Last night I was one of perhaps two Republicans to show up at the launch of “Drinking Liberally,” over at the Memphis Restaurant in downtown Santa Ana. What a night! I had lengthy conversations with Santa Ana School Board Member John Palacio and Santa Ana Planning Commissioner Harvey De La Torre and Paul Lucas (pictured), the Democratic candidate for the 68th Assembly District, amongst others.
Palacio beat me for the Santa Ana School Board back in 1998, but we are both older and presumably wiser now, and he had a lot of interesting things to say about the state of education in Santa Ana. One thing for sure – former Santa Ana Unified School District Superintendent Al Mijares was a disaster for the district, and we really need to clear out Palacio’s fellow incumbent, Audrey Noji, in order to truly clean house and rid the district of Mijares’ remaining taint.
I also spoke at length with De La Torre – and like most planners he appeared to be quite intelligent, but also was way too serious and somewhat egotistical. I don’t think he meant to talk down to me, but he did. We were discussing the One Broadway Plaza project, and I noted that the tower is bound to make downtown traffic in Santa Ana even worse. Not so, said De La Torre, didn’t I know that the city was going to make some of the streets one-way? Well no, I didn’t. Who would know such a thing? I don’t think it is widely held public knowledge.
I also took issue with De La Torre regarding traffic on Main St., up near the MainPlace Mall. The city approved a huge new development with condos, lofts and apartments, for a parcel on the east side of Main St., just north of the 5 Freeway. That area is always congested during rush hour, in the morning and evening, but according to De La Torre, that is no problem. That means that the city is going to try to alleviate traffic by synchronizing the lights, etc. Oh that should just solve everything! Not. Here’s my problem with planners – they plan everything, save for the fallacies that are inherent to human reasoning. Mark my words – these projects are going to make commuting on Main St. a nightmare, from the north to the south. Maybe that is a good thing – if folks in the northern part of the city get mad enough perhaps they will try to take out De La Torre’s amigo, Carlos Bustamante, when he comes up for reelection.
Talking to Lucas after De La Torre left was a relief. He is a very funny guy, whereas De La Torre was stiff as a board, unlike his charming wife Ana, who was also there. Ana, by the way, was the top vote-getter in the Democratic Central Committee elections this year, in the 69th Assembly District. Lucas is running against Van Tran, and his odds are not good. But he is having a great time running, and he has some interesting stories to tell about Tran and his cronies. If half of what he has to say is true, it does not bode well for Tran. I hope for Tran’s sake that Lucas is off-base. Given what developed with Tran’s wife this year, you have to wonder. As for Lucas, you simply have to read Commie Girl’s latest column, as she revels in pointing out the fact that he is not a criminal.
Lastly, I met the campaign manager for Jim Brandt, the Democrat who is opposing U.S. Representative Dana Rohrabacher this year. She and a staffer were very passionate about their candidate, who they say was a Marine and whose campaign message is “America first. Politics last.” His odds of victory are on a par with Lucas’, but you can’t tell by talking to his energetic campaign staff.
If you want to participate in future “Drinking Liberally” meetings, go to the Memphis Restaurant every Thursday, at 8:30 p.m. The meetings are coordinated by our friend Mike Lawson, of the Liberal OC Blog. You can sign up for his email list at this link.
Too bad Planning Commissioner de la Torre did not read the Environmental Impact Report for OBP. It’s also regrettable he failed to attend the Renaissance Charrette meetings. If he had, Harvey would have learned, from the M & P traffic consultant that OPB, in urban planning terms, is an utter disaster. In fact, the entire team deemed it the worst development plan, ever.
Do tell, is de la Torre in favor of Harrah’s disposal of hazardous waste? Is de la Torre familar with AQMD and the state laws governing disposal of hazardous waste?
So much for qualified planning commissioners. And people carp about shopping baskets that litter the city. Bad planning is far more offensive and has far reaching ramifications to our quality of life.
Art, I have read and read your highly volatile and critical comments regarding Dr. Mijares as well as other members of the Board of Education of the SAUSD. I firmly believe in the right to free speech, but I do cringe at your broad generic condemnations of people I know to be honest, dedicated and hard working. Let’s just say, for a moment, that the Board and District need to take a different tack in order to improve education. What ARE your issues? What DO YOU WANT done differently? Please don’t repeat your personal attacks on individuals — just outline briefly what you feel needs to be changed, and how you feel it should be changed. Is it the curriculum? Is it the teacher’s union? Is it the process to evaluate administrators? What do you have in your mind?
