Mayor takes aim at Sweetwater during speech
Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox delivers final state of the city, addresses issues at Sweetwater
By Allison Sampite-Montecalvo
SDUT
Feb. 25, 2014
CHULA VISTA — Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox delivered her final state of the city address Tuesday night to a packed city hall, using the forum to zero in on the Sweetwater school district, which she said needs to improve its relationship with the community...
Cox said the Sweetwater Union High school District's problems continue to affect the city’s reputation and students’ future. A major issue in the district has been the prosecution of four of five school board members on corruption charges. One has since pleaded guilty and resigned...
Cox said she’s done watching poor governance get worse.
[Maura Larkins comment: I see no indication at all that Sweetwater has gotten worse. Mayor Cox seems to be forgetting decades of bad behavior. Or perhaps Cox is only worried about contractor kickbacks, not the deeper corruption that affects students directly.
Does Mayor Cox think that the Mary Ann Weegar case was a result of better governance than what SUHSD has at present? And does she think Bonny Garcia gave better legal advice than Dan Shinoff does? Just over two years ago attorney Dan Shinoff took over Bonny Garcia's duties as SUHSD's lawyer for day-to-day advice. Shinoff continues, as he has done for over a decade, to defend the district when it gets sued. The board seems to think that Shinoff is good at silencing public comment about the district, but Mr. Shinoff seems to have lost his touch in that regard. He doesn't appear to have been much help to San Ysidro School District recently. Does Mayor Cox think that perenniel SUHSD Supt. Ed Brand suddenly became corrupt?]
See all SDER posts re Dan Shinoff.
“I am compelled to confront Sweetwater’s current problems through my ability to convene community members in constructive conversation,” she said. “It’s clear that the district is an asset that reflects on perceptions the city.”
In essence, she said it’s time for the district to overcome its bad reputation.
...In a statement released the following day, Sweetwater district superintendent Ed Brand said that putting learning first has been and will continue to be, the commitment of the district.
“Is the Sweetwater Union High School District going through a difficult time? Yes," Brand said. "Are there actions that we can take to improve the district? Of course there are. We appreciate the concern of Mayor Cox and welcome a dialogue on how to move forward."
Francisco Escobedo, superintendent of the Chula Vista Elementary School District, said her comments were poignant.
“I understand where she’s coming from and I look forward to improving our relationship and collaboration with Sweetwater,” he said.
[Maura Larkins' comment: Escobedo is right not to attack Sweetwater. He needs to clean up corruption at CVESD, but he has shown absolutely no interest in any such effort.]
Councilman Rudy Ramirez said he was glad to hear her weigh in on the issue.
“I like that she stepped out on Sweetwater,” he said. “It was a little uncharacteristic and edgy for her.”
[Maura Larkins' comment: Edgy? Are you kidding, Mr. Ramirez? It's about time someone made an issue of school corruption.]
Cox also discussed the concept of unifying the Sweetwater district with local elementary school districts, a proposal brought up last month by fellow Councilwoman Mary Salas.
“The idea of unifying K-12 was … in response to what I perceive to be frustration with the Sweetwater district,” she said. “First, it doesn’t address the issue of better governance, and second, minus the support of districts themselves, unification is dead on arrival.”
[Maura Larkins' comment: Good point! The unification project does NOT address the issue of better governance. Cheryl Cox knows that there are problems at CVESD. I suspect that she was pretty disgusted with CVESD by the time she left.]
Cox, who will be termed out of the mayor's office in the fall, said the culture at Sweetwater should change at the top before a conversation about unification can be had.
“We’ve turned things around at city hall in the face of dire circumstances,” she said. “The same can be done at Sweetwater.”...
Showing posts with label . Cox (Cheryl Cox). Show all posts
Showing posts with label . Cox (Cheryl Cox). Show all posts
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Monday, December 27, 2010
Study claims big Chula Vista reserves
Study claims big Chula Vista reserves
The city says the funds are restricted, can’t be used to avoid cuts in servces
By Wendy Fry
December 26, 2010
Calling plans to slash public services disgraceful, an economist hired by Chula Vista’s police union performed a study of the city’s financial condition and reported Chula Vista has an “exceptionally high” reserve ratio and hidden financial resources.
At a public forum last week, budget analyst Peter Donohue said the city began the 2009 fiscal year with more than $33 million in general fund reserves — about 23 percent of that year’s operating budget. The study claims the city had $154 million in unrestricted net assets at that time.
His report, which also examined the city’s bond rating and internal cost-allocation plan, concluded that Chula Vista has the financial resources to mend its $18.5 million budget hole without cutting public services.
“I wish it were true, but it isn’t,” City Manager Jim Sandoval responded. He said the city’s available reserves are currently at 7.2 percent of this year’s $133 million general fund. Municipalities typically set aside 7 percent to 15 percent of their budgets for unanticipated expenditures and economic downturns.
In June 2009, the redevelopment agency owed the city about $23 million. That outstanding loan amount was included in the General Fund reserves, but it was not available for spending.
“(Donohue) is insinuating those are spendable resources and they’re not,” said city finance director Maria Kachadoorian.
She said the redevelopment agency’s outstanding loan accounts for the difference between city’s calculation of its reserves and Donohue’s estimate. A $10 million repayment from the redevelopment agency was recently used as a one-time source of income to balance Chula Vista’s current budget.
The Chula Vista Police Officers Association paid about $20,000 for the Donohue analysis. Donohue, who has a doctorate in economics from the University of Texas, began examining the city’s finances in November. He said his study does not reflect the most current fiscal reports because those haven’t been released.
“City officials’ refusal to maintain police protection is hard to understand,” his study said. “Chula Vista residents and businesses should question reduced spending on services, including critical public-safety services.”
Donohue said the city has about 150 funds with a total of $154 million in assets, but Kachadoorian said all revenues can’t be lumped into operating costs. The excluded ones include sewer revenues and money from bonds issued for redevelopment.
About 32 police officers received layoff notices in October. A recent agreement between two South County school boards and the Police Department allowed that number to drop to 23 targeted layoffs, about 15 percent of the police force.
Sandoval, the city manager, said that altogether, 101 positions must be eliminated citywide by Jan. 7. “We’ve been through four years of cuts with no impact on public safety,” he said.
Donohue contends that city administrators are overstating the city’s financial difficulties.
“Sometimes jurisdictions have a particular political agenda and the actual numbers don’t support the agenda,” Donohue said. “The sky was about to fall on you guys for a number of years now. It hasn’t yet.”
While ongoing labor negotiations between the city’s two public-safety unions haven’t been successful, the three other employee unions in Chula Vista have agreed to wage concessions. Their pacts include contributing the 8 percent employee share of their pensions, forgoing contractual raises and accepting a less-generous benefits plan for new hires.
Planned service reductions
•Libraries:
Civic Center branch to be closed Sundays and Mondays.
South branch to be closed on weekends.
Eastlake branch to be open only from 5 to 8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays.
•Recreation centers:
All the centers to be open only two days a week. Hours will vary.
Loma Verde center to be open Mondays and Wednesdays.
Otay center to be open Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Veterans center to be open Fridays and Saturdays.
Montevalle center to be open Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Other centers’ hours will be available on their websites.
•Parks:
Park-ranger program to be eliminated.
Graffiti-abatement team for private property to be eliminated.
Tree-trimming services provided on emergency basis only.
Custodial services at Rohr Manor and Ranger Station to be eliminated.
Holiday lighting for Starlight Parade and downtown Third Avenue to be cut.
The city says the funds are restricted, can’t be used to avoid cuts in servces
By Wendy Fry
December 26, 2010
Calling plans to slash public services disgraceful, an economist hired by Chula Vista’s police union performed a study of the city’s financial condition and reported Chula Vista has an “exceptionally high” reserve ratio and hidden financial resources.
At a public forum last week, budget analyst Peter Donohue said the city began the 2009 fiscal year with more than $33 million in general fund reserves — about 23 percent of that year’s operating budget. The study claims the city had $154 million in unrestricted net assets at that time.
His report, which also examined the city’s bond rating and internal cost-allocation plan, concluded that Chula Vista has the financial resources to mend its $18.5 million budget hole without cutting public services.
“I wish it were true, but it isn’t,” City Manager Jim Sandoval responded. He said the city’s available reserves are currently at 7.2 percent of this year’s $133 million general fund. Municipalities typically set aside 7 percent to 15 percent of their budgets for unanticipated expenditures and economic downturns.
In June 2009, the redevelopment agency owed the city about $23 million. That outstanding loan amount was included in the General Fund reserves, but it was not available for spending.
“(Donohue) is insinuating those are spendable resources and they’re not,” said city finance director Maria Kachadoorian.
She said the redevelopment agency’s outstanding loan accounts for the difference between city’s calculation of its reserves and Donohue’s estimate. A $10 million repayment from the redevelopment agency was recently used as a one-time source of income to balance Chula Vista’s current budget.
The Chula Vista Police Officers Association paid about $20,000 for the Donohue analysis. Donohue, who has a doctorate in economics from the University of Texas, began examining the city’s finances in November. He said his study does not reflect the most current fiscal reports because those haven’t been released.
“City officials’ refusal to maintain police protection is hard to understand,” his study said. “Chula Vista residents and businesses should question reduced spending on services, including critical public-safety services.”
Donohue said the city has about 150 funds with a total of $154 million in assets, but Kachadoorian said all revenues can’t be lumped into operating costs. The excluded ones include sewer revenues and money from bonds issued for redevelopment.
About 32 police officers received layoff notices in October. A recent agreement between two South County school boards and the Police Department allowed that number to drop to 23 targeted layoffs, about 15 percent of the police force.
Sandoval, the city manager, said that altogether, 101 positions must be eliminated citywide by Jan. 7. “We’ve been through four years of cuts with no impact on public safety,” he said.
Donohue contends that city administrators are overstating the city’s financial difficulties.
“Sometimes jurisdictions have a particular political agenda and the actual numbers don’t support the agenda,” Donohue said. “The sky was about to fall on you guys for a number of years now. It hasn’t yet.”
While ongoing labor negotiations between the city’s two public-safety unions haven’t been successful, the three other employee unions in Chula Vista have agreed to wage concessions. Their pacts include contributing the 8 percent employee share of their pensions, forgoing contractual raises and accepting a less-generous benefits plan for new hires.
Planned service reductions
•Libraries:
Civic Center branch to be closed Sundays and Mondays.
South branch to be closed on weekends.
Eastlake branch to be open only from 5 to 8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays.
•Recreation centers:
All the centers to be open only two days a week. Hours will vary.
Loma Verde center to be open Mondays and Wednesdays.
Otay center to be open Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Veterans center to be open Fridays and Saturdays.
Montevalle center to be open Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Other centers’ hours will be available on their websites.
•Parks:
Park-ranger program to be eliminated.
Graffiti-abatement team for private property to be eliminated.
Tree-trimming services provided on emergency basis only.
Custodial services at Rohr Manor and Ranger Station to be eliminated.
Holiday lighting for Starlight Parade and downtown Third Avenue to be cut.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Cheryl Cox's supporters will do just about anything to win, it seems; Steve Castaneda cleared of charges
Castaneda cleared of charges
Campaign finance complaints against Chula Vista councilman tossed
By Tanya Sierra
San Diego UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
May 25, 2010
CHULA VISTA — An independent investigation into claims that Chula Vista City Councilman Steve Castaneda violated campaign financing laws dating back six years has found the complaints lacked merit and were politically motivated.
Julia Sylvia, the Los Angeles attorney looking into the matter, deemed the charges against Castaneda “unsubstantiated innuendo, arguments and allegations.”
Angel T. Castillo, a Chula Vista resident who once served on a homeowners association board with Castaneda, filed complaints in November and December alleging multiple campaign violations in 2004, 2006 and 2008. He claimed Castaneda should be prosecuted and forced to pay $472,679 in fines.
Castillo, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday, alleged that Castaneda misreported campaign expenses in 2004; violated personal financing limits in 2005; and did not declare postelection expenses in 2006. The allegations also state that contributions from a former business partner exceeded what is allowed under campaign laws.
Castaneda, who is running for mayor in the June primary, said in a City Hall news conference that he knew he would be cleared. He charged Castillo with regurgitating issues that had been settled.
Silva agreed.
