skip to main |
skip to sidebar
New board members Norma L. Hernandez and Tim Nader and re-elected Terri Valladolid will be sworn-in tonight at 6:30 as part of a reception beginning at 6:00 p.m. The reception and ceremony will be held in Room L238 North and South (the "big room" opposite the library). All are welcome to attend.
The regularly scheduled board meeting will follow at 7:00 p.m. in Mayan Hall (which provides far more seating than the usual board room 214). So come on down!
On the swearing-in: Some observers have raised questions about the pre-meeting ceremony. Why, they ask, not have the swearing-in on the regular meeting agenda as has been done in the past? Isn't this required by Brown Act rules of public notification?A search of California Government Code, Elections Code, Education Code, the Brown Act, and board policy suggests the answer is no. In fact, if the freshly-elected board members aren't sworn prior to the meeting, there's no quorum. The outgoing members would convene the meeting, and the new members wouldn't be seated until swearing in. Clearly, this could be awkward.(Relevant code sections: Ed Code sections 60, 5000, 5017, 5300, 72000; Elections Code 10554; Government Code 1302, 1360, 1362, 54952.2)Some agenda items do warrant questions, however. Item 11D, page 6: Why does Alioto want to pay outside consultants over $4,000 for Opening Day presentations? Item 16C, pages 11-12: Why is Chopra requesting agreements with ten different law firms? (Hopefully, with his departure, this item will be tabled.)
A belated Happy Thanksgiving to everyone as we announce some more good news: Superintendent/President Raj K. Chopra has resigned from his position effective today.Chopra announced his resignation with a global email sent to the SWC campus community:
Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2010 1:41 PM
College Community,
Effective today, November 30, 2010, I will resign from my position as Superintendent/President.
Until the Board can meet to discuss this matter, the vice presidents will serve as administrators in charge on a rotating basis and will perform day-to-day duties on behalf of the District. Following is the schedule:
· December 1-2 Vice President Suarez
· December 3 Vice President Kerns
· December 6 Vice President Alioto
· December 7-8 Vice President Meadows
It has been an honor to serve the students and community of Southwestern College. I wish you all a happy holiday season and all the best in the future.
Raj K. Chopra, Ph.D.
Superintendent/President
Southwestern College
619.482.6301
Onward!
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. ~Margaret Mead
First, let us congratulate the challengers: Norma Hernandez, Tim Nader, and Jesseca Saenz-Gonzalez. All three of you worked tirelessly to run solid, honest campaigns. The results showed at the polls with wins for Norma and Tim and a very close second for Jesseca.
Jesseca's loss may actually be the biggest win of the contest. Everyone said it couldn't be done. They said the Valladolid camp is too strong and well-connected. They said Terri was a slam-dunk with the Democratic endorsement. Well, Jesseca proved them wrong. Terri may have won by a couple percentage points, but Jesseca accomplished something even more important: she showed us that influence and money aren't everything and that voters really do want to hear the truth. She showed us that there are no more excuses for not getting involved. She showed us there is always hope. Thank you, Jesseca!
Of course, now the really hard work of getting the college back on track begins, and we couldn't be more excited to get started.
Toward that end, an open letter to Terri Valladolid:
Terri,
Congratulations on your win. Despite all that has passed, we do value your intelligence, and we trust that you do have the best interests of the college at heart.
This election process has been an education for all of us, and we're sure that is true of you as well.
We hope that along the way, your eyes have been opened to the reality of issues plaguing district management. We hope that you have recognized the level of community dissatisfaction with recent college governance. And we hope this new perspective will enable us to work together to restore the college's vision, integrity, and excellence.
Terri, please join us and help Save Our Southwestern College.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. ~Margaret Mead
Not that anyone needs reminding, but tomorrow's the day.
Please remember to bring an i.d. and proof of address, just in case.
If you aren't sure where your polling place is, you can easily look it up at Smart Voter.
If you go to your polling place, and you don't show up on the register, you are still entitled to cast a provisional ballot.
Know your voting rights. Seriously.
Finally, look around you (and we're including cyberspace here). Look at the connections and support that has been generated. Look at the selfless work so many people--including you!--have done. Thank them (and yourself!). Thank the candidates.
And remember . . .
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. ~Margaret Mead
A recent article in the San Diego Union-Tribune by watchdog reporter Tanya Sierra reveals another layer of madness in the college's mismanagement: posh vacations for administrators and construction companies paid out of SWC Foundation funds.
Echo Pacific Construction "won" a silent auction prize, which included spending the weekend with Nick Alioto, SWC Vice President of Business and Financial Affairs. Alioto plays a key role in determining who gets construction contracts.And guess what? Three weeks later, Echo Pacific did get a contract--for 4 million dollars.There's more, much more, so please read the full article.As November 2 approaches, it's as important as ever to get the word out and make sure voters are informed of the truth!How can you help?- Contact everyone you know in the SWC district--an email, a quick phone call, a Facebook post, a tweet--and ask them to contact three other people they know, etc.
- Participate in one or both literature drops organized by candidate Tim Nader:
Late-night Literature Drop to Get Out the Vote
Tomorrow (Monday) at 7:30 p.m.
Meet at 7 Kingswood Dr., Chula Vista, CA 91911
Early Morning Election Day Literature Drop
Tuesday at 4:00 a.m.
