May 20, 2016 • www.myvalleynews.com • Valley News
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Opinion Editor’s Note: Opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Valley News staff. We invite opinions on all sides of an issue. If you have an opinion, please send it as an e-mail to valleyeditor@reedermedia.com, or fax us at (760) 723-9606. Maximum word count 500. All letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number. The Valley News reserves the right to edit letters as necessary to fit the publication’s format.
TVUSD School Board elections, you don’t get to vote! Editor’s Note: The following opinion piece was received through email last week. In light of the fact TVUSD’s recent decision to vote by-district rather than at-large, and that it remains a hot button issue with many of our readers, I decided to give up my opinion space to run this piece instead. The opinions herein are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect facts or the opinions of Valley News or any of its employees. To submit a “Letter to the Editor,” or any other news and information for publication, email valleyeditor@reedermedia. com. On May 12, the State Board of Education approved TVUSD’s expedited effort to change the way local board members are elected. The result is that 60 percent of voters within TVUSD boundaries will be unable to vote in the November school board election. If you live in French Valley, Paloma
del Sol, Meadowview, Paseo del Sol, Crowne Hill, Wine Country, and many other neighborhoods, this includes you. The District’s stated rationale for rushing to change the rules is fear of a lawsuit based on voter disenfranchisement, even though no evidence of disenfranchisement has been presented. Our school district has experienced several well-publicized mishaps in the last few years, contributing to three new members being elected in the 2014 elections. Two long-serving incumbents, Kristi Rutz-Robbins and Alan Pulsipher, are up for re-election this November and don’t want to face the same fate as their colleagues two years ago. The new election rules make it so Rutz-Robbins and Pulsipher only have to face challengers from the area of the district in which they live. This is a distinct advantage for them, an advantage
that they voted to give themselves. Board members aren’t supposed to vote on issues that give them a personal advantage. District staff’s efforts to protect these board members did not go unnoticed by the board. Superintendent Ritter just received a massive salary increase that will take him from $216,000 to $276,000 over the next few years, a 28 percent increase. This is remarkable considering teachers and classified staff received a 1 percent salary increase. Mr. Ritter, when he retires in a few years, will leave with a taxpayer-funded pension in excess of $200,000 annually. The following are just a few examples of what’s been going on in TVUSD over the last few years that account for Rutz-Robbins and Pulsipher feeling the need to seek protection from the electorate: A bungled 21 Jump Street style undercover drug sting that netted
no kingpins, rounded up many special education students, and resulted in the District being soundly chastised by an administrative law judge Credible allegations of nepotism against the superintendent that were dismissed by an “internal investigation” The mishandled termination of a middle school principal resulting in student walkouts and parent protests The forced closure of a successful charter school by unilateral contract modification, fabricated educational performance criteria, and grossly inaccurate financial data. Are any of these things concerning to you? If so, that’s too bad because three of your five board members decided that most of you will be unable to vote this November. The District spent thousands of taxpayer dollars last week to send
their public information officer and attorney to Sacramento to convince the State Board of Education that the voting change is appropriate since there were no protests against it. Although the District’s actions to change the voting rules violate two provisions of Ed Code section 33051, the State Board was convinced that everyone in our community was notified of this change. Did you know you wouldn’t be able to vote? This situation is the poster child for term limits for school board members. Rutz-Robbins and Pulsipher have served our community for many years, but they’ve become so close to district administration that they’ve lost their ability to provide the healthy bit of scrutiny that is essential for effective governance. Rob Clause Temecula, CA
Fees imposed by various state and local jurisdictions are another problem. For example. regulations require one “low cost” home for every 10 built, or payment of a fee which can amount to thousands. Storm water compliance can cost up to $25,000 and hooking up to water and sewer lines can add another $20,000 – per home! California’s huge unmet housing
demand should lead to developers lining up to fill the need. That has not been the case in recent years. In San Diego County alone, we need about 12,000 new units per year to meet demand. While local construction once met or exceeded that number, the county is short approximately 50,000 housing units over the past 10 years. Stringent regulations and exces-
sive fees make expanding our housing stock extremely difficult. This crisis will worsen and costs will continue to rise as long as government continues to hinder the state’s once thriving housing industry. Until these factors are resolved, the Golden State simply won’t be golden for millions of people.
California’s housing crisis Marie Waldron SPECIAL TO VALLEY NEWS
California is the nation’s largest state, with a population estimated at just over 39 million. The availability of housing has not kept up with population growth. As is so often the case in California, government intervention has been counterproductive, resulting in an inadequate
supply and skyrocketing housing costs, along with a lack of sustainable water and energy reliability. Programs that subsidize housing cannot begin to meet the massive backlog that has been created. But there is an obvious solution to this problem – less government with fewer, more streamlined regulations that will increase the supply of housing and decrease costs.
