Endorsement Watch: 5th Senate and Measure W

‘Tis the season to watch Sunday newspaper endorsements. For those who have been reading this blog for awhile, you know that for some reason I love to read and critique newspaper endorsements. For me, it gives us an insight into what the media think and to a lesser degree what issues they think are important and how we can evaluate the news overall.

Newspapers will argue that there is a separation of the the news and editorial function, but in my former profession as a social scientist, there has been some interesting empirical studies that argue otherwise.

Besides, at the end of the day, this blog was largely developed to respond to what the mainstream news was reporting and in general to criticize it.

We begin then with two newspaper endorsements that came down yesterday–one involving the 5th Senate District and the other involving Measure W.

STOCKTON RECORD ENDORSES AGHAZARIAN

There is one main reason why the Stockton Record endorses Aghazarian. It is not partisan. In fact, they have endorsed Barack Obama for President and Jerry McNerney for Congress–both of them Democrats. Granted the endorsement of Barack Obama was a very big deal. It was the first time since 1936 that the Stockton Record Endorsed a Democrat.

The reason the Stockon Record endorsed Aghazarian is that he’s from Stockton.

“And that brings us to one of the most important reasons Aghazarian should be sent to the Senate: He lives here. He understands the district and its needs. He will be here.

Because of the loony way legislative districts have been carved out – with the express purpose of making them safe for incumbents – it is possible San Joaquin County could end up with no representatives in Sacramento who live in the county. That’s unacceptable no matter the sincerity of an out-of-area politician’s vow to be in the county often.”

Are you kidding me? First of all, the current State Senator is from Linden which is essentially Stockton, so it is not as though there was a long history of Stockton being shutout of the Senate Seat. Second, it’s a big district. It goes from San Joaquin County to Yolo and Solano Counties. Why does Stockton deserve a representative more than Yolo County or Solano County?

I am sorry but that is just selfish. There are many cities in this district, Stockton is the largest one but it’s also on one end of the district, the majority of the district would be left high dry by such a move–if we are merely looking at geography.

Can we draw districts more compactly? Certainly, but I am not going to selected my representative based on geography.

A couple of other points that they argue.

“Aghazarian, who used to brag about his ascension through the Republican Party ranks, has reinvented himself for this campaign. His advertisements paint him as the candidate of “independent leadership,” never mentioning his party affiliation.”

The Record is for some reason buying into Aghazarian’s non-partisan rhetoric. The reason he is arguing this is that he is running for election in a Democratic year in a district that has a 15 percent Democratic registration. He has not changed his tune or if he has, make him prove it in the legislature not as part of his campaign rhetoric. In short, his record as an Assemblyman shows nothing to lead one to believe he independent. Nothing.

Finally, I take issue with this:

“Wolk claims she is more effective than Aghazarian at working across the aisle, claiming she has had more bills signed by the Republican governor than any other legislator. In truth, however, most of the bills have been relatively insignificant.”

In truth probably most legislation in the California Legislature, is insignificant. However, she did sponsor several key pieces of legislation dealing with flood control, delta protection, and elder protection. Somehow I doubt that Aghazarian has such a legislative record. They certainly do not cite it in the endorsement article.

However, this is really the most illogical of the Record’s arguments. Democrats will control roughly 60% of the seats in the State Senate regardless of who wins this seat. Who is going to be the most effective legislator the majority party member or the minority party member? The answer is the majority party member who will pass a much higher percentage of legislation. It is not even close. The Stockton Record does even think about this contradiction with their argument. Aghazarian is not going to as effective as a minority party member as Wolk will as a majority party member, so if that is you rationale for voting, it makes no sense to vote for Aghazarian over Wolk.

In short, the Stockton Record probably has many good reasons to support Aghazarian, but they really do a poor job of selecting three that make no sense. I am sure they really do want Stockton to be Represented, but it’s not like Stockton has not been Represented the past eight years. The rest of the District is just as deserving of representation as the City of Stockton.

In my opinion people should vote based on who they most agree with on the issues and who they think will be a better legislator. I cannot answer that question for my readers, but I can say that the Stockton Record falls woefully short in its endorsement criteria, at least the ones it states.

DAVIS ENTERPRISE ENDORSES MEASURE W

This is really not a surprise at all. Let us face it, the Davis Enterprise since 2005 has endorsed the wrong way from my perspective on every single issue except Measures P, Q, and W–the Parcel Taxes. They endorsed Covell Village. They endorsed Target. They endorsed Jeff Reisig for District Attorney. They endorsed Ruth Asmundson and Mike Levy in 2006 for Davis City Council. They endorsed Souza, Saylor and Sydney Vergis this year.

In other words, given that record, it is hard for me to use their endorsement of Measure W for much of anything other than to say that a broken clock is right twice a day–if it is an old fashioned, analog clock. And the Davis Enterprise is certainly that.

And frankly, I think the Stockton Record makes a stronger argument for Aghazarian than the Davis Enterprise does for Measure W.

The argument is this:

“Without the $2.4 million in extra funding per year, we face the same severe cuts and massive teacher layoffs that were threatened last spring. That’s when the community came together – led by the Davis Schools Foundation – to raise $1.77 million. That one-time effort, along with more than $1 million in district budget cuts, plugged the hole for this school year only.”

What happens if it fails:

“IF MEASURE W FAILS, the community faces another massive fundraising drive to save teachers and programs. Or worse, we face their loss due to budget cuts.”

This is a point that has be driven home to voters. The $1.77 million raised by the schools foundation was one-time money the result of a hard drive in the community with the issue firmly in the minds of voters.

However, some need to recognize that that money is one-time money and it is not sustainable.

“But community philanthropy can’t always be the answer, said Alan Anderson, the new president of the Davis Schools Foundation. ‘Ongoing support is the best way to solve chronic under-funding from the state and to restore confidence in the future of our public schools for families, teachers and, of course, our students.'”

