Pacific Progressive

Killing the CUSD - Education Alliance Strategy for Permanent Paycuts

The teacher strike in Capo Unified has been caused  by a refusal of the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD)  to engage in reasonable negotiations and give the teachers the same deal other public school teachers in Orange County got:  a temporary paycut and temporary furlough days.

This deal is good enough for other public school teachers in Orange County, but not good enough for CUSD.  The CUSD board has to go one further and make the paycuts permanent. The board also wants to cut the number of work days, permanently.

 Why, when others in Orange County are agreeable to temporary paycuts and temporary furloughs, would the CUSD board want the teachers to take worse terms?

First, the Capistrano Unified school board is lead by members of the Education Alliance.  Ellinorianne does a great job explaining the issues and exposing the hand of the Education Alliance  Attack on Public Education - Education Alliance - A National Issue on the Daily Kos.  The Education Alliance believes public schools are broken, English should be the only language of instruction, and wants more charter schools.

This deal offered to the CUSD teachers would make their pay not attractive to new teachers. Also, the lower pay would encourage experienced teachers to move to other districts where they can get a more "industry standard" payscale.  The long term strategy here is to lower pay, get experienced teachers to leave, get less experienced and less desirable teachers to take the jobs, and then, when academic performance goes down, point at the schools and say, "Look public education doesn't work."

If the CUSD board doesn't really intend to do this, they will negotiate in good faith the the teachers.  CUSD will agree to a pay reduction package which has the same terms and conditions as similar pay reduction packages for comparable districts in Orange County.  They can do that this Friday afternoon.  It should take about 30 minutes to present the idea and come to an agreement. Then, the attorneys can hammer out the language over the weekend. On Monday, the language written by the lawyers for the temporary paycuts and cuts to workdays can be reviewed and agreed to. 

And then the strike is over on Monday.

And seniors can get ready to graduate.

And students can get ready for their STAR tests.

And high schoolers can get ready for their AP Tests.

This is do-able by Monday.  CUSD, do it and show you actually care about education, not ideology.

Ambiguous Offer to Negotiate Leading Towards a Strike in Capo Unified

“If you’re really serious about bargaining, you don’t start out by threatening legal action. Once again the Capistrano Board of Education is attempting to equivocate and obfuscate instead of negotiate,” said CUEA President Vicki Soderberg.

“Despite the board’s vague offer to commence negotiations ‘regarding various issues,’ they are flatly rejecting to bargain CUEA’s specific, unambiguous proposal. We clearly gave them a chance to avert a strike and their refusal leaves teachers no choice. CUEA members will walk the picket lines beginning Thursday, April 22. At the same time, our bargaining team will accept the board’s invitation to talk on Thursday. If we determine that they are serious about reaching a settlement, teachers and students can be back in the schools Friday. It’s up to the board to prove they’re serious about reaching a settlement.”

In a formal request delivered early Monday, April 19, giving the Capistrano board a 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 20 deadline to respond, CUEA asked the board to come back to the bargaining table to negotiate based on the following specific proposals:

1.    The board will reverse the permanent nature of salary and benefits cuts they imposed March 31 by making them temporary;

2.    There will be no increase in class size;

3.    The board will restore salary, unpaid work days, and benefits cuts if unforeseen funds are received;

4.    The board will implement already agreed to contract language that deals with working conditions, transfer of teachers, and leaves as stipulated to in the fact finding hearing.

“Where in the board’s response is the mention of making the permanent cuts temporary and of being willing to enter into the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the board has informally offered in public throughout the last two weeks? Where is a clear, unambiguous offer to restore the cuts if unforeseen funds become available? The teachers’ proposal was explicit. Given the board’s history of duplicitous behavior, they have to make unequivocally clear that they want to reach a settlement. Teachers are far beyond ‘sham bargaining’ cloaked in vague, confusing, and ambiguous promises,” said Soderberg.

