CUSD Recall Election

The following is a Blogjack from Talega resident, parent, attorney and long-suffering NY Jets fan Mike Winsten -


I hope you don't mind me contacting you this way. I am writing because you live in the Capistrano Unified School District, and for the first time ever, I am reaching out to support candidates in a local race for public office.

As you may be aware, I'm proud to be at the forefront of the fight to reform the Capistrano Unified School District, for oh so many reasons. I am writing to request that you strongly consider voting for challengers Ellen Addonizio, Anna Bryson and Larry Christensen for the 3 CUSD Trustee seats up for re-election on November 6, 2006. An informative campaign flyer is attached.

One notable example of why CUSD needs new leadership is that the current Trustees are spending $52,000,000 dollars on a lavish new administration building for themselves, while they leave teachers and students in unsafe and unsanitary portable classrooms. This is wrong.

In San Clemente, my neighborhood is lucky enough to have our very own Vista Del Mar Elementary and Middle Schools, yet in only their 3rd year of operation last year, they hauled in 4 refurbished portable classrooms, and several more are coming next month.

The current CUSD Board of Trustees fails at long range planning, and at every fiscal and planning activity they undertake. The test scores in CUSD are strong only because of the efforts of the onsite principals, the dedicated teachers and the hand on involvement of the parents, not because of this Board of Trustees, who are, for the most part, are uninvolved, uneducated, lacking in sophistication, and most disturbing, lacking in basic ethics and morals. They have been caught blatantly violating the laws requiring open board meetings. They are building a new high school in San Juan Capistrano at the outrageous price of $130 Million, and voted to bus the children of Talega - including my children - to this new high school when the La Pata Extension is based, even though it is going to be twice the distance as compared to the distance from Talega to San Clemente High School, and even though the La Pata Extension is going to be built right through the operating county garbage dump!

The District Attorney recently served search warrants based on information provided by my CUSD Recall Committee into the systemic misappropriation of funds and corrupt business practices that permeate the recent history of CUSD. We are anxiously awaiting the outcome of an ongoing Grand Jury investigation.

To put it bluntly, and not at all diplomatically, the CUSD Trustees have been repeatedly caught lying to their constituents, and they are undeserving of our trust. You can learn more at www.cusdrecall.com or at http://www.ocregister.com/education/cusd_trouble_wide.php - the link to the Orange County Register's compilation of its investigative stories about CUSD.

There are 3 (out of 7) CUSD Board of Trustee seats up for re-election on November 6th. One incumbent is retiring after 18 years of screwing up CUSD and 2 other long time incumbents are running for reelection. They are undeserving of another day in office, and certainly not another 4 year term. Thankfully, we have a wonderful slate of three candidates running in this November's election.

“Reforming CUSD: Easy as ABC”
Addonizio Bryson & Christensen
(The ABC Reform Slate)

Our candidates are endorsed by the Orange County Republican Party, the local teachers union, and many of our most influential elected officials. Ellen Addonizio is a CPA. Larry Christensen has owned and operated a civil engineering firm for 30 years. Anna Bryson is a serial entrepreneur who is the former treasurer of the California Republican Party, she speaks 4 languages, and brings a wealth of experience and influence to a tough job. Most importantly, they are committed to restoring openness, accountability and integrity to our school district. Please see the attached flyer for a list of some of those key endorsements and visit our website at www.ReformCUSD.com to learn more about these candidates and the very important issues that require our intervention as parents, taxpayers and voters.

If you want to meet these candidates to learn more about why they are the best choice for our school district, please let me know and I'll let you know about upcoming "meet and greet" events.

Thanks,

Mike



For more information, including a copy of the CUSD Recall election flyer, send an email to cusdrecall@yahoo.com.

Village Center - Updated Tenant List

In case you have not been by lately, rough grading is complete and the site is fenced. Expect foundations within 60 days and, hopefully, some vertical activity by the end of the year.

Several tenants are now confirmed in the TVC -

Ralphs Fresh Fare
Wells Fargo Bank
Panera Bread
Peet's Coffee
Juice It Up
Aveda Hair Salon
Paper Annex
Fitness Together Gym
Wild's Animal Supplies
Verizon
Unnamed high end women's boutique/jeweler
Unnamed dry cleaner
Unnamed barber shop

Also on the horizon is an Italian restaurant and another sit down restaurant (or two).

Possible additional tenants include an ice cream parlor, a surf shop, a bicycle shop, an art gallery, an optometrist and a home décor store.

Thoughts, input, suggestions?

Talega Practice Center

After 3 years . . . THERE IS GRASS GROWING ON THE FUTURE DRIVING RANGE!

Here's to the opening of the Talega Golf Club Practice Center - coming July, 2008.

--Still Bitter in SC.

Judge in CUSD Lawsuit Splits the Baby

The judge in the Prop 209 suit against the CUSD determined that the District's policy is acceptable, but that its application of that policy to Talega's school kids was improper.

More info here.

Editorials on the situation can be found here and here.

Trial is set for October, although it seems clear that the judge has already decided that CUSD acted improperly. What remains undecided, however, is how the Court will address the situation. Stay tuned.

CUSD Lawsuit Set For Hearing

Talega resident, attorney and all-around great guy Mike Winsten is getting his day in court.

On behalf of all Talega residents, he sued the Capistrano Unified School District claiming that their plan to bus high school age Talega residents to SJC (rather than allow them to attend San Clemente High School) is in violation of Prop 209.

More info here, here, here and here.

you can read the complaint for yourself here.

My prior post on the issue is here.

Good luck, Mike!

Do You Know the Way to San'O, Eh?

Fellow blogger -- and SC resident -- NeoN has an amazing blog covering all sorts of interesting stuff.

You can find it here.

This just in . . .

Nothing is happening with the purported driving range. They are still just pushing piles of dirt around.

Stay tuned for more non-information.