“A majority of the allegations in the complaint have been thoroughly investigated by other public agencies; namely the Fair Political Practices Commission,” she wrote. “The FPPC has concluded that there is no conflict of interest and there is not violation of the Political Reform Act by the candidate.”...
Campaign finance complaints against Chula Vista councilman tossed
By Tanya Sierra
San Diego UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
May 25, 2010
CHULA VISTA — An independent investigation into claims that Chula Vista City Councilman Steve Castaneda violated campaign financing laws dating back six years has found the complaints lacked merit and were politically motivated.
Julia Sylvia, the Los Angeles attorney looking into the matter, deemed the charges against Castaneda “unsubstantiated innuendo, arguments and allegations.”
Angel T. Castillo, a Chula Vista resident who once served on a homeowners association board with Castaneda, filed complaints in November and December alleging multiple campaign violations in 2004, 2006 and 2008. He claimed Castaneda should be prosecuted and forced to pay $472,679 in fines.
Castillo, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday, alleged that Castaneda misreported campaign expenses in 2004; violated personal financing limits in 2005; and did not declare postelection expenses in 2006. The allegations also state that contributions from a former business partner exceeded what is allowed under campaign laws.
Castaneda, who is running for mayor in the June primary, said in a City Hall news conference that he knew he would be cleared. He charged Castillo with regurgitating issues that had been settled.
Silva agreed.
“A majority of the allegations in the complaint have been thoroughly investigated by other public agencies; namely the Fair Political Practices Commission,” she wrote. “The FPPC has concluded that there is no conflict of interest and there is not violation of the Political Reform Act by the candidate.”...
Sunday, January 10, 2010
New Years Resolution for Mayor Cheryl Cox
Bonnie Dumanis just got through insisting that the tax dollars wasted on her preposterous prosecution of Steve Castaneda were NOT spent to help her pal Cheryl Cox.
It looks like Cheryl and her friends have decided to use the resources of the City of Chula Vista to try to start a new prosecution. Angel Castillo and Jenna Anderson seem to be the pawns of some mystery person.
TEZOZOMOC SPEAKS
Jan 8, 2010
La Prensa
Es tiempo por New Year’s Resolutions:
For Mayor Cheryl Cox: the resolve to run for re-election based on her accomplishments and not on some out of town attorney digging up dirty on her main opponent… by the way, what is the running total on that bill. The LA attorney has been reviewing those Castañeda files for some time now… what is it, $200 dollars an hour??? Nothing brings a smile to an attorney, or a consultant, like an open check book.
Investigation of Castaneda moves forward
By Tanya Sierra, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 8, 2010
CHULA VISTA — An outside attorney hired to look into allegations that Chula Vista Councilman and mayoral candidate Steve Castaneda violated campaign laws in 2004, 2006 and 2008 said yesterday she has verified proper procedures were followed to file the complaint and will now analyze the merits of the case.
Julia Sylva, who has been investigating the Castaneda complaint since November, said she verified that the man who filed the complaint is a Chula Vista resident.
The Chula Vista municipal code requires that a campaign contribution complaint be filed in writing and by a resident of the city. Now that the Los Angeles attorney has verified those details, she will delve into the allegations.
“It’s pretty complex,” she said yesterday without citing specifics. “I’m going to need at least a month.”
On Nov. 18, Angel T. Castillo, who once lived in the same Chula Vista condominium complex as Castaneda, filed a thick complaint against him.
Castillo has not returned multiple calls seeking an interview about his complaint, and the city has not released a copy.
Castaneda said he has not spoken with Castillo since 2003 and does not know why six years later he would file a complaint. “I don’t think I’ve even ever run into him since I moved out of that place,” Castaneda said.
He said he and Castillo were at odds over landscaping of the condominium complex they both lived in.
According to the city, there is no record of Castillo ever having made a public records request for Castaneda’s campaign statements or for any other public documents on file with the city.
One name that popped up seven times this year seeking information on Castaneda is Jenn Anderson of Chula Vista.
The only Anderson in Chula Vista of similar name in the same ZIP code is 23-year-old Jenna Anderson. When reached by phone yesterday, she denied that she was the one who made records requests.
“I’m just a college student,” she said.
It looks like Cheryl and her friends have decided to use the resources of the City of Chula Vista to try to start a new prosecution. Angel Castillo and Jenna Anderson seem to be the pawns of some mystery person.
TEZOZOMOC SPEAKS
Jan 8, 2010
La Prensa
Es tiempo por New Year’s Resolutions:
For Mayor Cheryl Cox: the resolve to run for re-election based on her accomplishments and not on some out of town attorney digging up dirty on her main opponent… by the way, what is the running total on that bill. The LA attorney has been reviewing those Castañeda files for some time now… what is it, $200 dollars an hour??? Nothing brings a smile to an attorney, or a consultant, like an open check book.
Investigation of Castaneda moves forward
By Tanya Sierra, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 8, 2010
CHULA VISTA — An outside attorney hired to look into allegations that Chula Vista Councilman and mayoral candidate Steve Castaneda violated campaign laws in 2004, 2006 and 2008 said yesterday she has verified proper procedures were followed to file the complaint and will now analyze the merits of the case.
Julia Sylva, who has been investigating the Castaneda complaint since November, said she verified that the man who filed the complaint is a Chula Vista resident.
The Chula Vista municipal code requires that a campaign contribution complaint be filed in writing and by a resident of the city. Now that the Los Angeles attorney has verified those details, she will delve into the allegations.
“It’s pretty complex,” she said yesterday without citing specifics. “I’m going to need at least a month.”
On Nov. 18, Angel T. Castillo, who once lived in the same Chula Vista condominium complex as Castaneda, filed a thick complaint against him.
Castillo has not returned multiple calls seeking an interview about his complaint, and the city has not released a copy.
Castaneda said he has not spoken with Castillo since 2003 and does not know why six years later he would file a complaint. “I don’t think I’ve even ever run into him since I moved out of that place,” Castaneda said.
He said he and Castillo were at odds over landscaping of the condominium complex they both lived in.
According to the city, there is no record of Castillo ever having made a public records request for Castaneda’s campaign statements or for any other public documents on file with the city.
One name that popped up seven times this year seeking information on Castaneda is Jenn Anderson of Chula Vista.
The only Anderson in Chula Vista of similar name in the same ZIP code is 23-year-old Jenna Anderson. When reached by phone yesterday, she denied that she was the one who made records requests.
“I’m just a college student,” she said.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Cheryl Cox's culture of childishness damaged CVESD and the City of Chula Vista
A surprised Mayor Cox was aghast to hear herself addressed by a member of the public as “Your Fatness” at one particularly heated meeting. “What does that tell you about how some people deal with what we’re facing here?” she says. “Somebody has to be the adult here.” from San Diego News Network July 14, 2009
It sounds like friends of yours, Cheryl.
Like your pals at San Diego County Office of Education. ("280 pounds"?!)
It sounds like the jaw-dropping childishness that you encouraged, or rather required, at Castle Park Elementary School.
It sounds like you, Cheryl. Firing your city manager for looking at racy pictures during his breaks? When the city is falling apart at the seams? Get your priorities straight, Cheryl.
And firing Mike Najera: In early May, Cox moved to force Chula Vista Port Commissioner Mike Najera’s resignation from the board that controls the bayfront acreage. Najera, she said, hadn’t done enough to get the project off the ground. Najera saw the move as payback for a fund-raiser he had hosted for Steve Castaneda, a political challenger of Cox. She denied the accusation.
Instead of blaming others for problems, Cheryl, why don't you act like a adult and take responsibility for making things better?
Note to writer Cathy Clark: Cheryl Cox was a teacher for two years. That doesn't seem to me to qualify her as a "longtime teacher".
It sounds like friends of yours, Cheryl.
Like your pals at San Diego County Office of Education. ("280 pounds"?!)
It sounds like the jaw-dropping childishness that you encouraged, or rather required, at Castle Park Elementary School.
It sounds like you, Cheryl. Firing your city manager for looking at racy pictures during his breaks? When the city is falling apart at the seams? Get your priorities straight, Cheryl.
And firing Mike Najera: In early May, Cox moved to force Chula Vista Port Commissioner Mike Najera’s resignation from the board that controls the bayfront acreage. Najera, she said, hadn’t done enough to get the project off the ground. Najera saw the move as payback for a fund-raiser he had hosted for Steve Castaneda, a political challenger of Cox. She denied the accusation.
Instead of blaming others for problems, Cheryl, why don't you act like a adult and take responsibility for making things better?
Note to writer Cathy Clark: Cheryl Cox was a teacher for two years. That doesn't seem to me to qualify her as a "longtime teacher".
Saturday, July 11, 2009
State Senator Denise Ducheny in 2012 for San Diego County supervisor?
Ducheny Vs. Cox in 2012
Posted by BlueSanDiego
July 10, 2009
The 2010 elections for the Board of Supervisors are already taking shape but I believe that we won’t be able to win the D4 seat (Ron Roberts) since we can’t even come up with a consensus candidate to take on Roberts in 2010. The district is nearly the size of a congressional district.
Sheila (sic)* Jackson has low name ID and limited legislative experience. Lori Saldana seems more interested in running for State Senate in 2012. You know how it is with politicians, send them to Sacramento and you have to send them home kicking and screaming when term limits send them packing. Saldana clearly doesn’t have the desire to serve as a supervisor. Donna Frye doesn’t seem to know what she wants at all. Some days she will say she is seriously considering it then other days she will seem lost in a daze and unsure of her future.
June 2010 is less than 11 months away. Neither of the three have mounted a serious fundraising effort and it might just be too late if all three are going to stay in the race.
That shifts our attention to 2012 which might be realistically the first time we can get a Democrat elected to the Board of Supervisor in years. Word on the street is that labor is actively courting termed out State Senator Denise Ducheny to run against Greg Cox in 2012. Ducheny has good name ID and a thick rolodex from her years in Sacramento. It also helps that her 40th State Senate district is nearly identical to the Board of Supervisor District 5 boundaries.
It will become more clear if Ducheny intends to run for the Board of Supervisor if she begins going all out for staffer David Alvarez who is running for SD City Council D8. D8 makes up nearly 1/3rd of the Board of Supervisors 5th District. It would be a big boost for Ducheny to have one of her own supporting her in 2012 just in case she faces opposition from Juan Vargas or Mary Salas if either one of them loses the 2010 State Senate race to replace her and decides to take a shot for the Board of Supervisors seat in 2012.
However it might just be a Ducheny 2012 race. If Cheryl Cox loses her bid for re-election for Mayor of Chula Vista, I could imagine Greg Cox wanting to forgo a potentially touch re-election fight in 2012 and simply retire in peace with his wife and enjoy plenty of rounds of golf at the San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista. Only time will tell.
*Maura Larkins' comment: It took me years to realize that it's Shelia Jackson, not Sheila. I made the same spelling mistake more times than I wish to remember.
Ducheny Vs. Cox in 2012
Posted by BlueSanDiego
July 10, 2009
The 2010 elections for the Board of Supervisors are already taking shape but I believe that we won’t be able to win the D4 seat (Ron Roberts) since we can’t even come up with a consensus candidate to take on Roberts in 2010. The district is nearly the size of a congressional district.
Sheila (sic)* Jackson has low name ID and limited legislative experience. Lori Saldana seems more interested in running for State Senate in 2012. You know how it is with politicians, send them to Sacramento and you have to send them home kicking and screaming when term limits send them packing. Saldana clearly doesn’t have the desire to serve as a supervisor. Donna Frye doesn’t seem to know what she wants at all. Some days she will say she is seriously considering it then other days she will seem lost in a daze and unsure of her future.
June 2010 is less than 11 months away. Neither of the three have mounted a serious fundraising effort and it might just be too late if all three are going to stay in the race.
That shifts our attention to 2012 which might be realistically the first time we can get a Democrat elected to the Board of Supervisor in years. Word on the street is that labor is actively courting termed out State Senator Denise Ducheny to run against Greg Cox in 2012. Ducheny has good name ID and a thick rolodex from her years in Sacramento. It also helps that her 40th State Senate district is nearly identical to the Board of Supervisor District 5 boundaries.