We had Alan Anderson on our radio show last spring, he is exactly right here as he was back then. The support by the Davis Schools Foundation was amazing and it saved programs and teachers but it was a one-time bridge loan, not a means by which to provide ongoing support. The voters need to decide if the programs funded by the $2.4 million and the teachers funded by that money are necessary for the Davis Schools to remain at the top of the state scale.

There are so many more factors that needed to be addressed in this editorial. We have mentioned them in this space time and again, so for now we are just thankful that at the very least the Davis Enterprise has the commitment to provide schools with the necessary funding to continue to function at a high level.

—Doug Paul Davis reporting

Author

  • David Greenwald

    Greenwald is the founder, editor, and executive director of the Davis Vanguard. He founded the Vanguard in 2006. David Greenwald moved to Davis in 1996 to attend Graduate School at UC Davis in Political Science. He lives in South Davis with his wife Cecilia Escamilla Greenwald and three children.

    View all posts

Categories:

Elections

84 comments

  1. Yolo Democrat: I had to remove your post because you posted entire copy-righted material from other sites. You can provide links and small quotes, but do not post the entire article on here. Thanks.

  2. Yolo Democrat: I had to remove your post because you posted entire copy-righted material from other sites. You can provide links and small quotes, but do not post the entire article on here. Thanks.

  3. Yolo Democrat: I had to remove your post because you posted entire copy-righted material from other sites. You can provide links and small quotes, but do not post the entire article on here. Thanks.

  4. Yolo Democrat: I had to remove your post because you posted entire copy-righted material from other sites. You can provide links and small quotes, but do not post the entire article on here. Thanks.

  5. Was part of the $70,000 from Measure Q used to pay a Davis author to teach cooking lessons to cafeteria staff?

    Is extra staff needed to man the salad bar, as the Davis Enterprise said?

    What systems are in place that signify true accountability of our tax dollars, other than an oversight committee hand picked by the School Board/District?

    What is being done to figure out what to do when another parcel tax will not fix the fiscal problems in our schools? Institute Measure Y and Z?

    Where is the def’n of core curricula? Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?

    How much is it actually costing to keep VO open?

    I’m so glad Sheila Allen is happy with her children’s new school Karamatsu – built at the expense of VO and its closure. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside…

  6. Was part of the $70,000 from Measure Q used to pay a Davis author to teach cooking lessons to cafeteria staff?

    Is extra staff needed to man the salad bar, as the Davis Enterprise said?

    What systems are in place that signify true accountability of our tax dollars, other than an oversight committee hand picked by the School Board/District?

    What is being done to figure out what to do when another parcel tax will not fix the fiscal problems in our schools? Institute Measure Y and Z?

    Where is the def’n of core curricula? Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?

    How much is it actually costing to keep VO open?

    I’m so glad Sheila Allen is happy with her children’s new school Karamatsu – built at the expense of VO and its closure. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside…

  7. Was part of the $70,000 from Measure Q used to pay a Davis author to teach cooking lessons to cafeteria staff?

    Is extra staff needed to man the salad bar, as the Davis Enterprise said?

    What systems are in place that signify true accountability of our tax dollars, other than an oversight committee hand picked by the School Board/District?

    What is being done to figure out what to do when another parcel tax will not fix the fiscal problems in our schools? Institute Measure Y and Z?

    Where is the def’n of core curricula? Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?

    How much is it actually costing to keep VO open?

    I’m so glad Sheila Allen is happy with her children’s new school Karamatsu – built at the expense of VO and its closure. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside…

  8. Was part of the $70,000 from Measure Q used to pay a Davis author to teach cooking lessons to cafeteria staff?

    Is extra staff needed to man the salad bar, as the Davis Enterprise said?

    What systems are in place that signify true accountability of our tax dollars, other than an oversight committee hand picked by the School Board/District?

    What is being done to figure out what to do when another parcel tax will not fix the fiscal problems in our schools? Institute Measure Y and Z?

    Where is the def’n of core curricula? Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?

    How much is it actually costing to keep VO open?

    I’m so glad Sheila Allen is happy with her children’s new school Karamatsu – built at the expense of VO and its closure. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside…

  9. “Let us face it, the Davis Enterprise since 2005 has endorsed the wrong way from my perspective on every single issue except Measures P, Q, and W–the Parcel Taxes.”

    They endorsed your boyfriend Rexroad.

  10. “Let us face it, the Davis Enterprise since 2005 has endorsed the wrong way from my perspective on every single issue except Measures P, Q, and W–the Parcel Taxes.”

    They endorsed your boyfriend Rexroad.

  11. “Let us face it, the Davis Enterprise since 2005 has endorsed the wrong way from my perspective on every single issue except Measures P, Q, and W–the Parcel Taxes.”

    They endorsed your boyfriend Rexroad.

  12. “Let us face it, the Davis Enterprise since 2005 has endorsed the wrong way from my perspective on every single issue except Measures P, Q, and W–the Parcel Taxes.”

    They endorsed your boyfriend Rexroad.

  13. Wondering: all of those questions were answered in the other thread.

    Anonymous: guess you missed DPD b-slapping Rexroad last week.

  14. Wandering says:

    “Was part of the $70,000 from Measure Q used to pay a Davis author to teach cooking lessons to cafeteria staff?” etc…

    It’s our usual salad rant from our resident food critic. You have to find a way to be entertained by the quixotic passion of this Davis area character. Otherwise you’ll find it pretty useless to carry on a rational with her.

  15. Wandering says:

    “Was part of the $70,000 from Measure Q used to pay a Davis author to teach cooking lessons to cafeteria staff?” etc…

    It’s our usual salad rant from our resident food critic. You have to find a way to be entertained by the quixotic passion of this Davis area character. Otherwise you’ll find it pretty useless to carry on a rational with her.