Meet at 7 Kingswood Dr., Chula Vista, CA 91911
- Help out with sign-waving Monday morning or evening and/or Tuesday morning . Contact Veronica Burton at vburton6@cox.net or just show up at one of the following intersections (7:00-8:30 am; 4:30-6:00 p.m.):
Bonita Road and Otay Lakes Road
East H Street and Otay Lakes Road
Terra Nova Plaza
E Street and 805
L Street and 805
The Governing Board incumbents and upper administration seem to think the C in SWC stands for "Construction." Let's set 'em straight.
Let's Save Our Southwestern College.
In our last post, we told you about some shady dealings on the part of Governing Board incumbents. Now there's more.We've just learned that the Southwestern College district itself sent out a mailer promoting the Board and downplaying accreditation problems.How did they do this? By packaging the propaganda as "news."This 8 1/2 X 11 inch mailer on glossy card stock pretends to be "News from Southwestern College," but its timing--right before the election--couldn't be more transparent. (Besides, honestly, if you wanted to send apolitical information to the community, would you choose to do so at the very moment people's mailboxes are overflowing with campaign literature? We think not.)While not mentioning candidates by name, the mailer refers glowingly to the current Governing Board no fewer than eight times, once in bold red font.Twice (once on each side), the mailer claims that accreditation problems date from 1996 and 2003 ("Southwestern College is currently resolving issues from previous WASC reports in 1996 and 2003")--a story the incumbents have been promoting throughout their campaigns, especially as a way to discredit former Superintendent/President Norma Hernandez, who is running against Yolanda Salcido for Seat #4.The truth, of course, is that this Board and Superintendent/President Raj Chopra are responsible for the college's probationary accreditation status, as we've been documenting on this blog for over a year.
So what does it cost to manufacture this kind of spin? According to the label, these mailers went out ECRWSS (Enhanced Carrier Route Walking Sequence Saturation), which in US Postal Service lingo means the mailing had to go to every address on the route.Assuming the district sent only to addresses in Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach, Bonita, and Coronado (skipping outlying areas like San Ysidro and Otay Mesa), that amounts to at least 100,000 households (and we're not even counting the business addresses on those routes). At the non-profit ECRWSS mailing rate of 11 cents per, the mailing cost alone comes to $11,000. And we haven't even included the cost of the mailer itself yet!Even if we assume an incredibly modest 10 cents for each mailer, that brings the grand total to over $20,000. And guess who paid for it, folks. Yep, that would be you, the taxpayer.In case you didn't receive a copy in the mail, you can see the scanned mailer here:Side 1Side 2
Like it or not, campaigns and election outcomes largely depend on money. Yard signs, commercials, banners, mailers, and other forms of getting the word out require cash. Lots of cash. We know this, and--grudgingly or not--accept it as the way business is done.
What some of us are not so ready to accept is bad business, deceptive business: candidates who misrepresent themselves and their supporters, figuring that no one will notice, and if they do, oh well, the lie got out there anyway.
We've already addressed Yolanda Salcido's I'm-an-honorable-judge early Halloween costume. Now, a recent article in the Southwestern Sun [link updated Oct. 20] reveals that Salcido used Associated Student Organization (ASO) officer photos and a fake quote in her publicity materials.
According to The Sun, ASO President Manuel Lopez and Vice President of Public Relations Nick Serrano both "feverently denied supporting Salcido and demanded that she remove their photos and false endorsements from her campaign website and all printed campaign materials."
As they say in TV-land, though, that's not all! What many voters don't realize is that space on a lot of slate mailers is bought: despite the appearance of organization endorsement, all that's being endorsed is a fat check.
According to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters Campaign Finance Disclosure Public Site, both Yolanda Salcido and Terri Valladolid have so far spent $15,311 each to appear on these mailers:
California Democratic Voter Guide: $4,500
California Latino Voter Guide: $3,811
California Voter Guide: $7,000
--------------------------------------
Total: $15,311 X 2 = $30,622 to buy two candidates the appearance of widespread support.
And where did all this money come from? Construction interests, of course!
Check it out for yourself by looking at their 460 Recipient Committee Campaign Statements:
Salcido's 460 Jan to June 2010 (shows early donations)Salcido's 460 July to Sept 2010 (shows additional donations and expenditures)
Valladolid's 460 Jan to June (shows early donations)Valladolid's 460 July to Sept (shows additional donations and expenditures)
(The third incumbent running for election, Jorge Dominguez, has raised and spent very little money, so we're not covering him here.)
For a comparison, look at Norma L. Hernandez's latest 460. In contrast to Salcido's and Valladolid's big bucks construction money, Hernandez's donations are almost all from individuals and in the amount of $100-$200.
To be fair, Hernandez's campaign has also invested in some slate mailers, but on a much smaller scale, spending less than a third ($4889) what Salcido and Valladolid each have thrown around.
So how do you get a fair election when big money perpetuates itself by supporting candidates that will later reward it with contracts? You fight the incumbent political machine any way you can: by donating, by volunteering, by painting your car window, by doing anything and everything you can to tell the truth.
Campaign contacts:
Volunteer contacts:
- Campus outreach: Patti Flores-Charter ccnado@san.rr.com
- Phone banking: Veronica Burton vburton6@cox.net
- Precinct walking: Diane Gustafon diangus15@aol.com
Tell the truth. Save Our Southwestern College.
Update: Here are a couple more articles from The Sun that you shouldn't miss:
Posts