It will become more clear if Ducheny intends to run for the Board of Supervisor if she begins going all out for staffer David Alvarez who is running for SD City Council D8. D8 makes up nearly 1/3rd of the Board of Supervisors 5th District. It would be a big boost for Ducheny to have one of her own supporting her in 2012 just in case she faces opposition from Juan Vargas or Mary Salas if either one of them loses the 2010 State Senate race to replace her and decides to take a shot for the Board of Supervisors seat in 2012.
However it might just be a Ducheny 2012 race. If Cheryl Cox loses her bid for re-election for Mayor of Chula Vista, I could imagine Greg Cox wanting to forgo a potentially touch re-election fight in 2012 and simply retire in peace with his wife and enjoy plenty of rounds of golf at the San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista. Only time will tell.
*Maura Larkins' comment: It took me years to realize that it's Shelia Jackson, not Sheila. I made the same spelling mistake more times than I wish to remember.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Elisa Betancourt should keep talking about teacher quality in CVESD
Get ready to make some noise again Chula Vista! Salt Creek & South Bay 'Y' are holding focus groups tomorrow, June 4, 2009 and June 17, 2009 re: DASH/STRETCH.
June 4
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Here, you will get to speak.
Salt Creek Elementary School Auditorium
1055 Hunte Parkway
Chula Vista, CA 91914
June 17
11 - 12 and 12 - 1
South Bay YMCA
50 North 4th Ave., 91910
Earlier DASH & STRETCH posts are here.
The Dash & Stretch Story as told by a veteran DASH leader
San Diego Reader
By CVPFEP
Posted June 3, 2009
...Why wasn't Dr. Lowell Billings transparent with the parents and employees of the City of Chula Vista's DASH and STRETCH? That is a question that will remain unanswered as Dr. Lowell Billings will not comment on that...Double-Boarding a conflict of interest? Follow me: www.twitter.com/cvpfep
Care2 make a difference
While legally Dr. Lowell Billings & Pamela B. Smith may serve on two boards, namely CVESD & the YMCA's Board of Management, they were supposed to have abstained their votes on the March 10th, 2009 district board meeting as it was a clear conflict of interests.
Maura Larkins' response:
Here's what Robert Fellmeth, University of San Diego law professor and director of the Center for Public Interest Law, says, "[P]ublic officials should know better than to steer so much money to groups with which they have close relationships."
Shame on Pamela Smith for voting to give control of a school district program to a private charity she's involved in. (On the other hand, it helps explain why the YMCA would give her a "woman of distinction" award. But the web of longtime cronies involved in the DASH & STRETCH power grab extends beyond Lowell Billings and Pam Smith to Cheryl Cox, mayor of Chula Vista. Cox served on the CVESD board until 2006.The DASH & STRETCH backroom deal is a small part of a much bigger problem.
Lowell Billings (like many other school superintendents) is paid big bucks to do whatever it takes to keep things calm and quiet in the school district. He's also supposed to educate as many kids as possible while keeping things quiet, but when a choice has to be made between educating kids and keeping the power structure in place, the kids come in second place.
Mr. Billings seems to be good at covering up problems. This is why CVESD pays Lowell Billings one of the highest salaries of any public employee in San Diego County, while at the same time laying off the people who actually educate kids. (How much is Billings paid to do this? In the 2007-2008 fiscal year he was the fourth-highest earning public employee in San Diego County, earning $238,205. I would guess his salary was about $20,000 higher this past year.)
Like other school officials, CVESD board members are so paranoid that they feel threatened by every little complaint. They don't want issues addressed in a public forum; they believe democracy is the road to ruin. Voters must be kept in the dark because voters can't be trusted with the truth. They are the only ones worthy of being on the board, and they must do whatever they have to do to stay there, including ignoring conflict of interest and other laws.
You might not guess that arrogance and fear would be so closely intertwined, but both the arrogance and the paranoia are real.
Chula Vista Elementary School District has a particularly bad case of paranoia. Board members and administrators fear that their system would fall apart if parents, teachers or kids were allowed to express dissatisfaction. It's CVESD's reflex response is to silence complaints and to deny its mistakes. CVESD flounders for years covering up its blunders rather than solving its problems.
The deterioration of DASH & STRETCH at CVESD is an unfortunate event, but it's just a tiny part of the big problem in education: teacher quality. Politics, not competence, determines who teaches children. People love to moan about the problem of not being able to get rid of incompetent teachers, but the truth is that education wouldn't really improve much if each school got rid of its worst teacher and replaced that teacher with a barely-competent teacher. The standards need to be much higher. Unfortunately, our society doesn't want to pay much for schools. One of Lowell Billings' jobs is to find a cheap way to put a teacher in every classroom (after first taking out plenty for himself and his lawyers, of course).
Adding to the problem, or perhaps, the very core of the problem, is that there is no effective system to evaluate teaching performance. Principals do observations, but they don't really know what's going on in classrooms, as reported in recent research.
Links on ineffective teacher evaluations:
Gotham Schools
Education Week
Voice of San Diego
As long as everything is peaceful and quiet, most administrators believe that everything is fine. And if kids end up as failures years later, very few people in the schools feel guilty. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, but most school officials are apparently fine with that.
Schools teach that if we keep a low profile and don't make the people in power angry, we'll be among the "contributing" members of society. I disagree. I think that looking the other way when wrong is being done damages society. I hope that Elisa Betancourt will keep speaking out. There's plenty more to talk about, Elisa. Don't go away!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Who will take Michael Najera's place on San Diego Port Commission?
See all posts about Mike Najera.
Candidates for Najera's former Port District seat crop up
By Tanya Sierra
San Diego Union-Tribune
May 20, 2009
CHULA VISTA — Less than a week after Mike Najera resigned as Chula Vista's port commissioner, possible successors have emerged.
They include former Port Commissioner Bill Hall, who Councilmen John McCann and Rudy Ramirez want appointed as the interim commissioner while they look for a permanent replacement.
McCann asked Mayor Cheryl Cox to convene an emergency meeting at 6 p.m. tomorrow to make an appointment. She said she is consulting with the city attorney about the request...
Other candidates who have been mentioned or said they would apply are former Mayor Steve Padilla; former City Attorney Ann Moore; Sal Salas, a banker married to state Assemblywoman Mary Salas, D-Chula Vista; developer Kevin O'Neill, a close ally of Cox's, and former council candidates Scott Vinson and Dan Hom. Otay Water District board member Jaime Bonilla was named as a possible candidate, but he said he would not apply.
The San Diego Unified Port District administers state tidelands around San Diego Bay. Seven commissioners represent the five port cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, Coronado, National City and Imperial Beach. ...
Candidates for Najera's former Port District seat crop up
By Tanya Sierra
San Diego Union-Tribune
May 20, 2009
CHULA VISTA — Less than a week after Mike Najera resigned as Chula Vista's port commissioner, possible successors have emerged.
They include former Port Commissioner Bill Hall, who Councilmen John McCann and Rudy Ramirez want appointed as the interim commissioner while they look for a permanent replacement.
McCann asked Mayor Cheryl Cox to convene an emergency meeting at 6 p.m. tomorrow to make an appointment. She said she is consulting with the city attorney about the request...
Other candidates who have been mentioned or said they would apply are former Mayor Steve Padilla; former City Attorney Ann Moore; Sal Salas, a banker married to state Assemblywoman Mary Salas, D-Chula Vista; developer Kevin O'Neill, a close ally of Cox's, and former council candidates Scott Vinson and Dan Hom. Otay Water District board member Jaime Bonilla was named as a possible candidate, but he said he would not apply.
The San Diego Unified Port District administers state tidelands around San Diego Bay. Seven commissioners represent the five port cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, Coronado, National City and Imperial Beach. ...
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Cheryl Cox wins against Port Commissioner Michael Najera
Cheryl Cox, without the tiniest bit of behind-the-scenes pressure having been applied by her husband Supervisor Greg Cox or anxious developers, has managed to kick Michael Najera off the Port Commission. Well, maybe she had a little help from her friends.
San Diego Port Commissioner Resigns Under Pressure
Michael Najera Wants To Avoid Legal Battle
Channel 10 News
May 15, 2009
CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- A San Diego Port commissioner who was blamed for the failure of a project to develop the Chula Vista waterfront resigned Friday, a week after the city's mayor called for his voluntary departure.
Michael Najera is Chula Vista's representative on the Board of Port Commissioners, and had previously indicated he would fight to keep his position.
In a resignation letter, however, Najera said a legal battle wasn't in the best interest of Chula Vista.
"I feel strongly that my legal position was strong," Najera wrote. "However, I have determined that a protracted legal battle against my beloved hometown is not in my best interests, and more importantly it's not in the best interests of Chula Vista's taxpayers, since they are the ones that would have to foot the legal bill."
"Given all due consideration, for now I have decided that it is in my best interest to resign from the Port Commission and concentrate my efforts on several exciting new business ventures," he said...
The Board of Port Commissioners sets land-use policies and manages tenants along San Diego Bay's tidelands.
5/15/2009
San Diego Business Journal
Port Commissioner Bows Out
Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox apparently got her wish when Port Commissioner Mike Najera resigned from his position May 15.
Cox had asked Najera, who owns a construction company, to resign about a week ago, but he refused, and even contracted his attorney to send a letter to Cox, saying there was no reason for him to leave.
Cox never provided a reason for wanting Najera out...
See original post.
San Diego Port Commissioner Resigns Under Pressure
Michael Najera Wants To Avoid Legal Battle
Channel 10 News
May 15, 2009
CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- A San Diego Port commissioner who was blamed for the failure of a project to develop the Chula Vista waterfront resigned Friday, a week after the city's mayor called for his voluntary departure.
Michael Najera is Chula Vista's representative on the Board of Port Commissioners, and had previously indicated he would fight to keep his position.
In a resignation letter, however, Najera said a legal battle wasn't in the best interest of Chula Vista.
"I feel strongly that my legal position was strong," Najera wrote. "However, I have determined that a protracted legal battle against my beloved hometown is not in my best interests, and more importantly it's not in the best interests of Chula Vista's taxpayers, since they are the ones that would have to foot the legal bill."
"Given all due consideration, for now I have decided that it is in my best interest to resign from the Port Commission and concentrate my efforts on several exciting new business ventures," he said...
The Board of Port Commissioners sets land-use policies and manages tenants along San Diego Bay's tidelands.
5/15/2009
San Diego Business Journal
Port Commissioner Bows Out
Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox apparently got her wish when Port Commissioner Mike Najera resigned from his position May 15.
Cox had asked Najera, who owns a construction company, to resign about a week ago, but he refused, and even contracted his attorney to send a letter to Cox, saying there was no reason for him to leave.
Cox never provided a reason for wanting Najera out...
See original post.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Cheryl Cox finds it's harder than it used to be to get rid of people she doesn't like
Mayor told to halt attempt to expel port commissioner
Najera's attorney calls actions illegal
By Tanya Sierra
San DiegoUnion-Tribune Staff Writer
May 7, 2009
An attorney for Chula Vista Port Commissioner Mike Najera warned Mayor Cheryl Cox to stop trying to oust the commissioner, saying her actions are illegal and politically motivated.
In a letter sent late Tuesday to Cox, the City Council and the city attorney, lawyer Joseph Casas states the council must have justification to remove a port commissioner.
“The involuntary removal of a port commissioner without good cause is not only unethical, but case law indicates that such an action is unlawful,” Casas wrote.
Najera said Cox on Monday asked him to resign, which he refused to do. He said Cox gave him until noon Tuesday to step down or she would “go to the media.”
Cox did not return repeated phone calls yesterday seeking comment. On Tuesday, she confirmed she met with Najera the day before to discuss concerns but wouldn't say what they were.
Some council members say they have not spoken with Cox and can't figure out why she would ask Najera to resign...
The city councils of the five port cities appoint Port District commissioners. Najera was first chosen in 2006 to fill the remainder of William Hall's term and was reappointed to a full four-year term in 2007.
The Port District's governing rules state only that “a commissioner may be removed from the board by a majority vote of the city council which appointed the commissioner.” In his letter, Casas cites a 1990 opinion written by then-San Diego City Attorney John Witt, who stated a council needs “good cause” to unseat a port commissioner.
“I haven't heard anything back from the city of Chula Vista,” Casas said. “I really think that the ball is in the mayor's court right now. She is the one who has the burden of proof.”
Chula Vista City Attorney Bart Miesfeld did not return calls yesterday.
UPDATE: Will Cox be able to unseat a port commissioner for supporting Cox's opponent?
