Come out and support State Senator Lou Correa, this Saturday, August 28, 8:30-1:00pm, at a precinct walk in Anaheim.
Meeting Location: Pearson Park, located at 401 N. Lemon Street, in Anaheim.
Team Correa will be meeting to the right of the amphitheater.
Don’t forget to bring a hat and your walking shoes to walk door-to-door in support of Lou Correa.
Join new and old friends, students, and neighbors! Get involved! Make a difference!
FILE: Students show Assemblyman Solorio their college bookstore receipts as proof that textbooks are too expensive.
For Immediate Release: August 20, 2010
For More Information Contact: Carol Chamberlain – Office: (916) 319-2069, Cell: (916) 804-5355
Solorio Bill to Curtail the High Price of Community College Textbooks Goes to Governor
College Students Urged to Call the Governor’s Office
SACRAMENTO, CA – AB 2203, authored by Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Anaheim), received overwhelming bipartisan support in the California Legislature this week, and is now on its way to the Governor. For the approximately three million, cash-strapped community college students in California, that’s good news, as textbook cost relief may be on the way.
AB 2203 requires the California State University (CSU), and requests the University of California Regents (UC) to review their transfer policies to ensure that textbooks selected at the community college level can be used for as long as the information contained is current.
“Textbooks that may cost $100 at the beginning of the semester are sometimes worth very little by the end of the semester because a book turns six-years old,” Assemblyman Solorio says. “As textbook prices continue to skyrocket, students need all the help they can get. This legislation will extend the value of a textbook, and therefore extend a student’s opportunity to sell it at a good price or trade it in.”
Assemblyman Solorio is encouraging community college students and their parents to call the Governor at 916-445-2841, or email him at www.gov.ca.gov/interact and ask him to sign AB 2203.
“I am encouraged by the rapid progress of digital textbooks and the many online options becoming available to buy new and used books,” Solorio says. “But this legislation will help students now. I hope the Governor sees the urgency in this measure and signs it into law.”
Assemblyman Solorio has a record of accomplishment as an advocate for reducing the rising costs of textbooks. In 2007, he authored the College Textbook Transparency Act. The law requires publishers, college bookstores and professors to disclose more cost information to students and keep book affordability in mind.
State Assemblyman Jose Solorio is the Chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee and serves on the Assembly Appropriations, Local Government and Transportation Committees. He represents the Sixty-Ninth Assembly District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana. For more information about Assemblyman Solorio, visit www.assembly.ca.gov/solorio.
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Capitol Office: State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849 • Sacramento, CA 94249-0069
Phone: (916) 319-2069 • Fax:(916) 319-2169
District Office: 2400 East Katella Avenue, Suite 640 • Anaheim, CA 92806
Phone: (714) 939-8469 • Fax:(714) 939-8986
E-Mail: Assemblymember.Solorio@assembly.ca.gov
Web Site: www.assembly.ca.gov/solorio
Dennis Lluy, the hardworking manager of the revived Yost Theater, is going to appear before the Santa Ana Planning Commission tomorrow, Monday, August 23, at 6:30 pm, to ask for permission to allow a restaurant with a Type 47 ABC license, after hours operation and a banquet facility at the Yost Theater/Ritz Hotel buildings at 301-307 North Spurgeon Street, located in the Downtown (DT) zoning district. Click here to read the Planning Commission’s Agenda.
Lluy is asking for help in getting this item approved. He offered this explanation today about the current status of the Yost, on our sister blog, the Orange Juice:
I have been renovating the Yost for the past couple of years and invested my life savings and countless hours dealing with permits, safety issues, and general renovations. The property owners have also invested well over a million dollars since the eighties. The Yost was in dire need of structural upgrades that would help keep the building from collapsing in a major earthquake when they purchased the building.
We have hosted many community events when construction allows. Recently, we have had to stall because at any point we will move on replacing the structural supports that keeps the roof over the stage from collapsing. We have been waiting for the city to approve our plans for several months now. They are short staffed and this keeps us from booking events more than 3 weeks out.
Furthermore, the Yost is restricted from hosting many types of events until all the permits are approved.
The history of the Yost is a sad one. The property was taken from the Olivos family, back when Dave Ream was in charge of Redevelopment in Santa Ana, before he had become our City Manager. Click here to read more about that.
We cannot undo those past wrongs, but I am happy that Lluy has undertaken the task of restoring the Yost to its past greatness. I support this effort and urge my readers to do the same.