  16. Wandering says:

    “Was part of the $70,000 from Measure Q used to pay a Davis author to teach cooking lessons to cafeteria staff?” etc…

    It’s our usual salad rant from our resident food critic. You have to find a way to be entertained by the quixotic passion of this Davis area character. Otherwise you’ll find it pretty useless to carry on a rational with her.

  17. Wandering says:

    “Was part of the $70,000 from Measure Q used to pay a Davis author to teach cooking lessons to cafeteria staff?” etc…

    It’s our usual salad rant from our resident food critic. You have to find a way to be entertained by the quixotic passion of this Davis area character. Otherwise you’ll find it pretty useless to carry on a rational with her.

  18. “It’s our usual salad rant from our resident food critic. You have to find a way to be entertained by the quixotic passion of this Davis area character. Otherwise you’ll find it pretty useless to carry on a rational with her.”

    I think it’s the blog administrator, myself.

  19. “It’s our usual salad rant from our resident food critic. You have to find a way to be entertained by the quixotic passion of this Davis area character. Otherwise you’ll find it pretty useless to carry on a rational with her.”

    I think it’s the blog administrator, myself.

  20. “It’s our usual salad rant from our resident food critic. You have to find a way to be entertained by the quixotic passion of this Davis area character. Otherwise you’ll find it pretty useless to carry on a rational with her.”

    I think it’s the blog administrator, myself.

  21. “It’s our usual salad rant from our resident food critic. You have to find a way to be entertained by the quixotic passion of this Davis area character. Otherwise you’ll find it pretty useless to carry on a rational with her.”

    I think it’s the blog administrator, myself.

  22. wrong way from my perspective on every single issue except Measures P, Q, and W–the Parcel Taxes. They endorsed Covell Village. They endorsed Target. They endorsed Jeff Reisig for District Attorney. They endorsed Ruth Asmundson and Mike Levy in 2006 for Davis City Council. They endorsed Souza, Saylor and Sydney Vergis this year.

    In other words, given that record, it is hard for me to use their endorsement of Measure W for much of anything other than to say that a broken clock is right twice a day–if it is an old fashioned, analog clock. And the Davis Enterprise is certainly that.

    yes, a broken clock IS right twice a day. They endorsed Target and Reisig.

  23. wrong way from my perspective on every single issue except Measures P, Q, and W–the Parcel Taxes. They endorsed Covell Village. They endorsed Target. They endorsed Jeff Reisig for District Attorney. They endorsed Ruth Asmundson and Mike Levy in 2006 for Davis City Council. They endorsed Souza, Saylor and Sydney Vergis this year.

    In other words, given that record, it is hard for me to use their endorsement of Measure W for much of anything other than to say that a broken clock is right twice a day–if it is an old fashioned, analog clock. And the Davis Enterprise is certainly that.

    yes, a broken clock IS right twice a day. They endorsed Target and Reisig.

  24. wrong way from my perspective on every single issue except Measures P, Q, and W–the Parcel Taxes. They endorsed Covell Village. They endorsed Target. They endorsed Jeff Reisig for District Attorney. They endorsed Ruth Asmundson and Mike Levy in 2006 for Davis City Council. They endorsed Souza, Saylor and Sydney Vergis this year.

    In other words, given that record, it is hard for me to use their endorsement of Measure W for much of anything other than to say that a broken clock is right twice a day–if it is an old fashioned, analog clock. And the Davis Enterprise is certainly that.

    yes, a broken clock IS right twice a day. They endorsed Target and Reisig.

  25. wrong way from my perspective on every single issue except Measures P, Q, and W–the Parcel Taxes. They endorsed Covell Village. They endorsed Target. They endorsed Jeff Reisig for District Attorney. They endorsed Ruth Asmundson and Mike Levy in 2006 for Davis City Council. They endorsed Souza, Saylor and Sydney Vergis this year.

    In other words, given that record, it is hard for me to use their endorsement of Measure W for much of anything other than to say that a broken clock is right twice a day–if it is an old fashioned, analog clock. And the Davis Enterprise is certainly that.

    yes, a broken clock IS right twice a day. They endorsed Target and Reisig.

  26. What systems are in place that signify true accountability of our tax dollars, other than an oversight committee hand picked by the School Board/District?

    this is key. good point. The taxpayer should have more input into how its $ is spent. Not just send it down to wherever and hope some crumbs trickle down to the kids.

  27. What systems are in place that signify true accountability of our tax dollars, other than an oversight committee hand picked by the School Board/District?

    this is key. good point. The taxpayer should have more input into how its $ is spent. Not just send it down to wherever and hope some crumbs trickle down to the kids.

  28. What systems are in place that signify true accountability of our tax dollars, other than an oversight committee hand picked by the School Board/District?

    this is key. good point. The taxpayer should have more input into how its $ is spent. Not just send it down to wherever and hope some crumbs trickle down to the kids.

  29. What systems are in place that signify true accountability of our tax dollars, other than an oversight committee hand picked by the School Board/District?

    this is key. good point. The taxpayer should have more input into how its $ is spent. Not just send it down to wherever and hope some crumbs trickle down to the kids.

  30. Where is the def’n of core curricula? Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?

    How much is it actually costing to keep VO open?

    I’m so glad Sheila Allen is happy with her children’s new school Karamatsu – built at the expense of VO and its closure. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside…

    Shiela Allen is a weasel. She destroyed a school and then shed crocidile tears as her rich-kid Korematsu got constructed at the expense of another school. I am perfectly willing to trust her with my $$$ not.

  31. Where is the def’n of core curricula? Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?

    How much is it actually costing to keep VO open?

    I’m so glad Sheila Allen is happy with her children’s new school Karamatsu – built at the expense of VO and its closure. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside…

    Shiela Allen is a weasel. She destroyed a school and then shed crocidile tears as her rich-kid Korematsu got constructed at the expense of another school. I am perfectly willing to trust her with my $$$ not.