Chula Vista council will address Najera's position
By Tanya Sierra Union-Tribune Staff Writer
6:47 p.m. May 8, 2009
Chula Vista City Council Meeting
When: Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Where: 276 Fourth Ave., in the City Council chambers.
CHULA VISTA — The City Council on Tuesday will discuss Chula Vista Port Commissioner Mike Najera, who said this week Mayor Cheryl Cox asked him to resign.
According to the City Council agenda, which was issued just after 3 p.m. Friday, officials will “consider and potentially act upon” Najera's position.
...Najera found out he was on Tuesday's council agenda when contacted by a newspaper reporter. He said city officials should have told him...
Councilman Steve Castaneda said he also was not informed the issue was on the agenda.
Najera said before his meeting with Cox, she asked him to give an update on the Chula Vista bayfront at Tuesday's meeting, but that isn't listed on the agenda.
Calls to Cox, City Manager Jim Sandoval and City Attorney Bart Miesfeld were not returned Friday.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Did Mayor Cox tell Najera to quit as Port Commissioner because he held a fundraiser for someone else?
Update to this story is HERE.
Najera Held Fundraiser for Cox Rival
Voice of San Diego
WILL CARLESS
May 6, 2009
Mike Najera, a port commissioner who was abruptly asked to step down from his position by Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox on Monday, just told me he recently held a fundraiser for Chula Vista City Councilman Steve Castaneda, who is widely expected to challenge Cox when her term expires in 2010...
Steve Cushman, chairman of the port commission, said he's waiting to hear an explanation from Cox as to why she asked Najera to resign. Najera has been a "terrific commissioner" who works hard, never misses meetings and has done a great job, he said. Cushman said he called Cox to ask for an explanation but has not yet spoken to her.
Castaneda said Cox's leadership of the city has been disappointing and said he supports a change in leadership in the county's second-largest city. But he stopped short of saying he would be running against Cox for mayor...
HERE'S MY ORIGINAL POST ON THIS SUBJECT:
Did Mayor Cox tell Najera to quit Port post?
By Tanya Sierra
San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer
May 5, 2009
CHULA VISTA — Chula Vista Port Commissioner Mike Najera said Mayor Cheryl Cox asked him to resign Monday, and he refused.
Cox gave Najera until noon Tuesday to resign or she would go to the media, the port commissioner said.
“I'm not sure of her motivation,” Najera said.
Cox said Tuesday she met with Najera to discuss her concerns but she would not elaborate.
Najera said Cox made her request during an 11 a.m. meeting Monday, which he thought was a catch-up session.
He recalled her saying, “'I just want to cut to the chase and I want you to resign. I want you to step down. I lost confidence in your ability to get the bayfront done,'” Najera said. “She said 'It's been two and a half years and it's not done yet.' I said 'You've been mayor for all this time as well, should you take part in the blame?'”
Chula Vista City Attorney Bart Miesfeld said the City Council can remove a Port District commissioner with a majority vote. It was not an item on Tuesday's City Council agenda.
Najera was first appointed in 2006 to fill the remainder of William Hall's term. He was reappointed for a full four-year term in 2007 and at the time vowed to transform the city's bayfront through development saying, “I want that land to be deep in the first phase of construction by the end of my term in 2011.”
Plans for the bayfront halted in November when for the second and final time Gaylord Entertainment dropped its plan to build a hotel and convention center. The failed deal was the latest in 35 years of attempts to develop the city's waterfront.
Bayfront projects are not in the hands of a sole port commissioner. Seven commissioners represent the five port cities of San Diego, Coronado, National City, Chula Vista and Imperial Beach.
“I think that over the 40-plus years that the port has been in existence, there have been numerous port commissioners who have represented Chula Vista and none of them have been able to accomplish any sort of development either,” Councilman Steve Castaneda said. “So, I'm not sure that we can lay any significant blame on Mr. Najera.”
Councilman Rudy Ramirez said he did not want to criticize Najera, but said he is unhappy with the slow progress on the Chula Vista bayfront.
“I'm dissatisfied overall with the progress that Chula Vista has been able to make with our port,” Ramirez said. “Nothing seems to get done over there and I'm concerned with that.”
One reason Cox could be upset, Najera said, is the proposed land swap between the Port District and Pacifica Companies, a development company interested in building a hotel and condominium development on the bayfront adjacent to where the Gaylord project was slated.
The port's board discussed the deal in closed session Tuesday, Port Commissioner Steve Cushman said.
“We are trying like crazy,” he said...
Najera Held Fundraiser for Cox Rival
Voice of San Diego
WILL CARLESS
May 6, 2009
Mike Najera, a port commissioner who was abruptly asked to step down from his position by Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox on Monday, just told me he recently held a fundraiser for Chula Vista City Councilman Steve Castaneda, who is widely expected to challenge Cox when her term expires in 2010...
Steve Cushman, chairman of the port commission, said he's waiting to hear an explanation from Cox as to why she asked Najera to resign. Najera has been a "terrific commissioner" who works hard, never misses meetings and has done a great job, he said. Cushman said he called Cox to ask for an explanation but has not yet spoken to her.
Castaneda said Cox's leadership of the city has been disappointing and said he supports a change in leadership in the county's second-largest city. But he stopped short of saying he would be running against Cox for mayor...
HERE'S MY ORIGINAL POST ON THIS SUBJECT:
Did Mayor Cox tell Najera to quit Port post?
By Tanya Sierra
San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer
May 5, 2009
CHULA VISTA — Chula Vista Port Commissioner Mike Najera said Mayor Cheryl Cox asked him to resign Monday, and he refused.
Cox gave Najera until noon Tuesday to resign or she would go to the media, the port commissioner said.
“I'm not sure of her motivation,” Najera said.
Cox said Tuesday she met with Najera to discuss her concerns but she would not elaborate.
Najera said Cox made her request during an 11 a.m. meeting Monday, which he thought was a catch-up session.
He recalled her saying, “'I just want to cut to the chase and I want you to resign. I want you to step down. I lost confidence in your ability to get the bayfront done,'” Najera said. “She said 'It's been two and a half years and it's not done yet.' I said 'You've been mayor for all this time as well, should you take part in the blame?'”
Chula Vista City Attorney Bart Miesfeld said the City Council can remove a Port District commissioner with a majority vote. It was not an item on Tuesday's City Council agenda.
Najera was first appointed in 2006 to fill the remainder of William Hall's term. He was reappointed for a full four-year term in 2007 and at the time vowed to transform the city's bayfront through development saying, “I want that land to be deep in the first phase of construction by the end of my term in 2011.”
Plans for the bayfront halted in November when for the second and final time Gaylord Entertainment dropped its plan to build a hotel and convention center. The failed deal was the latest in 35 years of attempts to develop the city's waterfront.
Bayfront projects are not in the hands of a sole port commissioner. Seven commissioners represent the five port cities of San Diego, Coronado, National City, Chula Vista and Imperial Beach.
“I think that over the 40-plus years that the port has been in existence, there have been numerous port commissioners who have represented Chula Vista and none of them have been able to accomplish any sort of development either,” Councilman Steve Castaneda said. “So, I'm not sure that we can lay any significant blame on Mr. Najera.”
Councilman Rudy Ramirez said he did not want to criticize Najera, but said he is unhappy with the slow progress on the Chula Vista bayfront.
“I'm dissatisfied overall with the progress that Chula Vista has been able to make with our port,” Ramirez said. “Nothing seems to get done over there and I'm concerned with that.”
One reason Cox could be upset, Najera said, is the proposed land swap between the Port District and Pacifica Companies, a development company interested in building a hotel and condominium development on the bayfront adjacent to where the Gaylord project was slated.
The port's board discussed the deal in closed session Tuesday, Port Commissioner Steve Cushman said.
“We are trying like crazy,” he said...
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
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."
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."
Friday, January 23, 2009
Peaker Power Plant: score: People: 1, Cheryl Cox: 0
Commission against expansion of Chula Vista power plant
By Tanya Sierra
San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer
January 23, 2009
A proposal to expand a power plant in a southwest Chula Vista neighborhood should be denied, according to a preliminary California Energy Commission recommendation released Friday.
The energy commission committee reviewing the expansion said the power plant conflicts with the city's general plan and zoning rules.
MMC Energy Inc., provides emergency power for the regional electricity system and is proposing the expansion at the site, which is behind a carwash and junkyard near Albany Avenue and Main Street. It's about 1,300 feet from an elementary school and 350 feet from homes.
“The record does not contain sufficient evidence to show that placing the project at the proposed location cannot be avoided,” the committee said in a written statement.
Harry Scarborough, a vice president with MMC Energy Inc., did not return a call seeking comment.
Although the decision isn't final until the full commission votes in March, residents opposed to the expansion consider it a victory.
“We're all very excited,” said Hugo Ivan Salazar of Communities Taking Action.
Residents and community activists have opposed expanding the current 44 megawatt facility to 100 megawatts because they believe it would be a health risk for those who live near it.
In August 2007, MMC applied for state permission to demolish its 8-year-old plant, which it wants to replace with a larger one on the same site. The plant, known as a “peaker plant,” provides power when the electricity grid is overloaded during peak use periods.
The peaker plant expansion has been a volatile issue. At nearly every City Council meeting, residents criticized Mayor Cheryl Cox for not opposing it.
[See pictures from one such protest.]
Council members Rudy Ramirez and Pamela Bensoussan oppose the expansion. Councilmen Steve Castaneda and John McCann have not taken a position.
Friday Cox said it is time to move on and that the city would work with MMC on finding a new location for the plant...
The plan to tear down the South Bay Power Plant on the Chula Vista bayfront could be delayed if other energy sources – including the peaker plant – don't come online. City officials have long wanted the plant gone from that site, where the San Diego Chargers are now considering building a new stadium.
Chula Vista had been counting on the MMC peaker plant expansion, approval of the Sunrise Powerlink and the Calpine baseload plant.
Before the California Energy Commission votes in March, there is a 30-day public comment period and a public meeting at Chula Vista City Hall scheduled for 4 p.m. Feb. 23.
By Tanya Sierra
San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer
January 23, 2009
A proposal to expand a power plant in a southwest Chula Vista neighborhood should be denied, according to a preliminary California Energy Commission recommendation released Friday.
The energy commission committee reviewing the expansion said the power plant conflicts with the city's general plan and zoning rules.
MMC Energy Inc., provides emergency power for the regional electricity system and is proposing the expansion at the site, which is behind a carwash and junkyard near Albany Avenue and Main Street. It's about 1,300 feet from an elementary school and 350 feet from homes.
“The record does not contain sufficient evidence to show that placing the project at the proposed location cannot be avoided,” the committee said in a written statement.
Harry Scarborough, a vice president with MMC Energy Inc., did not return a call seeking comment.
Although the decision isn't final until the full commission votes in March, residents opposed to the expansion consider it a victory.
“We're all very excited,” said Hugo Ivan Salazar of Communities Taking Action.
Residents and community activists have opposed expanding the current 44 megawatt facility to 100 megawatts because they believe it would be a health risk for those who live near it.
In August 2007, MMC applied for state permission to demolish its 8-year-old plant, which it wants to replace with a larger one on the same site. The plant, known as a “peaker plant,” provides power when the electricity grid is overloaded during peak use periods.
The peaker plant expansion has been a volatile issue. At nearly every City Council meeting, residents criticized Mayor Cheryl Cox for not opposing it.
[See pictures from one such protest.]
Council members Rudy Ramirez and Pamela Bensoussan oppose the expansion. Councilmen Steve Castaneda and John McCann have not taken a position.
Friday Cox said it is time to move on and that the city would work with MMC on finding a new location for the plant...
The plan to tear down the South Bay Power Plant on the Chula Vista bayfront could be delayed if other energy sources – including the peaker plant – don't come online. City officials have long wanted the plant gone from that site, where the San Diego Chargers are now considering building a new stadium.
Chula Vista had been counting on the MMC peaker plant expansion, approval of the Sunrise Powerlink and the Calpine baseload plant.
Before the California Energy Commission votes in March, there is a 30-day public comment period and a public meeting at Chula Vista City Hall scheduled for 4 p.m. Feb. 23.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Cheryl Cox should resign or be recalled; she has brought corruption, not character, to the Chula Vista mayor's office
In 2006 Cheryl Cox told the voters that she was the candidate with more "character." That gambit was a hoax.