Below is a personal message that Lluy recently sent to his Facebook friends regarding this meeting:
Hello friends, neighbors and supporters,
On Monday Aug. 23 at 6:30PM, the Ritz and Yost is scheduled to be on the City of Santa Ana’s Planning Commission meeting agenda at City Hall. The commission will be voting on permit conditions essential to our operations.
For the past two years, the property owners, my business partner and I have worked diligently to renovate the historic Yost Theater into a world-class entertainment facility. We are aiming to be fully operational by June of 2011.
We are requesting your support by attending and/or speaking at the hearing. As we are expecting some opposition, it is imperative for us to show considerable community support. Please let me know if you are interested in attending or have questions.
City Hall Address:
20 Civic Center Plaza
Santa Ana 92703
Thanks,
Dennis Lluy, dennis@yosttheater.com
Ritz and Yost Inc
307 N. Spurgeon St.
Santa Ana, CA 92701
www.yosttheater.com
T:310-493-2050
A migration, indigenous and immigration panel will be held in Costa Mesa, on Aug. 25, from 5 pm to 10 pm, at the Neighborhood Community Center located at 1845 Park.
5 dollars is requested as a donation. Food will be sold, there will be info booths and free child care.
Schedule/Program: arrive early limted seating, a Spanish interpreter will be available.
Organizations involved include:
For more info send an email to nauiocelotl@yahoo.com or click here.
Click here to RSVP on Facebook.
Success is the Standard, except when it isn’t…
As I expected, SAUSD Superintendent Jane Russo is spinning the results of the latest STAR test results like a top. As I related in a recent post, we did show marginal improvement in several areas, but our overall scores are weak compared to other districts in the area. We don’t compare well to the school districts in Anaheim and Garden Grove. Click here to see those comparisons. Click here to see those comparisons.
Russo does admit, in the midst of her spin, that the “the schools are shy of the new 2010 target.” Yes they are. In fact our overall results show we are below 50% proficiency in EVERY test category! Boasting about results at some schools glosses over the cumulative results and is nothing more than hot air emanating from our Superintendent.
Here is Russo’s letter so you can see for yourself what she has to say about the STAR test results:
Click here to read the rest of this post.
My son James, who is 14 years old, just joined the Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) at Godinez High School today! I am so proud of him!
Click here to see the SAUSD’s NJROTC page on their website.
The NJROTC’s mission is to instill in students in United States secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Censorship? The State Attorney General doesn’t think so!
Santa Ana Mayoral wannabe Alfredo Amezcua announced on Facebook this week that he had just appointed his photographer and mime, Ruben Alvarez to serve as his Campaign Field Operations Director. If Alvarez was the one who cooked up Amezcua’s latest fake scandal – accusing the Santa Ana City Council of censorship when they unanimously voted to turn off Albert Castillo’s microphone a couple weeks ago, then perhaps Amezcua should fire Alvarez instead of promoting him.
I say that in the wake of today’s news that the California Attorney General’s Office has found no reason to take legal action against Santa Ana council, according to the O.C. Register.
That’s right – the entire faux scandal was B.S.!
City rules “appropriately” require speakers to limit their comments to matters within the City Council’s jurisdiction, Senior Assistant Attorney General Gary W. Schons wrote this week in response to a formal complaint about the incident.
That complaint was filed by a resident of Long Beach, who has apparently become quite interested in helping Amezcua with his ridiculous campaign.
The Council was advised to allow malcontents like Castillo to speak as long as their comments pertain to city business. That is exactly what a City of Santa Ana statute already said!
Amezcua is clearly the biggest loser in this debacle, as is Alvarez who embarrassed himself at this week’s meeting with an atrocious display of miming.
Amezcua previously tried to use an O.C. Grand Jury report that was tainted by a bitter former City Commissioner, Glen Stroud, who was booted off two City Commissions by the City Council. That lame attempt to attack Mayor Pulido also failed.
Here’s a thought Alfredo – why don’t you tell us what the heck you plan to do as Mayor of Santa Ana, instead of resorting to lousy campaign gimmicks?
I have helped, over the past few years, to get rid of two “double-dippers” on the Coast Community College District’s Board of Education, Armando Ruiz and Walt Howald. These guys were running, again and again, for office so they could pad their retirement – well into the mid-six figures per year!
But did you know that the Santa Ana Unified School District also has a “double-dipper?”
You may not be aware that Ms. Audrey Yamagata-Noji, who is the President of the SAUSD School Board, is also a “double-dipper”. She is in line to receive two very hefty pensions thanks to the taxpayers of California.
