As we head into tonight’s Davis Vanguard-DMA school board candidates forum at Harper Junior High (doors open at 6:30), we are reminded that the beauty of an open and democratic society is the free and open exchange of ideas, the absolute sanctity of freedom of speech.
Meanwhile, the Vanguard is still working to get the full account of what happened on Friday night, at the candidates forum sponsored by NewStar Chinese School and the Davis High School PTA, at the Davis High School Library.
Imelda Granda, the wife of candidate Jose Granda, told the Vanguard that they had placed campaign materials for Mr. Granda’s candidacy, along with No on Measure E flyers, upon the table that event organizers had set up for the candidates to place their materials.
The event was moderated by Assemblymember Mariko Yamada and, as the candidates were selecting their order, Ms. Granda says she saw a woman come up and remove the materials.
Ms. Granda told the Vanguard, “Jose was already at the podium, there was no way for me to get him to provide me some other copies he had with him of those materials to put them back on the table.”
So she said she asked the woman, “What is happening here? Someone removed all the materials from Jose’s campaign from that table.”
Ms. Granda said that she had sat back down and she said that the same woman went back behind the counter and got the materials that were ready to be discarded, from under some decoration that looked like a flower pot in the back behind the desk of the library counter, and put them back.
Ms. Granda told the Vanguard, “She then came back and told me: ‘They were removed because here we are the Yes on E and he is the No on E.’ ” Ms. Granda said, “I told her: ‘How come, we were invited to present our views?’ Soon after realizing what she had done she left.”
Ms. Granda said to the Vanguard, “I cannot conceive this happening in a ‘library’ in Davis, where we have a great variety of books that instill in us the respect for democracy and the freedom of expression of all views.”
Apparently, not many people were aware that something had occurred with Mr. Granda’s materials, as the Vanguard spoke with several of the candidates who had no idea.
Davis High PTA President Cathy Farman disputed this account, however.
She said that “Mr. Granda placed Measure E materials on the candidates table upon his arrival.”
“Someone not affiliated with the organization of the forum saw his Measure E materials and took it upon themselves to remove the materials from the table, feeling that Measure E materials did not belong on the table,” she told the Vanguard. “When it was brought to my attention I checked with the co-host and determined that Measure E materials could be on the table, located Mr Grands’s materials and returned them to the table.”
Ms. Farman had to leave the forum early, as she had a prior engagement that had been disclosed at the start of the forum. To the best of her knowledge, Mr. Granda’s materials remained safely on the table for the rest of the evening, and they had not been discarded but were easily located on the counter above the table. She stated definitely that she was not the woman who removed the materials, but the one who returned them, and that Ms. Granda has mixed up the two women.
A witness who chose not to be identified, but was not a supporter of Mr. Granda, corroborated a portion of the Grandas’ story. The witness noticed that, while all the candidates were away from their tables meeting with Mariko Yamada, a woman took an armful of Mr. Granda’s campaign materials.
The witness did not understand why the woman had taken so much of Granda’s campaign materials.
The witness did not see what the woman did with the materials.
The Vanguard has a very strong disapproval of these sorts of tactics, if indeed there were any tactics, and hopes that this was simply a mistake made by a single individual who quickly recognized that it was the wrong thing to do.
Most appalling, of course, would be that fact that this occurred in a library – a place that is supposed to embody the very value of marketplace of ideas.
This sort of thing will not happen at tonight’s candidates forum. The Vanguard strongly encourages all viewpoints to be aired in a public forum, whether we agree or disagree with the candidates.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
No surprise, there were people stealing his signs in the last school tax election.
Once you do know the facts, it would be, in my mind appropriate for the individual to publicly apologize (I’d accept it, even under a pseudonym) as she eventually did the right thing — returning the material, and leaving. If she is not forthcoming, and can be positively identified, I believe her name should be disclosed to at least your readership.
You are correct that the first action (confiscation) was reprehensible.
David posted:
> So she asked the women, “What is happening here?
> Someone removed all the materials from Jose’s campaign
> from that table.”
I commend David for posting this and I hope we get more people working to make elections fair and give people who they may not agree with the opportunity to share their ideas.
Things are so bad today that Fox News might not even cover a story about Republicans scaring poor Democrats trying to vote by shooting at them with hunting rifles and MSNBC would probably not cover a story about Democrats locking old Republicans in a rest home closet so they could not vote.
[i]Things are so bad today that Fox News might not even cover a story about Republicans scaring poor Democrats trying to vote by shooting at them with hunting rifles and MSNBC would probably not cover a story about Democrats locking old Republicans in a rest home closet so they could not vote.[/i]
Wait until after the election. It will get worse no matter who wins.
Thank our divide and conquer political leadership and media that tend to enflame conflict between groups to fill their entertainment quota.
Also thank a mindset the lauds civil disobedience as a respected form of communication even when and where civilized behavior and normal communication would more than suffice.
Hate to learn this happened.