Cheryl Cox's character has been revealed to be cynical and corrupt. Not only is Cheryl dishonest and secretive, but she abuses her power. And worst of all, she happily watches as the District Attorney's office abuses its power on her behalf.
District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis' office investigated and prosecuted a young man for taking two hours off when he worked for mayor Steve Padilla. Why? Because Cheryl Cox supporters were outraged that the young man used the time to try to get a photo of Cheryl Cox with disgraced politico David Malcolm. Dumanis topped off her gift to Cox cronies (including San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox, Cheryl's husband) by prosecuting another Cox opponent, Steve Castaneda. That political prosecution ended with the vindication of the victim.
Below is a story about Cheryl Cox and her chief of staff, Dan Forster. Forster should go now, not in June, and Cheryl Cox should go with him.
Mayor's top aide got pay for other job on city time
By Tanya Sierra
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 12, 2008
Mayor Cheryl Cox's chief of staff was paid at least $25,000 as a consultant for his previous employer, with some of that work done on city time, according to documents released this week.
Dan Forster, who has worked for Cox since December 2006, said last month that he made $10,000 plus expenses for his consulting work for the North Slope Borough, a government agency he once worked for in Alaska...
North Slope Borough records show that officials agreed to pay Forster up to $27,030 between September 2007 and August 2008...Forster said Wednesday that he might have underestimated how much he was paid when asked about the work last month.
Invoices show that Forster has so far been paid $24,957, about $2,000 shy of his $27,030 contract maximum...
It is unclear how much of the work was done on city of Chula Vista time, but numerous e-mails – many with lengthy attachments – were sent to and from Forster's city e-mail account during his regular work hours at City Hall.
Last month, Forster said he did very little consultant work on city time. Cox said she gave Forster permission to consult during work hours because he was a good employee with an excellent record of being available when needed.
[This attitude is a complete contradiction of Cox's attitude toward city manager David Garcia. Being available when needed was not an acceptable defense in Cheryl's opinion just one month ago.]
The city's Internet and e-mail policy, however, prohibits employees from operating a business through the city's Internet link.
[Cheryl made it clear when she was a Chula Vista Elementary School board member that she didn't think policies applied to her.]
...This week, Cox proposed eliminating Forster's position because the city is struggling with a projected $20 million budget deficit next year...
Forster, who makes $124,000 a year at the city, said the idea was his and that Cox initially objected...
[Mr. Forster's idea is a clever one. Why did Cox object to it? Because Cox is not a gifted problem solver, nor does she believe in doing the right thing.]
If his position is eliminated, Forster would stay through the end of June, when this fiscal year ends.
[Nice try, Mr. Forster, but not quite good enough. You should leave now, and take Cheryl Cox with you. And you should both be grateful that San Diego has a District Attorney who protects corrupt public officials.]
Cheryl Cox's character has been revealed to be cynical and corrupt. Not only is Cheryl dishonest and secretive, but she abuses her power. And worst of all, she happily watches as the District Attorney's office abuses its power on her behalf.
District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis' office investigated and prosecuted a young man for taking two hours off when he worked for mayor Steve Padilla. Why? Because Cheryl Cox supporters were outraged that the young man used the time to try to get a photo of Cheryl Cox with disgraced politico David Malcolm. Dumanis topped off her gift to Cox cronies (including San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox, Cheryl's husband) by prosecuting another Cox opponent, Steve Castaneda. That political prosecution ended with the vindication of the victim.
Below is a story about Cheryl Cox and her chief of staff, Dan Forster. Forster should go now, not in June, and Cheryl Cox should go with him.
Mayor's top aide got pay for other job on city time
By Tanya Sierra
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 12, 2008
Mayor Cheryl Cox's chief of staff was paid at least $25,000 as a consultant for his previous employer, with some of that work done on city time, according to documents released this week.
Dan Forster, who has worked for Cox since December 2006, said last month that he made $10,000 plus expenses for his consulting work for the North Slope Borough, a government agency he once worked for in Alaska...
North Slope Borough records show that officials agreed to pay Forster up to $27,030 between September 2007 and August 2008...Forster said Wednesday that he might have underestimated how much he was paid when asked about the work last month.
Invoices show that Forster has so far been paid $24,957, about $2,000 shy of his $27,030 contract maximum...
It is unclear how much of the work was done on city of Chula Vista time, but numerous e-mails – many with lengthy attachments – were sent to and from Forster's city e-mail account during his regular work hours at City Hall.
Last month, Forster said he did very little consultant work on city time. Cox said she gave Forster permission to consult during work hours because he was a good employee with an excellent record of being available when needed.
[This attitude is a complete contradiction of Cox's attitude toward city manager David Garcia. Being available when needed was not an acceptable defense in Cheryl's opinion just one month ago.]
The city's Internet and e-mail policy, however, prohibits employees from operating a business through the city's Internet link.
[Cheryl made it clear when she was a Chula Vista Elementary School board member that she didn't think policies applied to her.]
...This week, Cox proposed eliminating Forster's position because the city is struggling with a projected $20 million budget deficit next year...
Forster, who makes $124,000 a year at the city, said the idea was his and that Cox initially objected...
[Mr. Forster's idea is a clever one. Why did Cox object to it? Because Cox is not a gifted problem solver, nor does she believe in doing the right thing.]
If his position is eliminated, Forster would stay through the end of June, when this fiscal year ends.
[Nice try, Mr. Forster, but not quite good enough. You should leave now, and take Cheryl Cox with you. And you should both be grateful that San Diego has a District Attorney who protects corrupt public officials.]
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Why I've delayed writing about Cheryl Cox's support for Dan Forster
I think I'm suffering from Cheryl Cox fatigue. No matter how many times Cheryl Cox behaves as if the rules don't apply to her, I still get taken by surprise. When will we get a rest?
Chula Vista mayor Cheryl Cox's "character" campaign caused a young man in the previous Chula Vista mayor's administration to be charged with five felonies for taking two hours off of work without filing a leave slip before he left the office.
And very recently she helped fire city manager David Garcia for perusing the Pamela Anderson webpage during work hours.
I understand that Cheryl Cox is corrupt. I just don't understand why she doesn't try harder to pretend she's not corrupt.
Chula Vista mayor defends her chief of staff
Forster helped other agency on city time
By Tanya Sierra
San Diego UNION-TRIBUNE
November 21, 2008
Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox's chief of staff is doing consulting work for his previous employer on city time – with the permission of the mayor.
Three councilmen said the practice in unacceptable, but Cox said she supports her chief of staff, Dan Forster, as he helps out the North Slope Borough, the government agency he once worked for in Alaska.
“I can tell you that Dan is a dedicated employee,” Cox said. “An hour or so a month helping out another governmental agency is part of Dan's track record.
“He's always there when I need him.”
Councilmen Steve Castaneda, Rudy Ramirez and John McCann said Forster should not be using city time and city equipment to carry out personal consulting work.
PROFILE
Dan Forster
Position: Chief of staff for Mayor Cheryl Cox
Salary: $123,748 a year. Also receives a $4,800 a year car allowance and a benefits package of about $50,000.
Age: 58
Family: Married, two children
Education: Bachelor's and master's degree in urban planning from University of Washington; master of public administration from Harvard.
Experience: More than 25 years in public administration, land and resources, development projects, planning, and program design and implementation.
...Forster, who earns $124,000 a year at the city, said he felt an obligation to help his former employer find a replacement after he left in 2006. He also said he wanted to finish an oil and gas project he started there.
Forster said he traveled to Alaska on his own time for projects but was in contact with officials on Chula Vista's time via e-mail and phone.
[Blogger's note: So why wasn't City Manager David Garcia allowed to use his own time to look at a computer? He worked plenty of nights, and was authorized to take time off during the day as compensation.]
...Cox hired Forster from his job as deputy director of planning in North Slope Borough, in the Arctic territory of northwest Alaska, because of his land-use background, she said.
Forster received written permission from Cox to do the consulting work for his former employer between Sept. 1, 2007, and Aug. 31, 2008, but the city's Internet and e-mail policy prohibits employees from operating a business through the city's Internet link. Forster is still consulting. He and Cox said he is “weaning” North Slope from its dependence on him...
City e-mails show Forster was leading a recruiting effort for a new deputy director of planning for the North Slope Borough. He also played a significant role in setting up an oil and gas forum in Alaska, which he also attended.
Excerpts from city e-mails show that while he was in his Chula Vista office, Forster:
> Received lengthy letters and reports from a North Slope Borough official for the oil and gas forum via e-mail at 10:41 a.m. Oct. 31, 2007.
> Tried accessing large reports from a document distribution server.
> Worked on recruiting a replacement for his old post, including
offering to drive to Las Vegas to attend a job fair. “Let's hope
we can find someone earlier but in the event we can't this is an
option, and is drivable from San Diego,” he said in an e-mail
he sent at 10:35 a.m. Nov. 13, 2007...
He said he only received pay when asked to travel, which he said amounted to about $10,000 plus expenses. He did not provide documentation. Calls to North Slope Borough officials were not returned yesterday...
Forster said he traveled to Alaska four times since 2007. State law does not require him to disclose the amount he was paid because it was from a government agency...
[Blogger's note: Of course, the public is entitled to the information through a public records request.]
Two years ago, when Cox was running for mayor, she objected to an aide to then-Mayor Steve Padilla doing noncity work on city time. The city worker was photographing Cox and her guests at a fundraiser. The incident led to a county grand jury investigation.
[Blogger's note: The incident led to five felony indictments. Cheryl Cox clearly supported the efforts of District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis to play dirty tricks on her behalf. The worker who took two hours off pled guilty to a lesser charge; the justice system was abused for Cheryl Cox's political gain. But that wasn't all. The prosecutor in the case, Patrick O'Toole, also went after another opponent of Cheryl Cox, Steve Castaneda.]
In September, City Manager David Garcia was fired over his personal Internet use at work.
Castaneda said Forster's consulting work was brought to his attention earlier this year by then-City Attorney Ann Moore. She learned about his Alaska work when a citizen activist requested Forster's e-mails.
“She told me she was concerned about the fact that e-mails existed and that there were more than just a few of them,” Castaneda said. “I'd like to find out exactly what the scope of all this is, understand why this is permitted and if it legitimately is permitted, I want to start a process to unpermit it, immediately.”
[This page contains a link to Dan Foster documents.]
Chula Vista mayor Cheryl Cox's "character" campaign caused a young man in the previous Chula Vista mayor's administration to be charged with five felonies for taking two hours off of work without filing a leave slip before he left the office.
And very recently she helped fire city manager David Garcia for perusing the Pamela Anderson webpage during work hours.
I understand that Cheryl Cox is corrupt. I just don't understand why she doesn't try harder to pretend she's not corrupt.
Chula Vista mayor defends her chief of staff
Forster helped other agency on city time
By Tanya Sierra
San Diego UNION-TRIBUNE
November 21, 2008
Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox's chief of staff is doing consulting work for his previous employer on city time – with the permission of the mayor.
Three councilmen said the practice in unacceptable, but Cox said she supports her chief of staff, Dan Forster, as he helps out the North Slope Borough, the government agency he once worked for in Alaska.
“I can tell you that Dan is a dedicated employee,” Cox said. “An hour or so a month helping out another governmental agency is part of Dan's track record.
“He's always there when I need him.”
Councilmen Steve Castaneda, Rudy Ramirez and John McCann said Forster should not be using city time and city equipment to carry out personal consulting work.
PROFILE
Dan Forster
Position: Chief of staff for Mayor Cheryl Cox
Salary: $123,748 a year. Also receives a $4,800 a year car allowance and a benefits package of about $50,000.
Age: 58
Family: Married, two children
Education: Bachelor's and master's degree in urban planning from University of Washington; master of public administration from Harvard.
Experience: More than 25 years in public administration, land and resources, development projects, planning, and program design and implementation.
...Forster, who earns $124,000 a year at the city, said he felt an obligation to help his former employer find a replacement after he left in 2006. He also said he wanted to finish an oil and gas project he started there.
Forster said he traveled to Alaska on his own time for projects but was in contact with officials on Chula Vista's time via e-mail and phone.
[Blogger's note: So why wasn't City Manager David Garcia allowed to use his own time to look at a computer? He worked plenty of nights, and was authorized to take time off during the day as compensation.]