Despite the small stipend she earns as a SAUD board member, her years of service as an educator will be used to provide a second retirement with the Public Employees Retirement Sytem (PERS) for her board service.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Al Amezcua speaking at Art Lomeli’s home in Orange Park Acres, in 2008
Santa Ana voters can check out how the other side lives on Sunday, August 29, when Art Lomeli, a dentist and Santa Ana landlord, hosts yet another fundraiser for mayoral candidate Al Amezcua, at his home, located at 20208 East Rogers Drive, in swanky Orange Park Acres, from 5 pm to 8 pm.
Lomeli is a Republican, as are many of Amezcua’s supporters. Lomeli ran for the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Board of Education in 2008. Amezcua served as Master of Ceremonies at a fundraiser for Lomeli, at Lomeli’s home, so it would appear that Lomeli is now returning the favor.
In 2008, Amezcua supporter Ruben Alvarez opposed Lomeli, instead supporting his opponent, another Republican from Orange named Lisa Woolery. Alvarez also opposed the mayoral campaign of Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez, in 2008. He supported the incumbent, Mayor Miguel Pulido. Alvarez is now working closely with Lomeli on the Amezcua campaign, so I would imagine all is forgiven.
At any rate, if you want to attend this event call 714-973-8797. Amezcua’s campaign email notice about the event does not note the cost to attend.
Advocates for free speech notched another victory this week when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that will give students at charter schools the same free speech protection that their counterparts in regular public schools enjoy.
What happened, in a nutshell, is that a State Assemblyman, Leland Yee, had to step in with new legislation when a local charter school, the Orange County High School of the Arts (OCHSA), here in the Santa Ana Unified School District, stopped a press run of their student newspaper, in an obvious attempt to abridge the free speech rights of a student reporter. The same school later fired their journalism advisor because she stood up for that student’s rights.
Yee was so mad after that happened that he asked the SAUSD to cancel OCHSA’s charter, but the SAUSD School Board ignored his request. That was no surprise given that SAUSD School Board President Audrey Yamagata-Noji is no defender of the First Amendment herself. She recently suspended a college student at Mt. San Antonio College, where she is the Vice President of Student Services, for daring to Tweet about a teacher – without even mentioning said teacher’s name!
Here are all the details, courtesy of the California Chronicle:
Click here to read the rest of this post.
The California Standard Tests are a major component of the STAR program. The CSTs are developed by California educators and test developers specifically for California. They measure students’ progress toward achieving California’s state-adopted academic content standards in English–language arts (ELA), mathematics, science, and history–social science, which describe what students should know and be able to do in each grade and subject tested.
The results are in for the latest round of testing. Click here to see the full summary of results for the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD).
Here is a recap of the SAUSD test results:
Click here to read the rest of this post.
CALA Releases Report on Litigation Costs to Schools
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
‘Lessons in Lawsuits: The Impact of Litigation on California’s Schools’ finds nearly $100 million spent by 12 districts in three fiscal years
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Maryann Maloney Marino
949-375-0856
California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) today released a report on litigation costs to 12 of California’s school districts, finding that in just three fiscal years, these schools spent $98.7 million on lawsuits.
The report examined verdicts, settlements and outside counsel costs to Capistrano Unified, Elk Grove Unified, Fresno Unified, Kern High School, Long Beach Unified, Los Angeles Unified, Merced Union High School, Modesto City, Poway Unified, San Diego Unified, San Juan Unified, and Santa Ana Unified.
“At a time when a record number of our schools are in financial trouble and further education cuts could be looming ahead, we cannot afford to allow these litigation costs to grow unchecked,” said Tom Scott, CALA Executive Director. “California continues to rank among the most litigious states in every study yet we rank at the bottom in many measures of student performance. The more dollars our schools have to pay in litigation costs, the less we have to improve our students’ performance.”
California ranks 45th in 4th grade math and second to last in 8th grade reading. At the same time, the state 46th in the Institute for Legal Reform’s Lawsuit Climate 2010 report and 41st in the 2010 U.S. Tort Liability Index.
“We hear story after story of activities schools are forced to cut, yet no one ever talks about one of the most unpredictable costs of all – litigation.” Scott said. “These numbers reflect just 12 of California’s school districts. With nearly 1,000 in the state, there’s no telling what the total number is.”
The $98.7 million spent in just three years could have been put to much better use across the state. That money could have paid the salaries of more than 1,530 teachers, purchased nearly 600 new school buses, more than 1.1 million school desks or 246,762 desktop computer packages.