  32. Where is the def’n of core curricula? Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?

    How much is it actually costing to keep VO open?

    I’m so glad Sheila Allen is happy with her children’s new school Karamatsu – built at the expense of VO and its closure. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside…

    Shiela Allen is a weasel. She destroyed a school and then shed crocidile tears as her rich-kid Korematsu got constructed at the expense of another school. I am perfectly willing to trust her with my $$$ not.

  33. Where is the def’n of core curricula? Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?

    How much is it actually costing to keep VO open?

    I’m so glad Sheila Allen is happy with her children’s new school Karamatsu – built at the expense of VO and its closure. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside…

    Shiela Allen is a weasel. She destroyed a school and then shed crocidile tears as her rich-kid Korematsu got constructed at the expense of another school. I am perfectly willing to trust her with my $$$ not.

  34. If you want to know the “Inside Scoop” about the impropriety going on in the “Yes on Measure W” campaign read this:

    Yolo County Taxpayers Association (YCTA) Endorsement of Measure W:

    The YCTA never contacted me: Coleman Thomas “Tom” Randall, Jr who is the Chief Spokesperson Against Measure W to make any kind of presentation against Measure W before them prior to that organization making this endorsement decision to support Measure W.

    This inaction may have influenced John Munn’s actions because we had sparred on a few occasions over local Republican Party campaign strategy and had personality as he was a one time the Chair of the Yolo County Republican Party Central Committee (YCRPCC) and interestingly over the last two (2) years John Munn’s involvement in local Republican Party politics has demished to the point he is no longer active in local Republican Party activities such as non-attendance at gatherings etc.

    The President of the Yolo County Taxpayers Association (YCTA) John Munn is formerly a Member of the Davis School Board and the YCTA’s decision to influence the YCTA’s endorsement of Measure W was probably widely and unfairly influenced by his previous association as a Member of the Davis School Board. Furthermore, John Munn is a lifelong bureaucrat who has held various positions in state government and could be expected to support the interests of the local school bureucracy by supporting Measure W.

    The YCTA has a stated position in that it opposes the circumvention of Proposition 13 the Property Tax Limitation Measure passed by the State’s voters on Tuesday, June 6, 1978 yet in a contradiction it has endorsed Measure W which is an example of a ballot measure that seeks to bypass the intent of Proposition 13 through a legal loophole in the measure and erode the relief from excessive property taxation seeks to provide. This position is listed on the website of this organization that can be viewed at the following website address of: http://www.yolotaxpayers.com

    Inappropriate actions undertaken by the Yes on Measure W campaign.

    Solicited Meeting by the Yes on Measure W Campaign

    After I submitted the ballot argument against Measure W on Friday, August 8th I received a phone and an e-mail message from Gina Daleiden of the Davis School Board solicited a meeting with me regarding the Measure W issue. That meeting was subsequently held at Strings Restaurant in Davis on Wednesday, August 13th.

    Gina Daleiden’s actions to arrange this meeting were apparently politically motivated as she used obnoxious “strong arm” tactics and called the Yolo County Republican Party Central Committee (YCRPCC) Chair Mark Pruner to arrange that meeting that was referred over to the YCRPCC Secretary Gleen Holderreed she is currently an assistant to Yolo County Supervisor Helen Thomson who is also a former State Assembly Member and Davis School Board Member and has a record of endorsements of being among the most pro tax raising politicians locally.

    To the contrary, Gina has a son whom is active in Republican Party politics locally by serving in a local High School club before he graduated.

    Furthermore, Gina (Surkala) Daleiden comes from a background in which both her parents were public employees working as Teachers in local school districts and joined that profession herself and is a 1985 graduate of Davis High School and therefore has an extreme bias towards the local educational bureaucracy’s interests ahead of most of the voters of the DJUSD and therefore her actions were inappropriate in seeking this meeting as opposing sides on an issue don’t usually schedule informal meetings with their opposition and the only time they meet is by chance or at public forums.

    Also, Gina and I were graduates of Davis High School the same year in 1985 and she apparently believed that she could discourage my actions because she thought that just because I was in the same years graduating class that she would likely have a greater influence over me to control my actions. Interesting Helen Thomson’s daughter Morag was a graduate of that same years class as well. I never knew Gina personally well back then although I knew she had not yet become politically active back in those High School years of 1982-85. I did serve for a year as an alternate Student Representative to the Davis School Board from 1983-84.

    The meeting was organized ny Glenn Holderreed who is currently the Secretary of the Yolo County Republican Party Central Committee (YCRPCC). Who is currently a signer of the “Yes on Measure W” ballot argument which was improper action for him to be undertaking since he served as the moderator for this meeting and had arranged it and therefore should act publicly neutral in regards to expressing his position on this ballot measure.

    I did not request or arrange this meeting. It was Davis School Board Member Gina Daleiden who did out of an apparent act of “disguised manipulative arrogance” on behalf of the Davis School Board.

    Davis High School (DHS) Hall of Fame Dinner

    Also, representatives from the Yes on Measure W campaign attended the First Annual Davis High School Hall of Fame Awards ceremony and in an act of inappropriate arrogance circulated campaign material (interestingly in Blue and White which are the official colors of Davis High School) at that event which was not intended to be conducted as a political event to solicit support from Measure W there. Furthermore, Bob Dunning the local Davis Enterprise columnist wrote his daily column in the Davis Enterprise on Sunday, October 12th about this event and why it was a reason to Support Measure W. Some events are not appropriate venues to be conducting political campaign activity and this event is one such example because it is not meant to be a political type of an event just like a class reunion, teacher retirement party etc.