...Cox hired Forster from his job as deputy director of planning in North Slope Borough, in the Arctic territory of northwest Alaska, because of his land-use background, she said.
Forster received written permission from Cox to do the consulting work for his former employer between Sept. 1, 2007, and Aug. 31, 2008, but the city's Internet and e-mail policy prohibits employees from operating a business through the city's Internet link. Forster is still consulting. He and Cox said he is “weaning” North Slope from its dependence on him...
City e-mails show Forster was leading a recruiting effort for a new deputy director of planning for the North Slope Borough. He also played a significant role in setting up an oil and gas forum in Alaska, which he also attended.
Excerpts from city e-mails show that while he was in his Chula Vista office, Forster:
> Received lengthy letters and reports from a North Slope Borough official for the oil and gas forum via e-mail at 10:41 a.m. Oct. 31, 2007.
> Tried accessing large reports from a document distribution server.
> Worked on recruiting a replacement for his old post, including
offering to drive to Las Vegas to attend a job fair. “Let's hope
we can find someone earlier but in the event we can't this is an
option, and is drivable from San Diego,” he said in an e-mail
he sent at 10:35 a.m. Nov. 13, 2007...
He said he only received pay when asked to travel, which he said amounted to about $10,000 plus expenses. He did not provide documentation. Calls to North Slope Borough officials were not returned yesterday...
Forster said he traveled to Alaska four times since 2007. State law does not require him to disclose the amount he was paid because it was from a government agency...
[Blogger's note: Of course, the public is entitled to the information through a public records request.]
Two years ago, when Cox was running for mayor, she objected to an aide to then-Mayor Steve Padilla doing noncity work on city time. The city worker was photographing Cox and her guests at a fundraiser. The incident led to a county grand jury investigation.
[Blogger's note: The incident led to five felony indictments. Cheryl Cox clearly supported the efforts of District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis to play dirty tricks on her behalf. The worker who took two hours off pled guilty to a lesser charge; the justice system was abused for Cheryl Cox's political gain. But that wasn't all. The prosecutor in the case, Patrick O'Toole, also went after another opponent of Cheryl Cox, Steve Castaneda.]
In September, City Manager David Garcia was fired over his personal Internet use at work.
Castaneda said Forster's consulting work was brought to his attention earlier this year by then-City Attorney Ann Moore. She learned about his Alaska work when a citizen activist requested Forster's e-mails.
“She told me she was concerned about the fact that e-mails existed and that there were more than just a few of them,” Castaneda said. “I'd like to find out exactly what the scope of all this is, understand why this is permitted and if it legitimately is permitted, I want to start a process to unpermit it, immediately.”
[This page contains a link to Dan Foster documents.]
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Why Chula Vista mayor Cheryl Cox doesn't want an elected city attorney
AN ELECTED CITY ATTORNEY IN CHULA VISTA?
San Diego Union Tribune, South edition
By Cheryl Cox, Mayor of Chula Vista
October 25, 2008
Do voters really want one more politician in Chula Vista?
[Blogger's response: The City Attorney already IS political in Chula Vista. The job of the appointed city attorney seems to be to make sure that the voters don't know what's going on behind closed doors, and to insist that conducting business as usual is perfectly legal. The city attorney's current job is to help elected officials do whatever they want to do by coming up with a legal justification and sticking to it, no matter how much it violates the letter or the spirit of the law. We learned how much you like to operate in secrecy, Cheryl, from your shenanigans when you were a board member in Chula Vista Elementary School District. We just don't like it.]
Proposition Q would create more politicians and more politics. Proposition Q is bad for Chula Vista.
Does turning the position of Chula Vista's city attorney into a political one make better government? No.
Does it make what a city attorney does more transparent? No.
Does it make the position more accountable and less corruptible? No.
Chula Vista's city attorney is an appointed professional whose duty is to protect Chula Vista taxpayers by providing legal advice to the mayor, City Council and city staff. While saying that the city attorney should be more responsible to the electorate sounds like a good idea, it unwisely burdens the city attorney with representing a consistently shifting idea of what the “public interest” really is.
[Protect the taxpayers? Is that what you call the Laurie Madigan deal pulled off by the law firm, Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz, that has represented both you and Ms. Madigan? And how about protecting the people? You weren't doing that when you authorized the expansion of a power plant near Otay Elementary, and a big giveaway to Gaylord.]
The city attorney's primary role is to represent and advise the municipal government. This initiative would create a city attorney whose primary role is to get re-elected, regardless of the impact of campaign politics on the best interests of the city and the increased possibility that officials and departments might consider hiring, at taxpayer expense, their own legal counsel to represent them.
[Come on, Cheryl. The appointed city attorney knows very well that his/her job is to get the people in power reelected.]
The City Council, city departments and agencies rely on fair, objective and nonpolitical advice from the city attorney. Proposition Q isn't about good governance. It puts in place a politician with a built-in incentive to grandstand, litigate and use the office for political purposes.
We should not replace a competent professional with a politician. For one thing, politicians have to solicit campaign contributions. Contributions from those with an ax to grind?
[Your appointed city attorney has to grind your axes, Cheryl, and those of the entire city council.]
An elected city attorney has nothing to do with the size of a city's population. It sacrifices competent, professional legal opinion for being good at politics.This would not be an independent voice! It would be linked inextricably to the political influences of special interests and electioneering.
[Heavens! Do you mean that someone might point out to you the negatives of something you want to do? Horrors! Keep your hands tightly clamped to your ears, Cheryl.]
If Chula Vista elects a politician as its city attorney, the city is in trouble.
Has an elected city attorney worked well for San Diego? Ticket guarantees, pension underfunding...
[Pension underfunding??!! Okay. Stop right there, Cheryl. Casey Gwinn, the city attorney who was involved in the pension underfunding scam was sitting solidly in the lap of Mayor Dick Murphy. He was exactly the person that city officials wanted; he sat silent when he should have given negative feedback. He was just your cup of tea. It's city attorneys like Mike Aguirre that give you the shakes, because they really do represent the people.]
...and millions wasted on politically motivated lawsuits? Proposition Q doesn't restrict this type of behavior. It allows an elected city attorney to file lawsuits without prior council approval.
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said that he has “never asked Mr. [City Attorney Mike] Aguirre for anything other than good, timely, well-researched legal advice. To this date, I have not been able to get it. Mr. Aguirre continues to wait until the last minute to put out legal advice, and it's frequently in conflict with what he's told us before. . . . I can't get legal advice that is really necessary when you run a $3 billion corporation.”
[Jerry Sanders was playing politics when he said this. But I think that we should give him his own appointed attorney. I think cities should have two city attorneys, one for the public and one for the officials. And I think the public should hear what BOTH the elected and the appointed attorneys have to say about each issue. This would put pressure on officials to make good choices. An appointed attorney thinks his job is to protect officials from accountability.]
Today, Chula Vista's appointed city attorney doesn't have a vote. He's not the sixth member of the council. And he (or she) shouldn't be.
[An elected city attorney wouldn't get a vote either, Cheryl. Why do you misrepresent the facts?]
--------------------
The piece above was written by Cheryl Cox, mayor of Chula Vista. Maura Larkins wrote the responses.]
San Diego Union Tribune, South edition
By Cheryl Cox, Mayor of Chula Vista
October 25, 2008
Do voters really want one more politician in Chula Vista?
[Blogger's response: The City Attorney already IS political in Chula Vista. The job of the appointed city attorney seems to be to make sure that the voters don't know what's going on behind closed doors, and to insist that conducting business as usual is perfectly legal. The city attorney's current job is to help elected officials do whatever they want to do by coming up with a legal justification and sticking to it, no matter how much it violates the letter or the spirit of the law. We learned how much you like to operate in secrecy, Cheryl, from your shenanigans when you were a board member in Chula Vista Elementary School District. We just don't like it.]
Proposition Q would create more politicians and more politics. Proposition Q is bad for Chula Vista.
Does turning the position of Chula Vista's city attorney into a political one make better government? No.
Does it make what a city attorney does more transparent? No.
Does it make the position more accountable and less corruptible? No.
Chula Vista's city attorney is an appointed professional whose duty is to protect Chula Vista taxpayers by providing legal advice to the mayor, City Council and city staff. While saying that the city attorney should be more responsible to the electorate sounds like a good idea, it unwisely burdens the city attorney with representing a consistently shifting idea of what the “public interest” really is.
[Protect the taxpayers? Is that what you call the Laurie Madigan deal pulled off by the law firm, Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz, that has represented both you and Ms. Madigan? And how about protecting the people? You weren't doing that when you authorized the expansion of a power plant near Otay Elementary, and a big giveaway to Gaylord.]
The city attorney's primary role is to represent and advise the municipal government. This initiative would create a city attorney whose primary role is to get re-elected, regardless of the impact of campaign politics on the best interests of the city and the increased possibility that officials and departments might consider hiring, at taxpayer expense, their own legal counsel to represent them.
[Come on, Cheryl. The appointed city attorney knows very well that his/her job is to get the people in power reelected.]
The City Council, city departments and agencies rely on fair, objective and nonpolitical advice from the city attorney. Proposition Q isn't about good governance. It puts in place a politician with a built-in incentive to grandstand, litigate and use the office for political purposes.
We should not replace a competent professional with a politician. For one thing, politicians have to solicit campaign contributions. Contributions from those with an ax to grind?
[Your appointed city attorney has to grind your axes, Cheryl, and those of the entire city council.]
An elected city attorney has nothing to do with the size of a city's population. It sacrifices competent, professional legal opinion for being good at politics.This would not be an independent voice! It would be linked inextricably to the political influences of special interests and electioneering.
[Heavens! Do you mean that someone might point out to you the negatives of something you want to do? Horrors! Keep your hands tightly clamped to your ears, Cheryl.]
If Chula Vista elects a politician as its city attorney, the city is in trouble.
Has an elected city attorney worked well for San Diego? Ticket guarantees, pension underfunding...
[Pension underfunding??!! Okay. Stop right there, Cheryl. Casey Gwinn, the city attorney who was involved in the pension underfunding scam was sitting solidly in the lap of Mayor Dick Murphy. He was exactly the person that city officials wanted; he sat silent when he should have given negative feedback. He was just your cup of tea. It's city attorneys like Mike Aguirre that give you the shakes, because they really do represent the people.]
...and millions wasted on politically motivated lawsuits? Proposition Q doesn't restrict this type of behavior. It allows an elected city attorney to file lawsuits without prior council approval.
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said that he has “never asked Mr. [City Attorney Mike] Aguirre for anything other than good, timely, well-researched legal advice. To this date, I have not been able to get it. Mr. Aguirre continues to wait until the last minute to put out legal advice, and it's frequently in conflict with what he's told us before. . . . I can't get legal advice that is really necessary when you run a $3 billion corporation.”
[Jerry Sanders was playing politics when he said this. But I think that we should give him his own appointed attorney. I think cities should have two city attorneys, one for the public and one for the officials. And I think the public should hear what BOTH the elected and the appointed attorneys have to say about each issue. This would put pressure on officials to make good choices. An appointed attorney thinks his job is to protect officials from accountability.]
Today, Chula Vista's appointed city attorney doesn't have a vote. He's not the sixth member of the council. And he (or she) shouldn't be.
[An elected city attorney wouldn't get a vote either, Cheryl. Why do you misrepresent the facts?]
--------------------
The piece above was written by Cheryl Cox, mayor of Chula Vista. Maura Larkins wrote the responses.]
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Has the Lincoln Club taken over Chula Vista?
Former CVESD board member Cheryl Cox has brought strife to Chula Vista since she began her race for mayor in 2006
Voice of San Diego
By DAVID WASHBURN
Oct. 31, 2008
...During the past couple of weeks, the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council has spent a total of $31,449 supporting Democratic council candidates Pamela Bensoussan and incumbent Councilman Steve Castaneda, according to campaign finance disclosure statements. The San Diego Democratic Party, meanwhile, has spent more than $10,000 supporting Bensoussan in October, the statements show.
The late spending by organized labor and Democrats is an effort to keep pace with outlays in Chula Vista throughout the campaign season by the Republican Party and the Lincoln Club of San Diego County. The GOP this year has spent $43,072 on behalf of Republicans Scott Vinson and Russ Hall, while the Lincoln Club has plunked down $47,543.