In Santa Ana, litigation costs totaled $2.3 million just for fiscal year 2009. To put that number in perspective, the district could have bought 22,928 chalkboards.
“Our local school district has already had to severely slash its budget, due to state funding shortfalls,” said Art Pedroza, publisher of the New Santa Ana blog and a candidate for the SAUSD School Board. “There are times when lawsuits are necessary, but frivolous suits do nothing more than hurt our students – we need to take steps to stop abusive lawsuits and keep our funding in the classrooms, where it belongs.”
The report can be found in its entirety here.
California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to educating the public about the negative effects of lawsuit abuse and challenging those who abuse our legal system for personal gain.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 18, 2010
CONTACT: JENN STARNES, 949-724-6574
Find Your Groove at the Great Park Weekend dance and music featuring Celebrity DJs and Korean Break-Dancing Acrobats
IRVINE – Hollywood’s hottest DJs and the world’s hottest dancers heat up the Great Park this weekend as Flights & Sounds Summer Festival celebrates contemporary dance. Join in the fun as DJ Casey Conner and DJ Hapa move the turntables and rock the crowds. Then, catch the acrobatic moves of Korean b-boying break-dancing sensation Last for One.
It’s a DJ House Party at the Orange County Great Park on Friday, August 20thth at 8:00 p.m. where you will want to dance to the beats of today’s most in-demand DJs. DJ Hapa has rocked the hottest clubs and events across the world, and is the DJ for the KTLA morning show. DJ Casey Conner’s dynamic approach to spinning the turntables has made her one of the most sought after celebrity DJs in Hollywood. Come early and get ready to dance with a little help from Great Park dance instructors at 7:30 p.m. DJs start spinning at 8:00 p.m.
Come back to the Great Park on Saturday, August 21st at 8:00 p.m. to see Last for One, the Korean hip-hop break dancing crew that has helped bring mainstream attention to an underground art. Last for One are the winners of the 2005 International Battle of the Year, and have since become internationally recognized b-boy kings.
Before Saturday’s performance, visitors can enjoy the Great Park Comedy Corner at 7:00 p.m. featuring Dante with special guests Rebekah Kochan and David Marley. Admission to Flights & Sounds Summer Festival dance and concert series is free, and parking is just $10.
Upcoming 2010 summer performers include a wide variety of first-rate artists, featuring five-time Grammy Award-winning Blind Boys of Alabama, local surfing champion and artist Donavon Frankenreiter, Hector del Curto’s Eternal Tango Quintet and Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys.
Flights & Sounds Summer Festival is presented by the Orange County Great Park Corporation in partnership with Irvine Barclay Theatre. Concertgoers can watch the show from chairs provided in a temporary concert pavilion or bring their own chairs to listen to the music from the Great Park Lawn.
Before each performance, Hangar 244 is transformed into the Hangar Café, a lounge-like dining area serving up everything from snacks to full dinners, along with refreshments. The menu features themed items inspired by the global mix of musicians, and visitors can choose to also pre-order their picnics by visiting www.ocgp.org.
The Orange County Great Park is located off the 405 or 5 Freeways at Sand Canyon and Marine Way in Irvine. Admission is to Flights & Sounds Summer Festival dance and concert series is free, and parking is just $10.
The Orange County Great Park with its 1,347-acre master plan is the focal point of the redevelopment of the 4,700-acre former Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro. The Great Park is currently 27.5 acres and includes an iconic tethered helium balloon that rises 400 feet in the air, providing an aerial view of Park development. A $65.5 million development plan to expand the Park to 200 acres is currently underway. The plan will build out a core section of the Park for the most immediate and wide-ranging public benefit, including a sports park, agricultural area and an art and culture exhibition space.
For the entire festival line-up and more information, go to www.ocgp.org.
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OLIVE CREST LAUNCHES ITS FIRST K-12 INDEPENDENT STUDY PROGRAM FOR HOMESCHOOL STUDENTS IN ORANGE AND RIVERSIDE COUNTIES
Interested Students and Parents Can Attend a Family Information Night on Monday, August 23 at 6:30 PM
Olive Crest’s Orange County Office: 2130 East 4th Street, Santa Ana
Olive Crest, whose NOVA Academy in Santa Ana was recently awarded a 2010 Bronze Medal by U.S. News and World Report in their rankings of the Best High Schools in California. announces the formation of a new educational program for home schoolers residing in Orange and Riverside Counties. Olive Crest Academy K-12 Independent Study Program will launch this fall for the 2010-2011 school year.
For more information, please call Olive Crest at (714) 543-5437 and select option 7. Leave a message and your call will be returned within 24 hours.