JB: [i]Also thank a mindset the lauds civil disobedience as a respected form of communication even when and where civilized behavior and normal communication would more than suffice.[/i]
Acceptable civil disobedience doesn’t destroy property. This instance is about somebody being a jerk. Condemn it and move on to the discussion of the debate.
This is just silly. It is right up there with Signgate from the last City Council election.
Parents with children enrolled in Davis schools are expected to support any and all school bonds and taxes and I suspect that No on E opinions are met with scorn, intimidation and, if this doesn’t work, exclusion (aka bullying). Stealing and hiding the campaign materials is just more of the same.
I’d like to know who this person is. If she can walk up to a table in a busy room and confiscate the campaign materials for issues she opposes, then she can have her name published. There is no expectation of privacy on her part.
I guess I’d rather give the benefit of the doubt and think she removed the No on E bc she thought either No or Yes literature was not appropriate, as was alluded to
Any chance for that? In other words WAS there Yes on E material there?
Fight the “Heavy Hand” of Censorship
Wake up folks: the heavy hand of censorship is upon us all! Earlier this year, I testified in front of the Davis City Council concerning my opposition to the “backing in” of 29 cell phone antennas within City limits due to: (1) violation of the Principles of Community (pitting neighbor against neighbor concerning antenna siting locations); (2) violating the Cities 500′ setback Ordinance; and, (3) the potential negative health aspects of the electromagnetic fields (EMFs)generated by this antenna network*. I was “told” that FCC Regulations forbade me and all other “No on DAS” supporters to comment on the health effects issue (Item 3).
No matter how you may feel on the EMF issue, it is outrageous that our free speech was forbidden by a the dictate of this distant, heavy handed federal agency. Frankly, the City Council failed to protect the right of free speech of every citizen within the City when it “rolled over” on this issue. Is this how things are going to be decided in the future?
As a veteran (1964-71), I strongly reject the censorship (denial of free speech) just described. When I was commissioned as an Navy Ensign in 1965, I swore to uphold the United States Constitution, and proudly continue to do so today. Don’t let the censors ruin our lives!
___________
*For more information, please see “Crown Castle” Distributed Antenna System
Ryan Kelly:
“Parents with children enrolled in Davis schools are expected to support any and all school bonds and taxes and I suspect that No on E opinions are met with scorn, intimidation and, if this doesn’t work, exclusion (aka bullying). Stealing and hiding the campaign materials is just more of the same.”
Davis is such an open minded community, as long as you toe the company line and say and believe the same things as the liberal majority.
“
Davis is such an open minded community, as long as you toe the company line and say and believe the same things as the liberal majority.”
I really don’t think that’s fair. I think the majority of people in this community are fair minded – a few are not.
rusty49 wrote:
> Davis is such an open minded community,
> as long as you toe the company line and
> say and believe the same things as the
> liberal majority.
Then David wrote:
> I really don’t think that’s fair. I think
> the majority of people in this community
> are fair minded – a few are not.
After living in the Davis area for quite a while I agree with David that “the majority” of people in the community are fair minded, but you are many many more times to have members of the (so called “open minded”) liberal minority get in your face (or steal your sign or key your car) if they hear (or see a sign or sticker) that you believe something that the “liberal majority” finds unacceptable (say you agree with the majority of the people in California about Prop 8)…
Expressing a personal opinion or showing support for an issue or opposing an issue is OK. Preventing someone else from doing the same is NOT OK. I don’t have to be “open minded” about things I am asked to vote yes or no on, even if I’m in the minority.
This is the Davis version of dumb and dumber.
Running for school board in Davis on a defund the schools platform is dumb. Interfering with Granda’s right to make a fool of himself is dumber.
Publish her name
Mr. Toad: [i]Running for school board in Davis on a defund the schools platform is dumb. Interfering with Granda’s right to make a fool of himself is dumber.[/i]
I watched the forum tonight, and Granda said that his solution is that the district take 10-15% salary cuts across the board, after earlier saying that teachers shouldn’t have their salaries cut. He said that because at Sac State he said that he had to do that. That’s an easier thing to do when your salary is in excess of $100K ([url]http://www.sacbee.com/statepay/[/url]).
More incredulously, he said that the solution to the funding problems was to set up a 501c3 foundation to raise money. Isn’t that what DSF, Blue & White, Farm 2 School, and Davis Bridge are all doing? I don’t understand what’s different about his idea.
Per the Sac Bee database, Jose Granda made $96,961.56 in 2010 and $106,833 in 2011. Where was his stated salary cut?
I don’t think people are going to vote for him. He doesn’t have a workable plan.
It would be interesting to find out who initially removed the literature. I don’t think that would be too hard to find out. Is this person affiliated with the Yes on E campaign or one of the other candidates? Possibly a teacher, administator or a member of some other organization that wants E to pass?
David, publish her name.
Unfortunately, this type of behavior is common. Publish her name.
What makes you think I have it?