“The board’s rejection of our clear proposal and their continued ambiguity has put us where we never wanted to be. It is unfortunate that the board wants chaos instead of clear communication. It has never been the teachers’ goal to strike, but if it takes walking the picket line to bring the board to a place of clarity and mutual respect, then teachers have no choice. We must stand firm for our profession, for our students, and for the long-term stability of the district.”

Call Vector Control and Tell Them No Private Pest Control Companies

 The Orange County Vector Control District (OCVCD) helps to control little critters who carry diseases.  (These animals are called "disease vectors" because they move the disease around, hence the name.)  If you have a problem with a dead bird and there is West Nile Virus in the area, you call Vector Control.  Same thing for a neighbor who won't take care of their pool which is now a mosquito farm - call Vector Control and they will work with the neighbor so you don't have to.

A plan is being considered to privatize rat control services. Currently, if you see rats around, Vector Control will come out and give you (for free!) traps and bait and show you how to properly use them. They will also help you find the openings the rodents are using to get into your house and show you how to close them off.

These services are paid by an assessment of about $6.98 per year per residence in the County.  Taxpayers are able to get a lot for their $6.98.

Now, some members of the Vector Control board want to let private extermination companies (Terminix, Orkin, Truly Nolen are some common names) provide the rat control services. The plan is to send the companies out on calls to homes to provide the rat control services to the home owners.  Then, the pest control company can then sell the homeowner services to control pests on the inside of the home.

Smell a rat?  Does turning Vector Control into a marketing company for private pest control companies sound like a bad deal to you?  Call and write your representative on the Vector Control District. Each of the 34 incorporated cities has a representative. If you live in the unincorporated areas, your rep is Supervisor John Moorlach.

The representatives for each area are listed.  If you have a relationship with them, please use that to tell them "No to Private Pest Control Companies."  You can also call, fax and write them at the Vector Control Board.  Sending faxes works very well because it creates a paper trail of who objects and carries more weight than an email.

Orange County Vector Control District (OCVCD), 13001 Garden Grove Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92843

Phone 714-971-2421 949-654-2421  Fax 714-971-3940

Aliso Viejo - Mayor Phillip B. Tsunoda 

Laguna Niguel Launches Pilot Food Waste Recycling Program

April 5, 2010 marks the starting date of a new effort to recycle food wastes from businesses in Laguna Niguel and eight other Orange County cities. Through a one-year $400,000 grant from the County of Orange Waste & Recycling Department, food waste will be collected from five local businesses and taken to a composting facility for recycling. The purpose of this pilot program is to test and evaluate the effectiveness of food waste recycling for possible expansion to additional businesses next year.

A restaurant, on average, disposes of more than 50 tons of organic waste every year. Californians overall throw away more than 5 million tons of food scraps each year.    Every City in California is required to divert at least 50% of all of its waste away from landfills, due to space constraints. By participating in the food waste recycling program, local businesses hope to reduce their trash disposal costs, while helping the City maintain compliance with its recycling goals.    The pilot program is expected to recycle up to 20 tons of food waste every week.

Participating food businesses in Laguna Niguel include Henry’s Market, Mimi’s Café, TGI Friday’s, Coco’s, and Fred’s Mexican Grill. The City’s waste and recycling hauler, CR&R Inc., will provide each business with indoor and outdoor collection containers, employee training assistance, and food waste pick-up service three times a week. Tonnage collected will be posted monthly under the Recycling page on the City’s website at http://www.ci.laguna-niguel.ca.us.

Let's Can Campbell! - Jan 23-24

It's time to can John Campbell - he does nothing for his district.  He won't meet with constituents. When his constituents do get thru to his office staff, they are berated by office staff for bothering to call the Congressman.  So far, the only two groups Campbell has worked to benefit are car dealers (he rents land to dealerships) and the birthers (Orly Taitz's son was an intern in his office and she is a donor.)

Beth Krom wants to take that seat from him so she can go to Washington and work for the CA 48 district.  

Let's Can Campbell! takes place Saturday and Sunday, January 23-24, 2010 in cities in the district.  Beth will be meeting with constituents to hear their concerns and canned food will be collected to help out fellow  Orange County residents.  The schedule is here.