The money comes in the form of independent expenditures and so-called "member communications," missives sent only to members of a certain organization. These avenues allow parties, groups and individuals to collect money far beyond the city's individual contribution limits and pour them into campaigns for or against local candidates or initiatives, as long as certain rules are followed.
This cash-infusion, which is a significant step up from previous years, represents an attempt by both labor and business to influence the direction of San Diego County's second largest city as it struggles through one of the most tumultuous periods in its history.
Long considered the economic and political center of the South Bay, Chula Vista's coffers ballooned during the past decade as explosive growth in its eastern suburbs came to symbolize the real estate boom.
The city has gained even greater prominence countywide since 2006 when Tennessee-based Gaylord Entertainment unveiled a proposal to build a massive hotel and convention center on the city's bay front. More recently, Chula Vista has ascended to front-runner status as a possible site for a new Chargers stadium.
It has also become the epicenter of the real estate meltdown, with several zip codes that rank among the highest in foreclosure rates in the county. Tumbling with the city's real estate values have been its sales tax revenues. As a result, the city will have to cut $6.3 million out of this year's $143-million budget, and as much as $19 million out of its fiscal 2010 budget.
A year ago, former City Manager David Garcia said the city was facing insolvency due in large part to its profligate spending during the housing boom. Garcia, who was ousted earlier this year, was the second city manager to lose his job within two years.
The GOP and its backers want a business-friendly atmosphere for Gaylord and other bay-front developers. The Democrats and organized labor want the jobs created by new development to be union jobs.
"You cannot understate the importance of the city of Chula Vista and its prosperity to the overall health of the county," said T.J. Zane, the executive director of the Lincoln Club.
Evan McLaughlin, the Labor Council's political director said the prosperity Zane is speaking of is one sided, adding that business interests can no longer be allowed to rule the roost in Chula Vista.
"Under the old way of doing things, the bay front would be done with no one looking out for the quality of the jobs -- only the interests of the developer," McLaughlin said. "Environmentalists have become very active in Chula Vista, as well as the labor community."
Perhaps partly because of all this campaign money and pressure, Chula Vista City Hall has become a snake pit in recent years. Meetings of the five-member City Council, which is made up of two Democratic and two Republican councilmen, and Republican Mayor Cheryl Cox -- often devolve into open and angry warfare over the city's direction.
Zane said the Lincoln Club first began to step up its spending in Chula Vista during Cox's successful 2006 mayoral run against incumbent Steve Padilla.
Long-time Chula Vista community activists and political watchers Peter and Susan Watry said they've felt they city's political climate change for the worse since that election. And they say they are appalled by the spending this year.
"We couldn't believe how much money the Lincoln Club was pouring in last spring," Peter Watry said. "Now the labor people are responding."
Susan Watry, who supported Cox in 2006, but now calls the mayor "divisive," said Tuesday's election is a battle for the "very soul of Chula Vista."
Voice of San Diego
By DAVID WASHBURN
Oct. 31, 2008
...During the past couple of weeks, the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council has spent a total of $31,449 supporting Democratic council candidates Pamela Bensoussan and incumbent Councilman Steve Castaneda, according to campaign finance disclosure statements. The San Diego Democratic Party, meanwhile, has spent more than $10,000 supporting Bensoussan in October, the statements show.
The late spending by organized labor and Democrats is an effort to keep pace with outlays in Chula Vista throughout the campaign season by the Republican Party and the Lincoln Club of San Diego County. The GOP this year has spent $43,072 on behalf of Republicans Scott Vinson and Russ Hall, while the Lincoln Club has plunked down $47,543.
The money comes in the form of independent expenditures and so-called "member communications," missives sent only to members of a certain organization. These avenues allow parties, groups and individuals to collect money far beyond the city's individual contribution limits and pour them into campaigns for or against local candidates or initiatives, as long as certain rules are followed.
This cash-infusion, which is a significant step up from previous years, represents an attempt by both labor and business to influence the direction of San Diego County's second largest city as it struggles through one of the most tumultuous periods in its history.
Long considered the economic and political center of the South Bay, Chula Vista's coffers ballooned during the past decade as explosive growth in its eastern suburbs came to symbolize the real estate boom.
The city has gained even greater prominence countywide since 2006 when Tennessee-based Gaylord Entertainment unveiled a proposal to build a massive hotel and convention center on the city's bay front. More recently, Chula Vista has ascended to front-runner status as a possible site for a new Chargers stadium.
It has also become the epicenter of the real estate meltdown, with several zip codes that rank among the highest in foreclosure rates in the county. Tumbling with the city's real estate values have been its sales tax revenues. As a result, the city will have to cut $6.3 million out of this year's $143-million budget, and as much as $19 million out of its fiscal 2010 budget.
A year ago, former City Manager David Garcia said the city was facing insolvency due in large part to its profligate spending during the housing boom. Garcia, who was ousted earlier this year, was the second city manager to lose his job within two years.
The GOP and its backers want a business-friendly atmosphere for Gaylord and other bay-front developers. The Democrats and organized labor want the jobs created by new development to be union jobs.
"You cannot understate the importance of the city of Chula Vista and its prosperity to the overall health of the county," said T.J. Zane, the executive director of the Lincoln Club.
Evan McLaughlin, the Labor Council's political director said the prosperity Zane is speaking of is one sided, adding that business interests can no longer be allowed to rule the roost in Chula Vista.
"Under the old way of doing things, the bay front would be done with no one looking out for the quality of the jobs -- only the interests of the developer," McLaughlin said. "Environmentalists have become very active in Chula Vista, as well as the labor community."
Perhaps partly because of all this campaign money and pressure, Chula Vista City Hall has become a snake pit in recent years. Meetings of the five-member City Council, which is made up of two Democratic and two Republican councilmen, and Republican Mayor Cheryl Cox -- often devolve into open and angry warfare over the city's direction.
Zane said the Lincoln Club first began to step up its spending in Chula Vista during Cox's successful 2006 mayoral run against incumbent Steve Padilla.
Long-time Chula Vista community activists and political watchers Peter and Susan Watry said they've felt they city's political climate change for the worse since that election. And they say they are appalled by the spending this year.
"We couldn't believe how much money the Lincoln Club was pouring in last spring," Peter Watry said. "Now the labor people are responding."
Susan Watry, who supported Cox in 2006, but now calls the mayor "divisive," said Tuesday's election is a battle for the "very soul of Chula Vista."
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
CVESD and Maura Larkins: a summary of the case
>Many people have told me that my case is so complicated that they simply don't understand it. They have asked for a summary, and here it is.
Maura Larkins v. CVESD was the result of an odd confluence of circumstances, and at the same time it was a typical event in the system that prevails at many schools across the United States. This system values politics and personal loyalty among adults over the duty to educate and protect children.
MY EX-SISTER-IN-LAW WANTED TO BE MANAGER OF MY FATHER'S APARTMENTS
I had been teaching at Chula Vista Elementary
School District for 27 years when the problem began.
It started with a family problem: I was
co-administrator of my father's estate,
and one of my brothers was secretly
unhappy about it. He and his ex-wife decided
to use the police to remove me from my position.
MY TROUBLED EX-SISTER-IN-LAW IS TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY THE DISTRICT
I was removed from my classroom
on February 12, 2001 due to a false police report
(see "A False Police Report" on this page)
made by my mentally-ill and substance-abusing
ex-sister-in-law. However, the district didn't
want to admit this, since using the
illegally-obtained police report
(no charges were filed against me)
was a misdemeanor.
THE DISTRICT DECIDES TO COVER-UP ITS MISTAKE
There is no chance that the district
would have been charged with a crime
for its silly little misdemeanor
(Labor Code section 432.7), but the district
decided it would rather spend $100,000s
of tax dollars to pay its lawyers to cover up the mistake
than to simply admit it made a mistake.
THE DISTRICT COMES UP WITH A STORY
The reason given by the district for my removal was that
two teachers had called assistant superintendent Richard Werlin
at home on a Saturday evening and said they believed
I might be about to kill them. Oddly, the district
created NO DOCUMENT at this time to explain
the reason I was removed from my classroom,
nor did it investigate the alarming report.
THE DISTRICT CHANGES ITS STORY
Within a month, the district changed its story,
saying that only one teacher, Jo Ellen Hamilton,
had called Richard Werlin about me. Hamilton later
testified under oath that she had simply called
Werlin at his invitation to discuss a planned meeting.
THE FAX THAT CAUSED CVESD TO DO AN ABRUPT ABOUT-FACE
On April 3, 2001 I sent a
fax to the district. The next day I was abruptly
asked to return to work, and at the
same time the district belatedly
prepared a document to explain why
I had been removed from my classroom
in the first place. The document
contained a new, completely false
accusation by Richard Werlin and
never mentioned the teacher reports.
I GO BACK TO WORK
I went back to teach in April 2001 because
it seemed clear that my accusers had
been deemed unreliable (either crazy
or dishonest or some combination of the two),
and I assumed that the fabricated excuse in
Richard Werlin's document , was merely
an effort by an embarrassed human resources director
to cover up his mistake.
But I was wrong. It was more than a cover-up;
it was, in fact, a set-up.
BIZARRE NEW ALLEGATIONS
A week after returning, Linda Watson, one of the
teachers who had accused me earlier,
and a new accuser who made a written report,
came forward with bizarre allegations.
AN IMPENDING ELECTION CAUSED THE TEACHERS UNION TO ABANDON ITS OBLIGATIONS
I did not know it at the time, but the teachers
union, Chula Vista Educators, was
working with my accuser Linda Watson. CVE President
Gina Boyd had worked at my school until 1995, and
although she did not share the motivations
of her friends at Castle Park Elementary,
she was running for reelection and felt she
needed to keep them happy in order to win.
This effort was supported by California Teachers
Association Board of Directors member Jim Groth.
Richard Werlin, with the approval of the cabinet
(including Libia Gil and Lowell Billings),
had triggered an all-out hysteria at my school.
Two staff members told me that many teachers were afraid
that I was "going to come to school and shoot everybody.”
DISTRICT DOESN'T BOTHER TO INVESTIGATE MASS MURDER RUMOR THAT CAUSES HYSTERIA AMONG TEACHERS
Without making any effort to
establish that a Columbine-type
event was not in the offing, the
district demanded that I come back
to work in September of 2001. This
time I refused.
My lawyer demanded an investigation
to clear my name and cool down the crucible
that Castle Park Elementary had become, but
the district refused. It was clear that anyone
could make any accusation against me, and it
would be believed and acted on: I was not
safe at work.
SCHOOL ATTORNEY MARK BRESEE GETS HELP FROM DANIEL SHINOFF
Attorney Mark Bresee, who was then working with
Parham & Rajcic and was recently chosen as chief counsel
for Terry Grier at SDUSD, had been giving legal advice
to CVESD up to this point.
When I filed a tort claim on October 4, 2001, attorney Diane Crosier and claims adjuster Rodger Hartnett of San Diego County Office of Education Joint Powers Authority, along with their favorite attorney, Daniel Shinoff of Stutz, Artiano Shinoff & Holtz, became involved.
THE DISTRICT RETALIATES WHEN I FILE GRIEVANCES
I filed 3 grievances on November 13, 2001. The very next day the
district threatened me with dismissal. This was a violation of
the Elementary Education Relations Act (EERA) and other laws.
The district took no action on its
threats, however, until I filed a
lawsuit on March 12, 2002. On May
7, 2002 Patrick Judd, Cheryl Cox,
Pamela Smith, Bertha Lopez and
Larry Cunningham voted to dismiss
me, thus violating California Labor
Code section 1102.5 which prohibits
retaliation against employees for
reporting wrongdoing. This was also
a violation of the constitutional right
to petition for redress of grievances.
THE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS SEEMS TO HAVE A GIFT FOR COMEDY
My dismissal was upheld by the
Office of Administrative Hearings.
Judge H. James Ahler conducted
a hearing that was almost as comical
as it was illegal. At one point
Judge Ahler jumped up and
ordered the panelists to join him in a
side room, where he told them to
disregard my testimony. I heard his
words because I was sitting on the
witness stand a few feet from him.
The court reporter and all the rest of us
sat at attention during the ten
minutes the panel was in the little
room, but the judge's words were
not included in the transcript
because the reporter couldn't hear
them.
