Picture Courtesy of the O.C. Register
Back in August I posted this story about The City of Tustin’s budget priorities. No one commented, and the City’s budget policy did not change. Today a child was hit in a crosswalk that used to have a school crossing guard but no longer does. The location was at Tustin Ranch Road and Rawlings, the crosswalk leading to Ladera Elementary School. Here is that August post. Any Tustin City Fathers listening? Maybe they are too busy getting ready to party spend City money on Tustin Tiller Days the weekend of October 3-4.
Tustin Abandons Kids
The Tustin City Council has voted to cut over half the funding provided by the City for School Crossing Guards due to budget problems. At the same time, the Tustin Unified School District is cutting much of its daily school bus services, also due to budget problems.
So, we have the schools taking action to put more kids on the street daily going to and from school, and we have the City cutting back on services to keep those kids safe. By chance, could these two government entities have talked to each other before taking these conflicting budget actions? This should not be too much to ask.
Might there be other areas of the City Budget that the esteemed Tustin Council might have cut? How about the darlings of the Chamber of Commerce – the annual Tiller Days and Chili Cook Off events for instance?
The City has chosen to abandon kids, while continuing to party at such City sponsored annual events. The Council will have some explaining to do when the first accident occurs at a crosswalk that previously had crossing guards. Unfortunately, such an accident appears inevitable.
Update – on Sunday, Sept. 27 The Register published a story on this accident in which a Tustin Police Lieutenant serves as the City’s person to take the arrows for the City Council’s decision to cut crossing guard funding. He states the accident might have happened even if a crossing guard was in place. Well, duh – of course it “might” have happened, but the odds of it happening would most certainly have been less. This is not a police department issue, it is a city budget priority issue. Crossing guard funding is cut, while funding for City parties like Tustin Tiller Days and the annual Chili Cookoff continue. The Council, not this poor police Lieutenant, is the only City authority that sets these budget priorities.
Is there a way we can get these crossing guards back into place?? A petition or SOMETHING! I have almost been hit twice while I was walking through the intersection to pick my kids up from school. The sun placement is awful during this time of day. The car that first almost hit me, sped up before screeching to a halt before he saw me only inches away. Heaven forbid I had I been a child! I see children walking through this intersection (Irvine Blvd. and Robinson) every day and it is so unsettling to know they are not being looked out for by our city.