Saturday January 23, 2010

Dana Point 11AM - Noon at Heritage Park, 34400 Golden Lantern

San Juan Capistrano Noon - 1 PM at Descanso Park, 32506 Paseo Adelanto

Laguna Niguel 1 - 2 PM at Hidden Hills Park, 27802 Springwood

Aliso Viejo 2 - 3 PM at Home of Heather Pritchard, 10 Santa Clara St

Laguna Hills 3 - 4 PM at Home of Taylor and Stephen Davis, 26602 Dapple Grey Dr.

Laguna Woods 4 - 5 PM at Clubhouse 6, 5365 Algarrobo

Sunday January 24, 2010

Laguna Beach 11 AM - Noon at Home of Audrey Prosser and Debra Quam, 230 Beverly St

Newport Beach Noon - 1 PM at Home of Susan Kopicki, 511 El Modena 

Lake Forest 1 - 2 PM at Serran Creek Community Park, 25101 Serrano Rd

Tustin 2 - 3 PM at Camino Real Park, 13602 Parkcenter Lane

Irvine 3 - 4 PM at OC Plaza, 2575 McCabe Way

Santa Ana 4 - 5 PM at Orange County Catholic Worker - Isaiah House, 316 South Cyress Ave

Find out more about the event in your city at [email protected]    949-870-9154

Facebook http://snurl.com/bethkrom or Friend in Beth Krom

Twitter @krom4congress

Imported Water Supply Shutdown - Jan 25-31

San Juan Capistrano is urging residents and businesses to conserve water by ceasing landscape watering and car washing while its imported water supplier shuts down its plant for a week this month.  The shutdown also impacts other cities in south Orange County.

The Diemer Filtration Plant, the Yorba Linda-based water treatment plant that serves South County, is expected to perform necessary maintenance and upgrades from Jan. 25 through Jan. 31. The facility, owned and operated by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), provides much of all of South County's potable water needs through two regional water pipelines.

The City's groundwater recovery plant, which began operation in December 2004, will help offset impacts of the waterline shutdown that will leave much of south Orange County with little or no imported water. However, the shutdown affects the City's major supply line for all potable (drinkable) water entering the City, and San Juan Capistrano needs to conserve in order to maintain supplies in its reservoirs for drinking, sanitary uses and firefighting.

Stopping the Sale of the Fairgrounds - Who is Against the Sale

Who is has signed on against the sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds?

Assemblyman Jose Solorio

Assemblyman Jim Silva

Assemblyman Van Tran

Buena Park - 12/22 agenda

Costa Mesa - Mayor Allan Mansoor, Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece, Councilmember Katrina Foley, Councilmember Eric Bever, Councilman Gary Monahan

County of Orange - Supervisor Pat Bates, Supervisor Janet Nguyen, Supervisor John Moorlach, Supervisor Bill Campbell, Supervisor Chris Norby

Cypress - 12/15 agenda

Fountain Valley - Mayor Larry Crandall, Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl Brothers, Councilmember Guy Carozzon, Councilmember John Colllins, Councilmember Steve Nagel

Fullerton - Mayor Don Bankhead, Mayor Pro Tem Pam Keller, Councilmember F. Richard Jones, Councilmember Shawn Nelson, Councilmember Sharon Quirk-Silva

Huntington Beach - 12/21 agenda

La Habra - 12/21 agenda

Laguna Hills - 1/8 agenda

Laguna Niguel - 12/15 agenda

Lake Forest - 12/15 agenda

Newport Beach - Mayor Keith Curry, Mayor Pro Tem Michael Henn, Councilmember Steven Rosansky, Councilmember Don Webb, Councilmember Leslie Daigle, Councilmember Edward Selich, Councilmember Nancy Gardner

Orange - Mayor Carolyn Cavecche, Mayor Pro Tem Tita Smith, Councilmember Mark Murphy, Councilmember Denis Bilodeau, Councilmember Joh Dumitru

San Clemente - 12/15 agenda

Santa Ana - Mayor Miguel Pulido, Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, Councilmember Michele Martinez, Councilmember Carlos Bustamante, Councilmember David Benavides, Councilmember Sal Tinajero, Councilmember Vincent Sarmiento

$2 Rides to Medical Appointments for South County Seniors

South County Senior Services' senior non-emergency medical transportation program has available funding to transport seniors to and from their non-emergency medical appointments. 

