Elections

VANGUARD ANALYSIS – For those who knew little about Jose Granda beyond his advocacy against the district’s parcel tax, he shows himself to be an interesting and compelling figure.

But reaction to his piece this Saturday in the Vanguard, Jose Granda Beyond Measure E, was mixed.

By Jose Granda, PhD 

GUEST COMMENTARY – I want to have an open line of communication with Davis voters so that they get to know me beyond the issue of Measure E.  Position on a measure is a miniscule part of being qualified to lead the schools and impact the lives of students making a difference from the status quo.  For this reason I also think Claire Sherman has the right qualifications to be a School Board member even if we are on separate sides of Measure E.

I am a product of the American Dream.  I immigrated to the United States invited as a Foreign Exchange Student at the age of 16.  I did not know English at the beginning of the school year but in three months of immersion and not finding anyone to speak my native Spanish language I learned English quickly.  I graduated from high school in Dayton, Ohio.  I attended engineering school at UC Berkeley where I obtained my Master in Mechanical Engineering and the PhD degree also in Mechanical Engineering at UC Davis.  I became a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at California State University, Sacramento since 1982.

VANGUARD ANALYSIS: Mr. Randall’s Complaint Represents His Own Abuse of Process – Thomas Randall has filed yet another complaint against the Davis Joint Unified School District over what he is calling their campaign on Measure E.

In a press release actually sent out on Friday, October 19, he writes: “Thomas Randall, Jr. coordinator of the NO School Board Taxes Political Action Committee,  a PAC that is campaigning against Measure E, has filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission Against the Davis School Board of Education and specifically against its President Ms. Susan Lovenburg. for their role in using taxpayer’s money for campaign materials  produced at taxpayers’ expense and disseminated in print and on the internet with the purpose to pass Measure E.”

COMMENTARY – It seems like every election we get the invariable argument over who is entitled to vote on matters of taxation.

So here is the argument, as a letter writer lays it out in the local newspaper: “Oh, did I mention? This November also brings another school tax; Measure E. As a homeowner in Davis, this measure concerns only those who own property, for it is us who will have to ‘foot the bill!’ “

ChamberPAC Appears to Oppose Furloughs without an Alternative if Prop 30 Fails – The Davis Business community has been very strongly supportive of the Davis Public School System and once again have come out in favor of the parcel tax.

In a press release this week, they write: “Since 1992, when the State of California began taking additional local property taxes from cities to help fund state programs, the voters of Davis have taxed themselves to pay for amenities like high-quality parks, schools and libraries. The Davis Chamber of Commerce has been proud to support these efforts since 1997.”

Analysis – When the district put Measure A on the ballot in early 2011, they thought this was going to be a short-term, one-time emergency fix.  And while there were clearly differences of opinion as to the size and the length of Measure A, there was a general belief that within two years the economy would be growing and the need for local revenue to bridge the loss of state funding would be abated.

Instead, in May of this year, after the district had already passed Measure C to fund $6.5 million of a $10 million gap, after the district had already laid off 50 positions to remove the rest of the $3.5 million deficit, the governor on May 12 announced that revenues had fallen well short of their projections.

by Barbara Archer, et al –

GUEST COMMENTARY – We are at a crossroads for education in California. Unfortunately, we live in a state that does not fund education well and has been deeply affected by the economic crisis.

But we in Davis have always been a solution-oriented band of folks. We have supplemented our public education system going back to 1984 with school parcel taxes.

by Jose J. Granda, PhD

GUEST COMMENTARY – It is important to put into perspective my opposition to Measure E because I sincerely believe it is an unfair new tax that allows several groups of people not to pay the taxes while receiving the same educational services.  This is not the American way where the equal protection clause considers all of us equal in all aspects of our lives. For that reason, the theme of my campaign “Excellence in Education with Sound Financial Responsibility”.

First a summary of my opposition and then what I see as the solution:

We can debate how much endorsements matter, particularly newspaper endorsements, but there is little doubt that they can give a campaign a shot of energy.  And so Susan Lovenburg and Nancy Peterson get big endorsements from the local newspaper this week.

“Who in their right mind would want to be a school board member in California during these challenging times?” the Enterprise asks.  “For the past five years, trustees across the state have been forced to slash programs, jobs and facilities in their school districts due to precipitously declining revenue from state government.”

Part 2: Davis Vanguard – DMA School Board Candidates Forum – On Monday night the five candidates for the Davis School Board met and discussed critical issues facing the district and our community at a candidates forum sponsored by the Davis Vanguard and Davis Media Access.

Yesterday, we covered the candidates questions to each other, and we have also posted video of the event filmed by Davis Media Access.

Part One – Candidates Questions – We are just five weeks out from the November Election date.  And while all eyes are focused on the Presidential Debate scheduled for Wednesday, locally voters have critical choices and nowhere more than on schools where the public will be asked to decide between five very different candidates for school board and whether to fund another parcel tax, Measure E.

This summer, the Vanguard launched an editorial board.  There will be a number of functions for that board, including helping to direct and advise the direction of the Vanguard.  The first public event was last night’s candidates forum for the school board candidates, held at at Harper Junior High.