is a relief, even though I always enjoy visiting downtown San Diego and the stately Hall of Justice. It's just that I've got a lot going on right now.

Also, my motion to compel the deposition of attorney Daniel Shinoff will have to wait two weeks, as will the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Stutz law firm.

Dan Forster, Cheryl Cox's chief of staff, leaves earlier than planned

Dan Puplava posts are HERE.


Awaiting job cut, mayor's top aide returns to Alaska
By Tanya Sierra
February 3, 2009
CHULA VISTA

Mayor Cheryl Cox's chief of staff quietly quit late last month, two months after council members questioned his consulting work for his previous employer and after voting to eliminate his position to cut costs.

Dan Forster, who was the mayor's chief of staff since December 2006, is taking a job with the North Slope Borough – the government agency in Alaska where he worked before coming to Chula Vista...

Last year City Council members questioned whether Forster should have been performing consulting work from his City Hall office. He billed for some of the work and he said some was a professional courtesy to another government agency.
Records show he sent and received e-mails related to his consulting from his city office. When details became public, Cox defended Forster's consulting work, saying he was a good employee who was always there when she needed him.

In January, the council voted to eliminate Forster's position to cut costs, and he was expected to stay through the end of June. His last day was Jan. 23.

“I told the mayor back in October that I had to be actively looking for new employment,” Forster said. “If I would have needed to go through June, then funding would have been there for me.”

His new position is similar to his last position in Alaska – deputy director of planning.

“It's a great place to work,” Forster said. “I like the work, and I like the people.”

Cox did not return a call yesterday seeking comment...

[Comment]

justthefactsmam
February 3, 2009
U/T article: "Cox did not return a call yesterday seeking comment."
Smart move. After the quoted "bizarre" letter to the Chargers, Cheryl Cox has FINALLY learned an aged old political addage: Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought the fool, then to open it and remove all doubt."

David Bejarano for San Diego Sheriff

Labor Loves Bejarano?
Posted by: Rorschach
02/02/2009

...The topic of the Sheriff's race came up. It comes as no surprise that David Bejarano, former San Diego police chief and US Marshall, is running. He has wanted this post for some time.


What might come as a surprise to some, but not those who know Bejarano personally or professionally, is that he is actively courting labor and the left. The last time I checked (and I do check these things) Bejarano is a Republican. Now that can change at a moments notice, but remember there were about two weeks in '07 when Bejarano was the AD78 candidate for the GOP.


My friend said that Bejarano had what was described as a 'very good meeting' with the labor bosses, which included former San Diego-Imperial County Secretary Treasurer Jerry Butkiewicz...

CVESD's new board member sounds good to me

The resume of new CVESD board member Douglas Luffborough's sounds terrific to me. I hope that Luffborough will form a new board majority with David Bejarano and Russell Coronado and that the three of them will begin a law-abiding era in Chula Vista Elementary School District.

The best indication of a fresh start would be a decision to fire Pam Smith and Larry Cunningham's unethical lawyer Daniel Shinoff. The taxpayers have paid enough to cover up Pam and Larry's wrongdoing. The three newest board members were not involved in the violations of law that were facilitated by lawyers Mark Bresee and Daniel Shinoff.

Chula Vista school board selects nonprofit director
By Chris Moran
San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer
February 4, 2009

CHULA VISTA — Douglas Luffborough III was appointed to the Chula Vista Elementary School District board last night to serve the remaining two years of former trustee Bertha Lopez's term.

Lopez was elected to the Sweetwater Union High School District board in November.

[Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Bertha.]

Luffborough, 39, is the executive director of the Chula Vista-based Turning the Hearts Center, a nonprofit organization that runs programs in leadership, substance abuse, anger management, parenting and work readiness. He lives in Chula Vista with his wife and three children...

Former director Arthur Lopez sues Southwestern College

Ex-official at college files suit to return
By Chris Moran
San Diego Union-Tribune
January 31, 2009

CHULA VISTA — A Southwestern College administrator who resigned last year amid allegations of sexual harassment has filed a lawsuit against the college to get his job back.

Arthur Lopez resigned in June as director of financial aid.

A student services assistant claimed in a complaint to the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing that she had sex with Lopez to keep her job. Martha Jimenez alleges that Lopez would tell her during their sexual encounters to remember who got her the job and that she soon faced a performance evaluation.

Jimenez filed a lawsuit against the college, Lopez and two other administrators last summer.

Lopez's attorney said at the time that the allegations were false.

Lopez, who filed his lawsuit last month, seeks to be reinstated to his job, with its annual salary of $118,704. He also seeks an unspecified amount for damages.

The most recent lawsuit paints a different picture of the relationship between Lopez and Jimenez. It describes their eight-month relationship as consensual.

In 2007, a year and a half after the relationship ended, the college launched two investigations – one to determine whether Jimenez had received favorable treatment as a result of the relationship, and another to determine whether she had been sexually harassed.

Both investigations cleared Lopez, according to his lawsuit. The college would not comment on the suit.

Last April, college President Raj Chopra sent Lopez a letter informing him that he was being placed on administrative leave and being recommended for termination, according to the suit. The letter was sent a week after the college's governing board renewed Lopez's contract for the 2008-09 academic year.