That telemarketer may be your congressman Jane Chastain SPECIAL TO VALLEY NEWS
There is a reason most people screen their telephone calls. Telemarketers. Would it surprise you to know that the most aggressive bunch of telemarketers are the very people we have elected and sent to Washington, D.C., our very own representative and senators? If you have made the mistake of donating to a political party or one of its offshoots like a congressional or senatorial committee, you know what I mean. At first it may be flattering to get a call from one of these people inviting you to a “special event” or thanking you for your past support. However, you can be sure that the primary reason for that call is to separate you from your money. The phone calls never stop, even during working hours. On April 24, “60 Minutes” showed us the extent of the problem in a segment it called, “Dialing for Dollars.” We are well aware that representatives and senators are under a lot
of pressure to raise money for the next election, but it’s not just about their own elections; it’s about raising money, big money, for the party. If they don’t, they are literally on their own if they are challenged. In that segment Norah O’Donnell interviewed Rep. David Jolly (RFla.), who won a special election in 2014 and shortly thereafter was taken to school by party bosses. They let him known that his primarily job in Washington was to raise $18,000 per day on the phone, for as long as he holds the office. According to some that translates to about 30 hours per week, per lawmaker. Aren’t they supposed to be attending committee meetings, studying and passing legislation and meeting constituent needs? It’s not just Republicans. Democrats are expected to do the same thing. In fact, the members interviewed for this segment allege that the congressional schedule is conveniently arranged to allow them time to do all this telemarketing. Representatives and senators are prevented by law from using
their offices to fundraise, so each party provides a suite of private offices within walking distance from the Capitol for that purpose. There, they are provided a list of donors with detailed information about each one, along with phone numbers and a script. Jolly, who is one of five GOP candidates running for Marco Rubio’s Senate seat, rebelled. He no longer makes those calls and, in effect, now is campaigning without a net. That’s not all. He has sponsored the STOP Act, which would ban all federal officials from directly soliciting donations. Not surprising, he is out there virtually alone. Only six of his colleagues have signed on as co-sponsors, and some of those members are on their way out the door. The implication from the “60 Minutes” segment is that the increased pressure on these lawmakers to raise money is because of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision. To a certain extent this is true, but it’s not the whole truth. Our founders envisioned a citizen legislature, with representatives
Letter to the editor Dear Editor, I recently read a story on your website about how the LESJWA held a summit with the intention to discuss possible actions that could be taken to help maintain the quality of Lake Elsinore’s water. In this article it was mentioned that both
before an election, so these super PACs can hold representatives and senators accountable for how they vote on these issues. This decision essentially leveled the playing field. Want to take money out of politics? Congress should pass a law that prevents members from working on or voting on any bill that affects an individual or entity that has been a campaign contributor. This is, and always has been, a conflict of interest and should be stopped. Unfortunately that has as much chance of passing as the STOP Act because most citizens – PACs or no PACs – are asleep. Jane Chastain is a Southern California-based broadcaster, author and political commentator. Despite her present emphasis on politics, Jane always will be remembered as the nation’s first female TV sportscaster, spending 17 years on the sports beat. Jane blogs at JaneChastain.com. She is a pilot who lives on a private runway. For more opinion, or to comment on this story online, visit www. myvalleynews.com.
Letter to the editor local volunteers and State Agencies have taken action in order to try and help with this issue. How much responsibility do you believe lies with local residents as opposed to the state government? While I believe that everyone should feel the need to help out, I
realize that that is highly improbable. So I think that the state government should feel obligated to preserve places like Lake Elsinore in order to keep the beauty of nature alive. Angel Arellano Santa Ana, CA
RESCUE from page B-6 In Ohana Paws Rescue’s experience, people surrender their pets for a variety of heartbreaking reasons, however their most urgent need is saving pets that are scheduled to be euthanized. “We’ve heard it all,” Dulak said. “Moving, pregnant, divorcing, simple and fixable behavior issues, people not researching the breed before bringing a dog home and finding out it’s too much for them to handle or that their dog sheds too much. We will help if a family is adamant about surrendering their pet, but primarily, we seek to help rehome animals that are scheduled for euthanizing.” As with most shelters, money is Ohana Paws Rescue’s primary need. Many of their critters have costly health issues requiring vet care and even surgery. “We hold donation drives and fundraisers throughout the year,” she said. “We also are in need of reliable foster homes to help care for more Ohana pets.” Ohana Paws Rescue has an active Facebook page, Ohana Paws Rescue for those who are interested in learning more and potentially fostering a rescue pet. Their pets are named with loveable, memorable Disney character names, more often than not. “We expect our foster families
who would come to Washington for a short time each year to do the business of the country and then go back home to their real jobs. Congress was never supposed to be a full-time job. Legislators come to Washington often with the best intentions. Then, they become drunk with power and try to make it a career. Big corporations give them money to do their bidding, so once in Washington, they have plenty to spend on touting their virtues before each and every election. That made it hard, if not impossible, for a challenger to defeat an incumbent. Citizens United changed all that. Citizens United simply allows groups of citizens who have common interests to band together in PACs to protect those interests, whether it’s the environment, energy, defense, school choice, balanced budget, etc. (Unlike traditional nonprofits, they must disclose their expenditures and their donors.) Thanks to Citizens United, these groups now are allowed to run ads – just like the congressmen –
Dear Editor, June 7, 2016, I will be voting to re-elect Supervisor Washington. During the April 28, 2016, CSA 60 meeting at Fire Station 30, (after about 10 years of the continued appropriation and expenditure of CSA 60 Special Assessments in violation of California Proposition 218) Mike Franklin, Riverside County EDA stated that the Special Assessment “...to be used only for
purposes of providing equipment and supplies for the voluntary firefighters services, as approved by the voters.” Resolution 2002-205, had been reset to “0.” Go Supervisor Washington – A breath of fresh air!!!
Christy Huss, Mountain Center, CA
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Morgan Dulak with her rescue pets (left); Mia, from the Riverside Animal Shelter, Dozer from the Devore shelter lobby, rescued before being euthanized at five weeks old and Dee, adopted from Animal Friends of the Valley.
to see their foster pet through to the end result—which is of course, adoption,” Dulak said. “They’re also responsible for getting them to vet appointments. Aside from that, we cover all vet costs and supplies unless they choose to help.” Find Ohana Paws Rescue on their webpage at http://bit.ly/ OhanaPawsRescue or send an email to ohanapawsrescue@gmail.com.
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