  35. If you want to know the “Inside Scoop” about the impropriety going on in the “Yes on Measure W” campaign read this:

    Yolo County Taxpayers Association (YCTA) Endorsement of Measure W:

    The YCTA never contacted me: Coleman Thomas “Tom” Randall, Jr who is the Chief Spokesperson Against Measure W to make any kind of presentation against Measure W before them prior to that organization making this endorsement decision to support Measure W.

    This inaction may have influenced John Munn’s actions because we had sparred on a few occasions over local Republican Party campaign strategy and had personality as he was a one time the Chair of the Yolo County Republican Party Central Committee (YCRPCC) and interestingly over the last two (2) years John Munn’s involvement in local Republican Party politics has demished to the point he is no longer active in local Republican Party activities such as non-attendance at gatherings etc.

    The President of the Yolo County Taxpayers Association (YCTA) John Munn is formerly a Member of the Davis School Board and the YCTA’s decision to influence the YCTA’s endorsement of Measure W was probably widely and unfairly influenced by his previous association as a Member of the Davis School Board. Furthermore, John Munn is a lifelong bureaucrat who has held various positions in state government and could be expected to support the interests of the local school bureucracy by supporting Measure W.

    The YCTA has a stated position in that it opposes the circumvention of Proposition 13 the Property Tax Limitation Measure passed by the State’s voters on Tuesday, June 6, 1978 yet in a contradiction it has endorsed Measure W which is an example of a ballot measure that seeks to bypass the intent of Proposition 13 through a legal loophole in the measure and erode the relief from excessive property taxation seeks to provide. This position is listed on the website of this organization that can be viewed at the following website address of: http://www.yolotaxpayers.com

    Inappropriate actions undertaken by the Yes on Measure W campaign.

    Solicited Meeting by the Yes on Measure W Campaign

    After I submitted the ballot argument against Measure W on Friday, August 8th I received a phone and an e-mail message from Gina Daleiden of the Davis School Board solicited a meeting with me regarding the Measure W issue. That meeting was subsequently held at Strings Restaurant in Davis on Wednesday, August 13th.

    Gina Daleiden’s actions to arrange this meeting were apparently politically motivated as she used obnoxious “strong arm” tactics and called the Yolo County Republican Party Central Committee (YCRPCC) Chair Mark Pruner to arrange that meeting that was referred over to the YCRPCC Secretary Gleen Holderreed she is currently an assistant to Yolo County Supervisor Helen Thomson who is also a former State Assembly Member and Davis School Board Member and has a record of endorsements of being among the most pro tax raising politicians locally.

    To the contrary, Gina has a son whom is active in Republican Party politics locally by serving in a local High School club before he graduated.

    Furthermore, Gina (Surkala) Daleiden comes from a background in which both her parents were public employees working as Teachers in local school districts and joined that profession herself and is a 1985 graduate of Davis High School and therefore has an extreme bias towards the local educational bureaucracy’s interests ahead of most of the voters of the DJUSD and therefore her actions were inappropriate in seeking this meeting as opposing sides on an issue don’t usually schedule informal meetings with their opposition and the only time they meet is by chance or at public forums.

    Also, Gina and I were graduates of Davis High School the same year in 1985 and she apparently believed that she could discourage my actions because she thought that just because I was in the same years graduating class that she would likely have a greater influence over me to control my actions. Interesting Helen Thomson’s daughter Morag was a graduate of that same years class as well. I never knew Gina personally well back then although I knew she had not yet become politically active back in those High School years of 1982-85. I did serve for a year as an alternate Student Representative to the Davis School Board from 1983-84.

    The meeting was organized ny Glenn Holderreed who is currently the Secretary of the Yolo County Republican Party Central Committee (YCRPCC). Who is currently a signer of the “Yes on Measure W” ballot argument which was improper action for him to be undertaking since he served as the moderator for this meeting and had arranged it and therefore should act publicly neutral in regards to expressing his position on this ballot measure.

    I did not request or arrange this meeting. It was Davis School Board Member Gina Daleiden who did out of an apparent act of “disguised manipulative arrogance” on behalf of the Davis School Board.

    Davis High School (DHS) Hall of Fame Dinner

    Also, representatives from the Yes on Measure W campaign attended the First Annual Davis High School Hall of Fame Awards ceremony and in an act of inappropriate arrogance circulated campaign material (interestingly in Blue and White which are the official colors of Davis High School) at that event which was not intended to be conducted as a political event to solicit support from Measure W there. Furthermore, Bob Dunning the local Davis Enterprise columnist wrote his daily column in the Davis Enterprise on Sunday, October 12th about this event and why it was a reason to Support Measure W. Some events are not appropriate venues to be conducting political campaign activity and this event is one such example because it is not meant to be a political type of an event just like a class reunion, teacher retirement party etc.

  36. If you want to know the “Inside Scoop” about the impropriety going on in the “Yes on Measure W” campaign read this:

    Yolo County Taxpayers Association (YCTA) Endorsement of Measure W:

    The YCTA never contacted me: Coleman Thomas “Tom” Randall, Jr who is the Chief Spokesperson Against Measure W to make any kind of presentation against Measure W before them prior to that organization making this endorsement decision to support Measure W.

    This inaction may have influenced John Munn’s actions because we had sparred on a few occasions over local Republican Party campaign strategy and had personality as he was a one time the Chair of the Yolo County Republican Party Central Committee (YCRPCC) and interestingly over the last two (2) years John Munn’s involvement in local Republican Party politics has demished to the point he is no longer active in local Republican Party activities such as non-attendance at gatherings etc.

    The President of the Yolo County Taxpayers Association (YCTA) John Munn is formerly a Member of the Davis School Board and the YCTA’s decision to influence the YCTA’s endorsement of Measure W was probably widely and unfairly influenced by his previous association as a Member of the Davis School Board. Furthermore, John Munn is a lifelong bureaucrat who has held various positions in state government and could be expected to support the interests of the local school bureucracy by supporting Measure W.