Olive Crest Academy K-12 Independent Study Program is the latest of many education-themed programs sponsored by Olive Crest, which was founded by Dr. Donald Verleur and his wife, Lois Verleur, in 1973. The innovative program will give families the option of having students attend an on-site classroom two days a week, with the other three days spent learning at home. Alternatively, students may choose to spend all five days a week utilizing the homeschooling option. The Orange County on-site classrooms will be located at Olive Crest headquarters in Santa Ana (address above); there will also be on-site classes held in Temecula.
In either case, a credentialed teacher will assist families in creating an individualized curriculum that meets the needs of each student; preparing lesson plans; and scheduling. High school students can take advantage of the Early College High School Program, earning college credits while attending high school.
An education through the Independent Study Program includes:
• Experienced, professional, and compassionate staff committed to students’ individual needs
• Regular review and evaluation with a credentialed teacher regarding your individualized student plan
• Math and writing small group tutorials
• Enrichment activities including art, music and sports programs
• Computer-based educational programs
• Annual standardized testing
• College tours
• Concurrent transferable units at a local community college
• Graduation ceremony for Kindergarten, 8th and 12th grades
“Olive Crest is interested in serving families with various needs, and we feel that this program will do just that,” says Olive Crest ISP principal Jesse Leyva, who has been a principal for 15 years and is a five-year veteran of the ISP school model. “In the traditional environment, there are some kids who are not allowed to work at an accelerated pace and others who are hurried; we plan to be sensitive and accommodating to both. We believe in serving kids from all backgrounds and doing so in a loving and caring manner.”
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Ousted Santa Ana City Commissioners Glen Stroud and Tish Leon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David N. Ream
May 24, 2010 City of Santa Ana
(714) 647-5200
Santa Ana, CA – The City of Santa Ana has received the Grand Jury report and is currently preparing a response. Although we respect the work and the role of the Grand Jury, we have tremendous concerns with the findings and believe their process was filled with inaccuracies and only serves to confuse the public. The reality is that this transit project is on schedule, under budget and successfully moving forward.
“The facts are that this is one of the biggest infrastructure projects our city has ever undertaken and it is currently on schedule and under budget. The public process we went through to select a team of consultants was transparent and without any wrongdoing, which is what the Grand Jury report ultimately notes. The contract with the hybrid team that the City Council selected is $2,195,470 below the original bid recommended by staff,” stated Mayor Miguel A. Pulido.
Additionally, the project is on schedule and continues to be administered effectively by the Orange County Transportation Authority. “As part of the Go Local process, OCTA has been working extremely closely with the City of Santa Ana including its staff, consultants, and elected officials. OCTA has provided oversight of the project, and we are pleased with the progress and work done to date,” stated CEO of OCTA Will Kempton.
The City is excited about this project and is confident that it will continue to move forward smoothly and without deficiencies. “The contract was not flawed and we recognize that the Grand Jury found no illegal actions by the City. There was no factual violation of the Brown Act and no secret meetings. It is the responsibility of councilmembers to meet with their constituents, including business owners who are seeking to do work in the community. All meetings regarding the merits of the project were properly noticed. The recommendations in the report are general and benign. We have reinforced our existing City policies by adopting improved RFP/RFQ guidelines to ensure the decision making process continues to be transparent in the view of our residents,” stated City Manager David N. Ream.
Based on the above mentioned facts, the Grand Jury findings are inconsistent and are in direct conflict with reality. City Attorney Joe Fletcher stated: “The mission of the Grand Jury in this setting is to conduct investigations regarding the administration and affairs of cities in Orange County and to make recommendations as it may deem proper and fit. This report has gone beyond that mission to infer inappropriate or unethical conduct on the part of city officials without any factual basis for such conclusions. Despite innuendo to the contrary, the report contains no evidence of illegal or unethical conduct and often relies upon misstatements of legal standards and misinterpretation of applicable statutes.”
Furthermore, Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez stated “I am deeply concerned with the fact that a disgruntled, fired city commissioner with an obvious bias was allowed to thereafter serve as a member of the Grand Jury in this investigation. An objective fair and impartial jury goes to the heart of the American justice system. By his participation in deliberations, investigations and votes, Mr. Glenn Stroud has compromised the integrity of the Orange County Grand Jury and tainted this entire investigation. The residents of this county deserve better.”
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Click here to read the City of Santa Ana’s response to the Judge. Be sure to read it. Councilman David Benavides took money from both George Pla and Glen and Julie Stroud.