Elect A Different Candidate
(From Jose Granda Press Release) With the theme “Elect a Different Candidate” Jose J, Granda, PhD, an engineering professor at California State University, Sacramento, started his campaign for a position on the Davis School Board.
Jose states the reasons for running for a position on the Davis School Board. “I have been an engineering professor for 34 years and I know education from elementary to the university levels. My qualifications in education allow me to provide leadership in education and if the voters allow me, I can make a major contribution to education in Davis. I understand curriculum, teachers and students. I have guided students from high school to their PhD’s. My three T’s of my campaign are my priorities. Technology, Teachers, and Taxpayers. Most certainly this election will offer an opportunity to elect at least one representative of these three priorities on the board. All other candidates are the same, think alike and act alike and offer more of the same.”
Currently, the taxpayers’ interests are not represented on the School Board. We have five people who think and act alike and are insensitive to the taxpayers. The last election in 2014 shows that, the three members elected were exactly alike the siting members and we have seen more of the same tax and spend operation. Since 1984 the School Board has hit the taxpayers with 11 parcel tax measures. Starting at $45 and lasting two to four years to now that they want Measure H, a new expensive $620 parcel tax for eight years. The bill to the taxpayers for Measure H, $76 million dollars to be paid in eight years only by those who live in homes in Davis. Measure H doubles the taxpayers’ bill from the current parcel taxes of $38 million in four years.
“I am not against taxes for education, in fact I voted for Proposition 30 to fund schools. I am against waste and disregard for the taxpayers. I want to be the voice of efficiency in education and of the 9,253 Davis residents who voted with me against the last parcel tax measure and those that will vote NO on Measure H in November. It is unnecessary, too much for too long. We need to have a constructive, thoughtful and realistic debate about this measure” said Jose Granda.
“If you want a different candidate, qualified, with 34 years as a teacher, well experienced in education and that cares about students’ success and taxpayer’s interests, please consider voting for me” concluded Granda asking Davis voters that agree with him to turn out and vote for him on November 8, 2016.
People wishing to support his campaign can contact Jose at: grandajj@earthlink.net
“ It is unnecessary, too much for too long. We need to have a constructive, thoughtful and realistic debate about this measure” said Jose Granda.”
I agree with Mr. Granda that a conversation about Measure H is needed. What I would like to see are specifics of how much money he believes is necessary and for how long as needed to achieve which specific goals for our district ? Hopefully he will be forthcoming with the specifics of his counter proposal since he is billing himself as a distinct alternative.
It’s time to give Jose a chance. What do we have to lose, we’ve already seen the fiascos the last two Boards have created. At least we’ll know Jose will be more responsible with school funds.
I don’t feel like Jose has done his homework on this and actually understands finances.
Of course you wouldn’t because you’ve never seen a parcel tax you didn’t like. The bigger the better is your motto.
But I can appreciate a reasoned approach on the issue. The problem the district faces is that with the parcel tax it is an average funded district. So how do you compensate for the loss of the parcel tax and still do everything else Jose wants to do? In the past, he has either avoided that question or proposed funding mechanisms that aren’t allowed by law. That’s a problem.
this is just kinda sad, actually.
We have two very good candidates running…and just need to get rid of the one ….with Jose throwing his hat in again, that may split the difference….and the one who truly needs to be gone may hold on as a result.
I have on occasion voted for Jose as the other choices were so pitiful…but I don’t know if he has enough of the silent majority support to do much other than cause less votes for those who otherwise could oust the main problem…
also, regardless of the poor decisions of the majority, I don’t expect the many parents and others who truly care about the education in this town to throw the district in the level of jeapordy without the monies of the parcel tax…for that alone, I don’t believe he will get the support needed, but will detract from others who could win…
Granda got 9% in 2014.
“What do we have to lose ?”
1. Any ability to work together since he has already labelled all of the members of the current board as “just the same”. This kind of inability to see nuances of position or respect the opinions of others is likely to render him ineffective before he even starts.
2. Funding for educational purposes. Saying “no” to the current proposal is only evidence of being “more responsible with school funds” if he has a better proposal.
I like Granda’s approach of fiscal responsibility better than the current board who when they were trying to decide the amount of the parcel tax it was a matter of the maximum they felt they could extract from homeowners and get it passed.
BP
I actually agree with your post of 6:27 as written. However there is a difference between “fiscal responsibility” and just spending less money. To me “fiscal responsibility” means means achieving defined goals as economically as possible. It does not mean just spending less without regard to the potential harms to current educational programs. It would be great to hear his specific plans.