    The YCTA has a stated position in that it opposes the circumvention of Proposition 13 the Property Tax Limitation Measure passed by the State’s voters on Tuesday, June 6, 1978 yet in a contradiction it has endorsed Measure W which is an example of a ballot measure that seeks to bypass the intent of Proposition 13 through a legal loophole in the measure and erode the relief from excessive property taxation seeks to provide. This position is listed on the website of this organization that can be viewed at the following website address of: http://www.yolotaxpayers.com

    Inappropriate actions undertaken by the Yes on Measure W campaign.

    Solicited Meeting by the Yes on Measure W Campaign

    After I submitted the ballot argument against Measure W on Friday, August 8th I received a phone and an e-mail message from Gina Daleiden of the Davis School Board solicited a meeting with me regarding the Measure W issue. That meeting was subsequently held at Strings Restaurant in Davis on Wednesday, August 13th.

    Gina Daleiden’s actions to arrange this meeting were apparently politically motivated as she used obnoxious “strong arm” tactics and called the Yolo County Republican Party Central Committee (YCRPCC) Chair Mark Pruner to arrange that meeting that was referred over to the YCRPCC Secretary Gleen Holderreed she is currently an assistant to Yolo County Supervisor Helen Thomson who is also a former State Assembly Member and Davis School Board Member and has a record of endorsements of being among the most pro tax raising politicians locally.

    To the contrary, Gina has a son whom is active in Republican Party politics locally by serving in a local High School club before he graduated.

    Furthermore, Gina (Surkala) Daleiden comes from a background in which both her parents were public employees working as Teachers in local school districts and joined that profession herself and is a 1985 graduate of Davis High School and therefore has an extreme bias towards the local educational bureaucracy’s interests ahead of most of the voters of the DJUSD and therefore her actions were inappropriate in seeking this meeting as opposing sides on an issue don’t usually schedule informal meetings with their opposition and the only time they meet is by chance or at public forums.

    Also, Gina and I were graduates of Davis High School the same year in 1985 and she apparently believed that she could discourage my actions because she thought that just because I was in the same years graduating class that she would likely have a greater influence over me to control my actions. Interesting Helen Thomson’s daughter Morag was a graduate of that same years class as well. I never knew Gina personally well back then although I knew she had not yet become politically active back in those High School years of 1982-85. I did serve for a year as an alternate Student Representative to the Davis School Board from 1983-84.

    The meeting was organized ny Glenn Holderreed who is currently the Secretary of the Yolo County Republican Party Central Committee (YCRPCC). Who is currently a signer of the “Yes on Measure W” ballot argument which was improper action for him to be undertaking since he served as the moderator for this meeting and had arranged it and therefore should act publicly neutral in regards to expressing his position on this ballot measure.

    I did not request or arrange this meeting. It was Davis School Board Member Gina Daleiden who did out of an apparent act of “disguised manipulative arrogance” on behalf of the Davis School Board.

    Davis High School (DHS) Hall of Fame Dinner

    Also, representatives from the Yes on Measure W campaign attended the First Annual Davis High School Hall of Fame Awards ceremony and in an act of inappropriate arrogance circulated campaign material (interestingly in Blue and White which are the official colors of Davis High School) at that event which was not intended to be conducted as a political event to solicit support from Measure W there. Furthermore, Bob Dunning the local Davis Enterprise columnist wrote his daily column in the Davis Enterprise on Sunday, October 12th about this event and why it was a reason to Support Measure W. Some events are not appropriate venues to be conducting political campaign activity and this event is one such example because it is not meant to be a political type of an event just like a class reunion, teacher retirement party etc.

  37. If you want to know the “Inside Scoop” about the impropriety going on in the “Yes on Measure W” campaign read this:

    Yolo County Taxpayers Association (YCTA) Endorsement of Measure W:

    The YCTA never contacted me: Coleman Thomas “Tom” Randall, Jr who is the Chief Spokesperson Against Measure W to make any kind of presentation against Measure W before them prior to that organization making this endorsement decision to support Measure W.

    This inaction may have influenced John Munn’s actions because we had sparred on a few occasions over local Republican Party campaign strategy and had personality as he was a one time the Chair of the Yolo County Republican Party Central Committee (YCRPCC) and interestingly over the last two (2) years John Munn’s involvement in local Republican Party politics has demished to the point he is no longer active in local Republican Party activities such as non-attendance at gatherings etc.

    The President of the Yolo County Taxpayers Association (YCTA) John Munn is formerly a Member of the Davis School Board and the YCTA’s decision to influence the YCTA’s endorsement of Measure W was probably widely and unfairly influenced by his previous association as a Member of the Davis School Board. Furthermore, John Munn is a lifelong bureaucrat who has held various positions in state government and could be expected to support the interests of the local school bureucracy by supporting Measure W.

    The YCTA has a stated position in that it opposes the circumvention of Proposition 13 the Property Tax Limitation Measure passed by the State’s voters on Tuesday, June 6, 1978 yet in a contradiction it has endorsed Measure W which is an example of a ballot measure that seeks to bypass the intent of Proposition 13 through a legal loophole in the measure and erode the relief from excessive property taxation seeks to provide. This position is listed on the website of this organization that can be viewed at the following website address of: http://www.yolotaxpayers.com

    Inappropriate actions undertaken by the Yes on Measure W campaign.

    Solicited Meeting by the Yes on Measure W Campaign

    After I submitted the ballot argument against Measure W on Friday, August 8th I received a phone and an e-mail message from Gina Daleiden of the Davis School Board solicited a meeting with me regarding the Measure W issue. That meeting was subsequently held at Strings Restaurant in Davis on Wednesday, August 13th.