Eligible trips include non-emergency medical appointments such as physical therapy, dialysis, chemotherapy, radiation, dentistry, x-rays, prescription pickup and regular physicians' checkups. The program is available to qualified participants for a fee of $2 per one-way trip.

To use the service, participants must be at least 60 years of age, ineligible for Orange County Transportation Authority's ACCESS Services and reside within the South Orange County designated service area. This includes the cities of Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Irvine, Laguna Woods, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Laguna Beach, Lake Forest, Foothill Ranch, Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch, Newport Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano and Capistrano Beach.

Individuals who are currently utilizing OCTA ACCESS, and are in a frail medical condition, which creates a hardship, may be granted a waiver and be allowed to use the SNEMT Program.

Participants can take trips to medical facilities within the designated service area. The program will also serve Kaiser Anaheim (Lakeview), UCI Medical Center in Orange, St. Joseph's Hospital of Orange and the Long Beach Veterans Hospital. Rides are available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Program participants are required to register before using the service and are urged to contact the program coordinator as soon as possible to obtain the necessary enrollment forms.

"The senior non-emergency medical transportation program is essential to provide seniors the ability to retain their independence while aging in their homes," said Chief Operating Officer Dan Palumbo.

Contact South County Senior Services at 949-855-8033.

OCTA Looking to Eliminate Routes - Give OCTA Feedback on These Proposals

OCTA is looking to restructure bus service to fit the available budget. Staff has prepared several proposals for bus service reductions and have taken the presentations to public meetings to get input.  OCTA has also bought ads and put comment cards on buses to get feedback on proposals.  

If you use one of these buses, please tell OCTA what will happen if the bus is no longer available to you. These routes are targeted for possible elimination.  When you buy a bus pass, drop off a comment card or a letter.  Attend the public meeting on October 26 at 9 AM at OCTA headquarters in Orange. Fill out a comment card and drop it in the mail. But, please, for your sake, let OCTA know if these bus service cuts will impact you.  If your school is impacted, have your teachers, professors, principals and deans call.  If your business is impacted, have the managers and human resources department call OCTA to let them know this is a problem.

The routes listed for elimination are given below, along with the major landmarks along the route.  If implemented, the routes will be eliminated starting in March 2010.

Route 20 - La Habra to Yorba Linda via Imperial Highway - Yorba Linda Middle School, Yorba Linda Community Center, Downtown Yorba Linda, Brea Gateway Center, Brea Promenade, Brea Mall, Imperial Middle School, La Habra Marketplace

Route 21 - Fullerton to Huntington Beach via Valley View St/Bolsa Chica Rd - Buena Park High School, John F. Kennedy High School, Centerpointe, Cypress High School, Cypress College, Hilton D. Bell Intermediate School, Marina High School, Boeing, Huntington Beach Industrial Area, Sunset Beach

Fire Departments Have Open Houses This Weekend

National Fire Prevention Week is during October 5 thru October 10.  Visit a firehouse near you during this weekend during an Open House. These events are always a favorite with the kids because they get to meet firefighters, see the firetrucks close up, and learn what an important job firefighting is.  The firefighters also teach families and business owners how to protect themselves and their loved ones in the case of emergency.

All events are on Saturday, October 10, 2009 unless noted.

Aliso Viejo OCFA Station #57, 57 Journey from 9 AM to 2 PM.