Mr. Granda has also talked about creative funding strategies. In his past campaign, I felt that his suggestions were quite weak given that most of them were already being utilized and I did not see any actionable plans for how they might be expanded since they largely amounted to donations. Hopefully his website and/or presentations at forums will expand upon these ideas.
bp- you like his approach of blindly making cuts?
just because he is an engineer, and you all know how I feel about engineers, and because he is capable of delving into the numbers in great depth, his basic premise may turn others off…and has over the years….do you really think the DTA, the teachers and parents want to even hear about these things……not likely…but with support from folks on the DV, some may hear more than they ever heard before…the story is not different since prior times… it is just whether people may be interested in another side of the matter….typically most want to espouse what they already know to be true…and often what they know to be true may be faulty and full of holes, but since they know it to be true that is all they care about ….
except that he doesn’t delve into numbers in great depth. have you ever heard him speak? he’s very superficial and doesn’t understand how schools are funded and therefore makes impractical and unlawful suggestions.
It would be interesting to have someone on the board who would would continually ask the current members to justify the money they spend. I am in favor of spending more money on education in general and K-12 in particular. I am just starting to understand the DJUSD however I have seen a lot of money spent in other places on programs with no cost justification at all.
you need someone who does their homework. jose’s been doing this stuff for six years and doesn’t understand it any better than he did six years ago. that’s not who you want up there. besides, the district is underfunded.
It’s time for a change, we’ve seen the act of the last two boards and people are fed up.
Unless he shows some more recently improved education policy understanding and voter connection, which he hasn’t shown before, I don’t see Granda pulling it off.
BP
“It’s time for a change, we’ve seen the act of the last two boards and people are fed up”
While it may well be time for a change, a change for the better is what is needed, not just change for the sake of change. I am skeptical given Mr. Granda’s degree of knowledge and simplistic approach last time, but I am willing to listen again to see if he has become more realistic with his approach and suggestions in the interim.
“a change for the better is what is needed,” What would that be? I came into town for the last act of the AIM issue and have been on a lot of lists as I have a child in AIM. My previous district was wonderful and they did not have self contained GATE classes so I am not insistent on defined AIM strands yet the communication for the board seemed quite hostile to what parents wanted and gifted students so I am not supportive of the current alignment.
I have met Bob P and will support his candidacy.
I don’t often make predictions, but I predict that Granda and Trump both get some votes in Davis (but not many of them)…
It appears Poppenga and Granda actually want the job. Fernandes does not appear to want the job very badly, and Lovenburg has disqualified herself. I’m leaning to Granda for a 2nd vote. The board, the district, and the students will benefit from a differing perspective.
skeptical: It appears Poppenga and Granda actually want the job.
Okay. I can see ways in which Poppenga is serious about wanting the job. I don’t see it at all for Granda. What do you see in Granda that tells you he is serious about wanting the job?
What “job”? Pays nada… It is a service… a ‘calling’ if you will… anyone who is motivated to run and serve, might have an ‘agenda’, might have ‘ego’, might have other political aspirations… or, just may want to serve the DJUSD and Davis community.
I commend anyone who is willing to commit to the electioneering, public scrutiny BS [think ‘slings and arrows’], and who actually is committed to do their best to serve.
I am nowhere close to deciding who to vote for, but I (stupidly?) hope that we respect what the candidates are offering (their service), then decide whether they are “in line” with what we want to see…
There was a CC member, who was often a sole vote, yet had it not been for their acrimonious, belligerent expression of their views, their proclivity for long winded diatribes, brought an important view to the CC… in the UK, think they call it the loyal minority… if Granda is elected, he just might be that voice that keeps the other trustees ‘honest’. But I need to know more, as others have opined, as to who I’d vote for.
I just think it’s a shame that so few people are willing to run for school board or council now. But it isn’t surprising.
Don wrote:
> I just think it’s a shame that so few people
> are willing to run for school board
I’m surprised we have so many people running since I don’t know many people who want bloggers and the media talking about your late property tax payments, unpaid parking tickets and history of having overdue library books…
Four candidates for two seats has been typical kind of participation for Davis for decades, at least for school board. If there weren’t two incumbents running, it could be more.
Granda is not a serious candidate. He is an anti-tax ideologue. His participation is nothing but a distraction from the issues regarding governance of the district.
“Granda is not a serious candidate. He is an anti-tax ideologue. His participation is nothing but a distraction from the issues regarding governance of the district.”
While I agree that Mr. Granda is an anti-tax ideologue, I disagree that he is not a serious candidate. I believe that he wants to win and would serve if he were to win. I doubt his ability to serve effectively given what seems to me to be a superficial grasp of the issues, an unrealistic views of the expense of a quality education, and a disdain for those with whom he would be serving, however, I do not doubt his sincerity.