The school district spent many tax
dollars, and the California Teachers
Association spent plenty of teachers'
dues, to get my lawsuit thrown out.
Perjury by employees was also
required, but the effort seemed to pay off
for the district and CTA when my lawsuit was
dismissed in 2005.
DISTRICT LAWYERS BRING THE CASE BACK TO COURT IN 2007
As fate would have it, however, my case
is back in court. CVESD’s law firm,
Stutz, Artiano, Shinoff & Holtz,
brought this case back to San Diego Superior Court
in 2007 by filing a defamation suit against me
for publishing this website.
So it’s still possible that justice and sanity
will find their way back to Chula Vista Elementary
School District.
by Maura Larkins
Maura Larkins v. CVESD was the result of an odd confluence of circumstances, and at the same time it was a typical event in the system that prevails at many schools across the United States. This system values politics and personal loyalty among adults over the duty to educate and protect children.
MY EX-SISTER-IN-LAW WANTED TO BE MANAGER OF MY FATHER'S APARTMENTS
I had been teaching at Chula Vista Elementary
School District for 27 years when the problem began.
It started with a family problem: I was
co-administrator of my father's estate,
and one of my brothers was secretly
unhappy about it. He and his ex-wife decided
to use the police to remove me from my position.
MY TROUBLED EX-SISTER-IN-LAW IS TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY THE DISTRICT
I was removed from my classroom
on February 12, 2001 due to a false police report
(see "A False Police Report" on this page)
made by my mentally-ill and substance-abusing
ex-sister-in-law. However, the district didn't
want to admit this, since using the
illegally-obtained police report
(no charges were filed against me)
was a misdemeanor.
THE DISTRICT DECIDES TO COVER-UP ITS MISTAKE
There is no chance that the district
would have been charged with a crime
for its silly little misdemeanor
(Labor Code section 432.7), but the district
decided it would rather spend $100,000s
of tax dollars to pay its lawyers to cover up the mistake
than to simply admit it made a mistake.
THE DISTRICT COMES UP WITH A STORY
The reason given by the district for my removal was that
two teachers had called assistant superintendent Richard Werlin
at home on a Saturday evening and said they believed
I might be about to kill them. Oddly, the district
created NO DOCUMENT at this time to explain
the reason I was removed from my classroom,
nor did it investigate the alarming report.
THE DISTRICT CHANGES ITS STORY
Within a month, the district changed its story,
saying that only one teacher, Jo Ellen Hamilton,
had called Richard Werlin about me. Hamilton later
testified under oath that she had simply called
Werlin at his invitation to discuss a planned meeting.
THE FAX THAT CAUSED CVESD TO DO AN ABRUPT ABOUT-FACE
On April 3, 2001 I sent a
fax to the district. The next day I was abruptly
asked to return to work, and at the
same time the district belatedly
prepared a document to explain why
I had been removed from my classroom
in the first place. The document
contained a new, completely false
accusation by Richard Werlin and
never mentioned the teacher reports.
I GO BACK TO WORK
I went back to teach in April 2001 because
it seemed clear that my accusers had
been deemed unreliable (either crazy
or dishonest or some combination of the two),
and I assumed that the fabricated excuse in
Richard Werlin's document , was merely
an effort by an embarrassed human resources director
to cover up his mistake.
But I was wrong. It was more than a cover-up;
it was, in fact, a set-up.
BIZARRE NEW ALLEGATIONS
A week after returning, Linda Watson, one of the
teachers who had accused me earlier,
and a new accuser who made a written report,
came forward with bizarre allegations.
AN IMPENDING ELECTION CAUSED THE TEACHERS UNION TO ABANDON ITS OBLIGATIONS
I did not know it at the time, but the teachers
union, Chula Vista Educators, was
working with my accuser Linda Watson. CVE President
Gina Boyd had worked at my school until 1995, and
although she did not share the motivations
of her friends at Castle Park Elementary,
she was running for reelection and felt she
needed to keep them happy in order to win.
This effort was supported by California Teachers
Association Board of Directors member Jim Groth.
Richard Werlin, with the approval of the cabinet
(including Libia Gil and Lowell Billings),
had triggered an all-out hysteria at my school.
Two staff members told me that many teachers were afraid
that I was "going to come to school and shoot everybody.”
DISTRICT DOESN'T BOTHER TO INVESTIGATE MASS MURDER RUMOR THAT CAUSES HYSTERIA AMONG TEACHERS
Without making any effort to
establish that a Columbine-type
event was not in the offing, the
district demanded that I come back
to work in September of 2001. This
time I refused.
My lawyer demanded an investigation
to clear my name and cool down the crucible
that Castle Park Elementary had become, but
the district refused. It was clear that anyone
could make any accusation against me, and it
would be believed and acted on: I was not
safe at work.
SCHOOL ATTORNEY MARK BRESEE GETS HELP FROM DANIEL SHINOFF
Attorney Mark Bresee, who was then working with
Parham & Rajcic and was recently chosen as chief counsel
for Terry Grier at SDUSD, had been giving legal advice
to CVESD up to this point.
When I filed a tort claim on October 4, 2001, attorney Diane Crosier and claims adjuster Rodger Hartnett of San Diego County Office of Education Joint Powers Authority, along with their favorite attorney, Daniel Shinoff of Stutz, Artiano Shinoff & Holtz, became involved.
THE DISTRICT RETALIATES WHEN I FILE GRIEVANCES
I filed 3 grievances on November 13, 2001. The very next day the
district threatened me with dismissal. This was a violation of
the Elementary Education Relations Act (EERA) and other laws.
The district took no action on its
threats, however, until I filed a
lawsuit on March 12, 2002. On May
7, 2002 Patrick Judd, Cheryl Cox,
Pamela Smith, Bertha Lopez and
Larry Cunningham voted to dismiss
me, thus violating California Labor
Code section 1102.5 which prohibits
retaliation against employees for
reporting wrongdoing. This was also
a violation of the constitutional right
to petition for redress of grievances.
THE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS SEEMS TO HAVE A GIFT FOR COMEDY
My dismissal was upheld by the
Office of Administrative Hearings.
Judge H. James Ahler conducted
a hearing that was almost as comical
as it was illegal. At one point
Judge Ahler jumped up and
ordered the panelists to join him in a
side room, where he told them to
disregard my testimony. I heard his
words because I was sitting on the
witness stand a few feet from him.
The court reporter and all the rest of us
sat at attention during the ten
minutes the panel was in the little
room, but the judge's words were
not included in the transcript
because the reporter couldn't hear
them.
The school district spent many tax
dollars, and the California Teachers
Association spent plenty of teachers'
dues, to get my lawsuit thrown out.
Perjury by employees was also
required, but the effort seemed to pay off
for the district and CTA when my lawsuit was
dismissed in 2005.
DISTRICT LAWYERS BRING THE CASE BACK TO COURT IN 2007
As fate would have it, however, my case
is back in court. CVESD’s law firm,
Stutz, Artiano, Shinoff & Holtz,
brought this case back to San Diego Superior Court
in 2007 by filing a defamation suit against me
for publishing this website.
So it’s still possible that justice and sanity
will find their way back to Chula Vista Elementary
School District.
by Maura Larkins
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Why doesn't city manager Dave Garcia claim executive privilege?
The legislative body of Chula Vista (the city council), spent the evening a couple of days ago examining what they suspected (hoped?) were pictures of Pamela Anderson and other women downloaded from the Internet by the executive branch of Chula Vista, specifically city manager Dave Garcia.
Why didn't Chula Vista's executive branch refuse to turn over the documents? Mayor Cheryl Cox is an expert at keeping secrets, a skill she developed at Chula Vista Elementary School District.
Perhaps Cox needs a review course in how it's done, so I offer the following:
Palin Claims Executive Privilege
Think Progress
Sept. 10, 2008
The Washington Post reports that Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) is “being asked by a local Republican activist to release more than 1,100 e-mails she withheld from a public records request, including 40 that were copied to her husband, Todd.” Invoking a favored practice of the Bush administration, Palin has claimed executive privilege to keep the e-mails secret — despite the fact many of them were sent to Todd, who is not an elected official.
What’s more, Palin and her staff intentionally use her personal Yahoo e-mail account, perhaps to avoid document release requests:
Palin also routinely does government business from a Yahoo address, gov.sarah@yahoo.com, rather than from her secure official state e-mail address, according to documents already made public...
The lawyer filing the request pointed out that the point of government e-mail is to ensure “security and encryption.” “She’s running state business out of Yahoo?” he asked...
Palin’s move is eerily reminiscent of Bush administration ploys to dramatically increase secrecy in government, such as when White House aides switched to personal e-mail accounts to avoid subpoenas during the investigation into U.S. Attorney scandal last year:
"But just a week after E-mails in the U.S. attorneys case became a main focus of congressional Democrats probing the firings, several aides said that they stopped using the White House system except for purely professional correspondence..."
As Josh Marshall pointed out at the time, if the White House was using personal e-mails, “they can’t have even the vaguest claim” to executive privilege [regarding the emails that used the government email]...
Why didn't Chula Vista's executive branch refuse to turn over the documents? Mayor Cheryl Cox is an expert at keeping secrets, a skill she developed at Chula Vista Elementary School District.
Perhaps Cox needs a review course in how it's done, so I offer the following:
Palin Claims Executive Privilege
Think Progress
Sept. 10, 2008
The Washington Post reports that Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) is “being asked by a local Republican activist to release more than 1,100 e-mails she withheld from a public records request, including 40 that were copied to her husband, Todd.” Invoking a favored practice of the Bush administration, Palin has claimed executive privilege to keep the e-mails secret — despite the fact many of them were sent to Todd, who is not an elected official.
What’s more, Palin and her staff intentionally use her personal Yahoo e-mail account, perhaps to avoid document release requests:
Palin also routinely does government business from a Yahoo address, gov.sarah@yahoo.com, rather than from her secure official state e-mail address, according to documents already made public...
The lawyer filing the request pointed out that the point of government e-mail is to ensure “security and encryption.” “She’s running state business out of Yahoo?” he asked...
Palin’s move is eerily reminiscent of Bush administration ploys to dramatically increase secrecy in government, such as when White House aides switched to personal e-mail accounts to avoid subpoenas during the investigation into U.S. Attorney scandal last year:
"But just a week after E-mails in the U.S. attorneys case became a main focus of congressional Democrats probing the firings, several aides said that they stopped using the White House system except for purely professional correspondence..."
As Josh Marshall pointed out at the time, if the White House was using personal e-mails, “they can’t have even the vaguest claim” to executive privilege [regarding the emails that used the government email]...
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
No laptops, just lapdogs, for Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox
Cheryl Cox’s May 28, 2008 memo to City Manager David Garcia is chock-full of pettiness and hypocrisy. Her directives make no sense, except as an effort to harass Mr. Garcia:
Cheryl Cox: “Do not use your personal laptop in your office.”
This is nitpicking, overbearing interference. Cox sounds like she’s reverted to her days as an elementary school teacher. But was she that unreasonable when dealing with children? Show some respect, Mrs. Cox.
Cheryl Cox: “While we appreciate that you often work long hours and you are entitled to take time off, this time off should primarily be spent out of the office.”
That directive is harmful to the City of Chula Vista, Ms. Cox. When the City Manager spends time in the office when he could rightfully be on the beach, he is available to deal with emergencies and routine questions and issues that come up, whether from another employee or a member of the public.
HERE’S WHERE CHERYL COX’S HYPOCRISY GOES TO THE TOP OF THE CHART:
Cheryl Cox: “You are reminded that retaliation against any City employee... is a violation…”
Cheryl Cox is a big fan of retaliation, particularly that carried out by the Director of Human Resources as directed by the public entity’s attorney. As a Chula Vista Elementary School District board member, she violated California Labor Code 1105.2 by firing an employee for filing grievances and a lawsuit.
Cheryl Cox: “However, you should understand that your failure to abide by [the rules]… may result in the termination of your employment.”
If Cheryl Cox were held responsible for her violations of the laws of California, she’d be out of a job. Yet she wants to fire the City Manager for using his personal laptop computer in his office?
Cheryl Cox: “We share your hope that these steps will bring these matters to a close.”
I don’t believe Cheryl is telling the truth here. I think she wants to fire Garcia because he’s too honest and open, two traits she neither shares nor approves of. It seems Cheryl wants to replace a laptop with a lapdog.
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