Anaheim from 10 AM to 2 PM at:

Euclid Fire Station #6 - 1330 S Euclid

Stadium Fire Station #7 - 2222 E Ball Rd

Weir Canyon Fire Station - 8270 E Monte Vista

Twila Reid Fire Station - 3078 W Orange

Brea from 10 AM - 2 PM at Fire Station #2, park in downtown parking structure and walk across Brea Blvd using the signal at Ash St

Buena Park OCFA Station #61, 8081 Western Ave from 9 AM - 2 PM

Costa Mesa  from 10 AM to 2 PM at:

Station #1 - 2803 Royal Palm Drive

Station #2 - 800 Baker St

Station #3 - 1865 Park St

Station #4 - 2300 Placentia Ave

Station #5 - 2450 Vanguard Way

Station #6 - 3350 Sakioka Dr

Cypress OCFA Station #17 - 4991 Cerritos Ave from 9 AM - 2 PM

Dana Point OCFA Fire Station #30 - 23831 Stonehill Dr from 9 AM - 2 PM

Laguna Niguel Needs You for Commissions, Boards and Committees

The city of Laguna Niguel is looking for new members for a large number of city boards, commissions and committees.  The deadline to apply is Friday, October 30, 2009 at 5 PM.  Applications are accepted at Laguna Niguel City Hall, 27801 La Paz Road, Laguna Niguel, CA.  Application forms are available online.

The number and type positions needing to be filled are:

• 2 Planning Commissioners
• 2 Investment Banking and Audit Committee 
• 2 Parks and Recreation Commission
• 2 Public Safety Committee
• 2 Traffic and Transportation Commission
• 3 Senior Citizens Committee
• 1 Sports Advisory Committee
• 1 Environmental Review Board
• 10-15 Military Support Committee (separate application required)

Laguna Niguel Sheriff Town Hall - Oct 13

On Tuesday, October 13, meet Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens and Lt. Andy Ferguson, the new Chief of Police Services for Laguna Niguel.  The Sheriff will discuss recent crime trends and the outlook for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

The event will be from 6:30 - 8:30 PM, at the Sea Country Senior Center, 24602 Aliso Creek Road (at Moulton Parkway), Laguna Niguel.

San Juan Santas Make House Calls

San Juan Capistrano needs Santas to make houses during the holidays. The contract Santa's visit private homes, businesses and holiday parties in San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, Capistrano Beach and San Clemente.

For  more information, talk with the Community Services Department at 949-443-6931

2009 Coastal Cleanup Day is September 19

Clean up local Orange County beaches, creeks, watersheds, and waterways on Saturday, September 19 from 9 AM to Noon as a member of the Coastal Cleanup Day Team.  Efforts are being coordinated by Orange County Parks and Trails for All.  Sponsors include California State Parks, Newport Beach, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, Seal Beach, San Clemente, Clean Water Now!, Aliso Creek Steelhead, Bolsa Chica Conservancy, Community Based Restoration and Education Program of the California Coastal Commission, Huntington Beach, Project Aware, Amigos de Bolsa Chica, California Department of Fish and Game, San Clemente Clean Ocean Program, Ocean Institute, SaveOurBeach, OC Parks, and Back to Natives Restoration.

Aliso Creek County Beach: Aliso Creek County Beach, West Street Beach and Aliso Creekbed 

Volunteer Event: Beach, Park, and Creek Cleanup 

Site Address: 31131 S. Pacific Coast Highway., Laguna Beach, CA 92652 

Volunteer Sign-in and Meeting Location: Aliso Creek Beach on Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, 

Parking lot at Aliso Beach. 

CLEANUP CATEGORY: Park, Beach 

Minimum Age of Volunteer: 8  

Maximum # of Volunteers: 200 

PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE WITH THE SITE TEAM CAPTAIN: 

Team Captain Name: Michael Hazzard and Rick Conkey 

Contact Phone: Michael 949-690-2510 or Rick 949-573-8624 Contact Email: [email protected]; 

[email protected] 

For more information on this site, please see: www.alisocreeksteelhead.org  

 

OC Register 2nd Worst Person in the World for Sports Column Mocking Jaycee Dugard's Captivity and Rape

Here is the original post by Mark Whicker. This never should have been printed, never. Baseball is more important than the kidnap, rape and years long captivity of a child. Whicker should resign or be fired.  And the Hoile family wonders why people don't want to read their paper?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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