8:12,
More than anything I have been disgusted by the lethargy of the Mijares administration, and the board. Folks this district has been in crisis for years, but you wouldn’t know it by the actions of Mijares and company. They also managed to mis-manage the bond proceeds.
I have been saying for a long time that we need a Superintendent with turnaround experience. There is no reason for our schools to continue to wallow in bad results. We need a leader who will believe in our children and in their ability to learn. Looking back now, wouldn’t you all agree that was not Mijares?
Take a look at how many of our schools are on the verge of being taken over by the state – if we are not in a crisis, then we are pretty darn close to it…
anon,
I will answer the question you pose a little more in detail. During the Mijares regime, we experienced many problems.
1) Teachers did not have the ability to file grievances, and if they did they were resolved with little or no solution.
2) Principals were hired based on their loyalty to the administration rather than by their competency, as a result many unprofessional tactics were taken against teachers and students.
3) With the current administration we struggled to have curriculum in regards to sex education which was modern and could prevent the already high teen pregnancy rate from continuing to rise.
4)Instilling Mathematical concepts which were not effective in teaching such as the infamouse CPM math book. These types of programs took out the ability to have the teacher teach the lesson.
5) SAUSD, due to NCLB, were required to hire only credentialed teachers, however, SAUSD cut the timeline, and got rid of qualified teachers in the process of gettign their credential. This resulted in having long term subs and short term subs be in the classroom for entire school terms.
6)Because of mismanagement, funds for programs who were already cut back previously continued to suffer. Facilities began to suffer because of it.
I have more to go, but I will leave it at that for now.
Luis,
Well crafted answer my friend.
Anon – You see why I recruited a team of bloggers to help me out here at the Orange Juice? This is no one-man crusade…
Art & Luis,
You bot fail to address that main problem with the Santa Ana education is simply cultural in addition to be national. The American schools in general suck.
If there would be a schooling system in USA modeled afters successful schools around the world it would be declared by the Socialists as child abuse and cruel and unusual punishment.
I recall Art, that you have told me, in one of your emails, that it was you mother who made sure that you learn your English. So regardless of how bad the school was in your neighborhood you did just fine. I bet that others were not so lucky to have a parent who valued the education.
I had my problems with my daughter and had to move her education out of Santa Ana which helped only partially. Only thing which works is to sit with here and make sure that she would actually study.
I would like to add a few more points.
Under Mijares the hiring of new teachers was always left until late in the summer when the pickings were very slim. Most districts begin hiring and putting teachers under contract in the late spring. SAUSD waits until August, September, and often October. This accounts for the massive overcrowding in September and this also accounts for the staffing of classrooms with subs instead of credentialed teachers.
Another example is presently ongoing. The state has offered school districts seed money to begin hiring counselors so that the ratio of students to counselors will become 300:1 (SAUSD in the high schools is at 750:1). Irvine District, for example, has been interviewing and hiring counselors all summer long. SAUSD is only now getting started.
In terms of hiring principals, Antonio “Tony” Espinosa, the principal of Valley (Godinez) high school came up through the ranks not on his abilities as an administrator. According to a now retired principal who told me, “In principal meetings Tony was never seen as the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he always volunteered for Mijares’ extra assignments and he always brought donuts to the meetings.”
Espinosa made a mess out of Ceasar Chavez, then he was promoted to Spurgeon where he made a mess out of that school. Finally, he was moved to Valley and Valley is now a PI 5 school.
The teaching and administrative team at Valley has been in total disarray since the arrival of Espinosa in 2001. Schools grow and advance on the basis of staff stability. Valley has lost more than 50% of it’s teaching staff since 2001. In addition the administrative staff has been devastated by Espinosa. Since school sites are never exactly alike, it takes a year or more for administrators to get acquainted with the particulars at each school site. Valley is entitled to 4 AP’s. Only two AP’s have spent more than a year at Valley since 2001. in other words Valley has gone through 6 AP’s in 6 years. No counseling AP has ever lasted more than a year which explains the mess Valley Counseling has been in since 2001.
Later Espinosa wanted Santa Ana High and when he did not get it he started to intrigue for Segerstrom. Noji scuttled that bid in favor of Lynn Maher but Espinosa was promised Godinez, which he now has. Why does Espinosa have such strong, although unproven, support among certain board members and Mijares? That same retired principal, who is Hispanic, said that Espinosa’s family is big and powerful in Santa Ana (they own a great deal of rental property in town and in the surrounding cities including property in Mexico), Espinosa was a product of SAUSD and Mijares wanted a poster boy for SAUSD (you know, local boy makes good), and Espinosa was totally loyal to Mijares willing to do whatever Mijares demanded of him.