    Gina Daleiden’s actions to arrange this meeting were apparently politically motivated as she used obnoxious “strong arm” tactics and called the Yolo County Republican Party Central Committee (YCRPCC) Chair Mark Pruner to arrange that meeting that was referred over to the YCRPCC Secretary Gleen Holderreed she is currently an assistant to Yolo County Supervisor Helen Thomson who is also a former State Assembly Member and Davis School Board Member and has a record of endorsements of being among the most pro tax raising politicians locally.

    To the contrary, Gina has a son whom is active in Republican Party politics locally by serving in a local High School club before he graduated.

    Furthermore, Gina (Surkala) Daleiden comes from a background in which both her parents were public employees working as Teachers in local school districts and joined that profession herself and is a 1985 graduate of Davis High School and therefore has an extreme bias towards the local educational bureaucracy’s interests ahead of most of the voters of the DJUSD and therefore her actions were inappropriate in seeking this meeting as opposing sides on an issue don’t usually schedule informal meetings with their opposition and the only time they meet is by chance or at public forums.

    Also, Gina and I were graduates of Davis High School the same year in 1985 and she apparently believed that she could discourage my actions because she thought that just because I was in the same years graduating class that she would likely have a greater influence over me to control my actions. Interesting Helen Thomson’s daughter Morag was a graduate of that same years class as well. I never knew Gina personally well back then although I knew she had not yet become politically active back in those High School years of 1982-85. I did serve for a year as an alternate Student Representative to the Davis School Board from 1983-84.

    The meeting was organized ny Glenn Holderreed who is currently the Secretary of the Yolo County Republican Party Central Committee (YCRPCC). Who is currently a signer of the “Yes on Measure W” ballot argument which was improper action for him to be undertaking since he served as the moderator for this meeting and had arranged it and therefore should act publicly neutral in regards to expressing his position on this ballot measure.

    I did not request or arrange this meeting. It was Davis School Board Member Gina Daleiden who did out of an apparent act of “disguised manipulative arrogance” on behalf of the Davis School Board.

    Davis High School (DHS) Hall of Fame Dinner

    Also, representatives from the Yes on Measure W campaign attended the First Annual Davis High School Hall of Fame Awards ceremony and in an act of inappropriate arrogance circulated campaign material (interestingly in Blue and White which are the official colors of Davis High School) at that event which was not intended to be conducted as a political event to solicit support from Measure W there. Furthermore, Bob Dunning the local Davis Enterprise columnist wrote his daily column in the Davis Enterprise on Sunday, October 12th about this event and why it was a reason to Support Measure W. Some events are not appropriate venues to be conducting political campaign activity and this event is one such example because it is not meant to be a political type of an event just like a class reunion, teacher retirement party etc.

  38. “Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?”

    It definintly isn’t core curricula. I say get the salad out of the school and let the kids eat the garbage they had before.

    I’m so glad I found a place where fellow thinkers hang out!

    sign me, Ebeneezer!

  39. “Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?”

    It definintly isn’t core curricula. I say get the salad out of the school and let the kids eat the garbage they had before.

    I’m so glad I found a place where fellow thinkers hang out!

    sign me, Ebeneezer!

  40. “Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?”

    It definintly isn’t core curricula. I say get the salad out of the school and let the kids eat the garbage they had before.

    I’m so glad I found a place where fellow thinkers hang out!

    sign me, Ebeneezer!

  41. “Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?”

    It definintly isn’t core curricula. I say get the salad out of the school and let the kids eat the garbage they had before.

    I’m so glad I found a place where fellow thinkers hang out!

    sign me, Ebeneezer!

  42. To All,

    Pay no more taxes. Make everyone accountable for what he/she does in government.
    After that, lock your doors and load up, because it will be anarchy in the streets.

  43. To All,

    Pay no more taxes. Make everyone accountable for what he/she does in government.
    After that, lock your doors and load up, because it will be anarchy in the streets.

  44. To All,

    Pay no more taxes. Make everyone accountable for what he/she does in government.
    After that, lock your doors and load up, because it will be anarchy in the streets.

  45. To All,

    Pay no more taxes. Make everyone accountable for what he/she does in government.
    After that, lock your doors and load up, because it will be anarchy in the streets.

  46. Sheila Allen voted against closing Valley Oak so you don’t know what you are talking about.

    Yes. But it was a safe vote. She could vote for Valley Oak, knowing she would lose and Valley Oak would close anyway. Meanwhile she can stay on the side of those who are against its closure knowing they have lost.

    She thinks we are that stupid?!!

  47. Sheila Allen voted against closing Valley Oak so you don’t know what you are talking about.

    Yes. But it was a safe vote. She could vote for Valley Oak, knowing she would lose and Valley Oak would close anyway. Meanwhile she can stay on the side of those who are against its closure knowing they have lost.

    She thinks we are that stupid?!!

  48. Sheila Allen voted against closing Valley Oak so you don’t know what you are talking about.

    Yes. But it was a safe vote. She could vote for Valley Oak, knowing she would lose and Valley Oak would close anyway. Meanwhile she can stay on the side of those who are against its closure knowing they have lost.

    She thinks we are that stupid?!!

  49. Sheila Allen voted against closing Valley Oak so you don’t know what you are talking about.

    Yes. But it was a safe vote. She could vote for Valley Oak, knowing she would lose and Valley Oak would close anyway. Meanwhile she can stay on the side of those who are against its closure knowing they have lost.

    She thinks we are that stupid?!!

  50. “Was part of the $70,000 from Measure Q used to pay a Davis author to teach cooking lessons to cafeteria staff?

    Is extra staff needed to man the salad bar, as the Davis Enterprise said?”

    If this matters to you so much, why don’t you check into it yourself. You can visit any elementary site the day they’re serving crunch lunch (try calling the district office to find out which campus), try it out yourself, and get back to us about the experience. It is $4 for adults; probably not a bad deal in Davis.

    “What systems are in place that signify true accountability of our tax dollars, other than an oversight committee hand picked by the School Board/District?”

    Did you let anyone know that you were available to serve on the oversight committee so that you can really show them how it’s done?

    If you want to get anything done right, you really have to do it yourself, because I doubt that you’ll really trust anyone else.

    “How much is it actually costing to keep VO open?”

    A few hundred thousand fewer than last year.

    “Where is the def’n of core curricula? Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?”

    It looks like scrooge already beat me to the answer on this one.

    I guess you oppose the schools having anything to do with serving lunches?

    And I trust that you’re hard at work to advocate abolishing federal requirements that public schools serve lunch? so that districts like Davis don’t have to deal with another unfunded (or underfunded) federal mandate?

    “I’m so glad Sheila Allen is happy with her children’s new school Karamatsu – built at the expense of VO and its closure. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside…”

    We all appreciate your sincerity.

  51. “Was part of the $70,000 from Measure Q used to pay a Davis author to teach cooking lessons to cafeteria staff?

    Is extra staff needed to man the salad bar, as the Davis Enterprise said?”

    If this matters to you so much, why don’t you check into it yourself. You can visit any elementary site the day they’re serving crunch lunch (try calling the district office to find out which campus), try it out yourself, and get back to us about the experience. It is $4 for adults; probably not a bad deal in Davis.

    “What systems are in place that signify true accountability of our tax dollars, other than an oversight committee hand picked by the School Board/District?”

    Did you let anyone know that you were available to serve on the oversight committee so that you can really show them how it’s done?

    If you want to get anything done right, you really have to do it yourself, because I doubt that you’ll really trust anyone else.

    “How much is it actually costing to keep VO open?”

    A few hundred thousand fewer than last year.

    “Where is the def’n of core curricula? Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?”

    It looks like scrooge already beat me to the answer on this one.

    I guess you oppose the schools having anything to do with serving lunches?

    And I trust that you’re hard at work to advocate abolishing federal requirements that public schools serve lunch? so that districts like Davis don’t have to deal with another unfunded (or underfunded) federal mandate?

    “I’m so glad Sheila Allen is happy with her children’s new school Karamatsu – built at the expense of VO and its closure. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside…”

    We all appreciate your sincerity.

  52. “Was part of the $70,000 from Measure Q used to pay a Davis author to teach cooking lessons to cafeteria staff?

    Is extra staff needed to man the salad bar, as the Davis Enterprise said?”

    If this matters to you so much, why don’t you check into it yourself. You can visit any elementary site the day they’re serving crunch lunch (try calling the district office to find out which campus), try it out yourself, and get back to us about the experience. It is $4 for adults; probably not a bad deal in Davis.

    “What systems are in place that signify true accountability of our tax dollars, other than an oversight committee hand picked by the School Board/District?”

    Did you let anyone know that you were available to serve on the oversight committee so that you can really show them how it’s done?

    If you want to get anything done right, you really have to do it yourself, because I doubt that you’ll really trust anyone else.

    “How much is it actually costing to keep VO open?”

    A few hundred thousand fewer than last year.

    “Where is the def’n of core curricula? Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?”

    It looks like scrooge already beat me to the answer on this one.

    I guess you oppose the schools having anything to do with serving lunches?

    And I trust that you’re hard at work to advocate abolishing federal requirements that public schools serve lunch? so that districts like Davis don’t have to deal with another unfunded (or underfunded) federal mandate?

    “I’m so glad Sheila Allen is happy with her children’s new school Karamatsu – built at the expense of VO and its closure. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside…”

    We all appreciate your sincerity.

  53. “Was part of the $70,000 from Measure Q used to pay a Davis author to teach cooking lessons to cafeteria staff?

    Is extra staff needed to man the salad bar, as the Davis Enterprise said?”

    If this matters to you so much, why don’t you check into it yourself. You can visit any elementary site the day they’re serving crunch lunch (try calling the district office to find out which campus), try it out yourself, and get back to us about the experience. It is $4 for adults; probably not a bad deal in Davis.

    “What systems are in place that signify true accountability of our tax dollars, other than an oversight committee hand picked by the School Board/District?”

    Did you let anyone know that you were available to serve on the oversight committee so that you can really show them how it’s done?

    If you want to get anything done right, you really have to do it yourself, because I doubt that you’ll really trust anyone else.

    “How much is it actually costing to keep VO open?”

    A few hundred thousand fewer than last year.

    “Where is the def’n of core curricula? Is the Crunch Lunch program considered “core curricula” now?”

    It looks like scrooge already beat me to the answer on this one.

    I guess you oppose the schools having anything to do with serving lunches?

    And I trust that you’re hard at work to advocate abolishing federal requirements that public schools serve lunch? so that districts like Davis don’t have to deal with another unfunded (or underfunded) federal mandate?

    “I’m so glad Sheila Allen is happy with her children’s new school Karamatsu – built at the expense of VO and its closure. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside…”

    We all appreciate your sincerity.

  54. “Pay no more taxes. Make everyone accountable for what he/she does in government.
    After that, lock your doors and load up, because it will be anarchy in the streets.”

    Kind of like a modern day Madame Pompadour (“after me, the flood”), here.

  55. “Pay no more taxes. Make everyone accountable for what he/she does in government.
    After that, lock your doors and load up, because it will be anarchy in the streets.”

    Kind of like a modern day Madame Pompadour (“after me, the flood”), here.

  56. “Pay no more taxes. Make everyone accountable for what he/she does in government.
    After that, lock your doors and load up, because it will be anarchy in the streets.”

    Kind of like a modern day Madame Pompadour (“after me, the flood”), here.

  57. “Pay no more taxes. Make everyone accountable for what he/she does in government.
    After that, lock your doors and load up, because it will be anarchy in the streets.”

    Kind of like a modern day Madame Pompadour (“after me, the flood”), here.

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