It is clear to anyone with eyes that Espinosa was a political appointee. Principals appointed for their political credentials are almost always disastrous and Espinosa’s track record proves that.
Under Mijares politics was the highest consideration for promotion and job retention and not professional ability, managerial skill, and human relations. Schools should operate on the basis of the ability to teach kids and a highly refined managerial skill set to administer schools. Under Mijares SAUSD was debased by politics. That explains the districts growing failures. And until politics and political appointees are removed from the ideology and leadership of SAUSD the situation will continue to deteriorate.
All of my interactions with Harvey de la Torre have been fine. His wife is also a fantastic gal. Perhaps Harvey was not too fond of his amigo Bubba Bustamante getting shredded here on Orange Juice. Despite having Bubba as an amigo, I think that Harvey will help Santa Ana have a great future.
ART!
How could you socialize with someone who supports PLAs? Have you no shame?
Thanks Art for another interesting blog entry. You and Claudio are both great at giving your readers an inside look at what is happening with the movers and shakers in Orange County. Claudio did it with the Democratic conventions and meetings and now you are giving us an inside look at another political insiders shindig. I like Claudio
I totally agree about John Palacio. He is a proven leader and after spending the last few years wandering around in the wilderness (due to no fault of his own) it’s time bring him into the fold and begin to listen and learn.
Anon at 5:04PM:
John Palacio is an Elected Official, but that does NOT make him a proven leader.
Not that people can’t change or learn lessons, but Palacio has been at the helm during some of the worst scandals to hit SAUSD.
Voting records don’t lie.
When I see Palacio consistently supporting solid, back to basics instructions for our children; supporting good teachers/getting rid of bad ones, AND when I see him run an honest campaign by not illegally putting out material with Republican credentials on them in an attempt to deceive voters, THEN I will say he’s a proven leader.
Until then, it is my personal opinion that he has been – and will continue to be, a big part of the problem at SAUSD.
Even Palacio can turn over a new leaf, but will he do it?
Semper Fi,
Tim Whitacre
Dr. Palacio is the only member of the Board of Education that truly cares about the students and parents. THE ONLY ONE! He
A clarification re Harvey De La Torre. He might be somewhat of a stick in the mud, but he is bright and I think he could develop into a good civic leader. He just needs to learn to be more independent – and less egotistical. And he needs to find better friends than Bustamante and Pulido…
Art stated: “And he needs to find better friends than Bustamante and Pulido…”
I think Pulido is cool!
One day I will be just like Pulido.
Tim’s right, Palacio sucks!
He has voted poorly for years. As for the comments about him “doing so much” – PLEEEAAASSEEE! I haven’t met a more self-serving guy. Palacio should have been recalled after Lopez. Too bad the same group didn’t keep going after Palacio.
By the way, since when did Palacio become a Doctor? The only thing he’s good at is doctoring votes.
Say what you will about Board Member Palacio, but he has the people’s vote! He continues to get elected because the voters like him. Regarding his putting out material with Republican credentials, Oh Please. Can’t you come up with something better than that? No one said life is fair and neither is politics.
John votes the right way most of the time on the school board, but Tim is right. He has been right smack in the middle of some of the worst SAUSD scandals, including our “friend” Larry (Nativo) Lopez. However, John is very bitter over Audrey. She may not be a good board member, but he is very jealous of her for some reason. In fact he is so obsessed with taking her out, he is starting to look a little crazy.
sa92703 says, “Say what you will about Board Member Palacio, but he has the people’s vote! He continues to get elected because the voters like him.
Uh – WRONG! Palacio contiues to get elected because nobody else in the city wants the stupid position – even my neighbors dog!
As soon as someone half-way decent runs, with a little bit of name i.d., Palacio is toast, unless as Tim pointed out earlier, he turns over a new leaf. SAUSD would be much better off if both Palacio and that wacked out Noji, were gone.
Aren’t three candidates running for school board? Four,if we include anonymous’ dog. Complain, complain, complain, but you won’t do anything about it. If you show so much concern about Palacio Anonymous 2:26 PM, throw your hat in the ring next time and run for school board. But of course, you won’t, it’s far too easy to complain than to come up with solutions and make changes to a difficult situation.
I thought that article about Paul Lucas was pretty cool. Maybe he should run for School Board. Or even Water Board. Any thoughts?