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Guilty Trustees (is not, unfortunately, a band name)
My sentiments exactly anniej, but I don't care if I disrespect Mr.Warwick. The public is entitled to be in the courtroom, as is its representative, the press. His arrogance is indicative of the arrogance of Cartmill in this matter. I thought the bylaws of the SUHSD prohibited any board member convicted of even a misdemeanor in the course of their service on the board from continuing in office. Would someone please check that out. Judge Espana's term is up for reelection in 2017 if I understand correctly. WE should all make sure that she does not get reelected...her failure to protect the victims of these perps, we the public who pay the taxes that have paid for their dereliction, is disgusting. The DA's staff worked hard to garner the indictments in these cases, and then gave it all away, with the complicity of the judge. Justice has NOT been served!— April 24, 2014 8:35 p.m.
School officials Gandara and Sandoval plead guilty
According to the court's docket for Monday, April 28, Cartmill, Lopez and Flores are to appear for trial, but not in Espana's courtroom. Possibly now as supervising judge of South County she has assigned it elsewhere...if it is to be a real trial, let's hope the new judge is not so much of a 'give it all away' on pleas judge.— April 24, 2014 4:23 p.m.
School officials Gandara and Sandoval plead guilty
Correction last paragraph: For Monday's (April 21) docketed meeting....not the 28th. Sorry.— April 18, 2014 2:46 p.m.
School officials Gandara and Sandoval plead guilty
Just checked the court's 5-day calendar, thru Thursday April 24. Only item of relevance to the South County corruption charges is Tues April 22 at 1:30 p.m. for a probation hearing for Jorge Dominguez and Yolanda Salcido. It was my understanding that trials for the remaining perps, Cartmill, Lopez and Flores I believe, were to begin April 28, so that date is approaching. Maybe Cartmill is trying to work an 11th hour deal with the DA. My concern is that Brand and Cartmill may be conspiring to appeal to the judge that Cartmill is so upright, a minister after all, that the District needs him to provide stability to the board during this time of chaos, and probably that he was an innocent victim taken in by the others! Stranger things have happened if you recall the pass the judge gave Alioto of SWC because he was just 'swept along' with the corruption that was already in place when he arrived. He was "just" a vice president of Finance. The judge us gullible and apparently, easily convinced by the pleas. For Monday's (April 28) docketed meeting of the SUHSD board with the three left standing at this point, I think they are dead in the water 2 -1 with Lopez the odd-person out. Until the shoe drops on at least one more, (allowing the County Board of Ed to appoint temporary members from their own board) they will hobble with the stalemate along until the Nov elections.— April 18, 2014 2:10 p.m.
School officials Gandara and Sandoval plead guilty
Apparently her honor has a 'one size fits all' mentality when it comes to the sentences. She even told Ricasa that she was applying the same dollar fine amount across the board! This reinforces my opinion that Judge Espana has, and will continue to take the easy way throughout the process....after all, she had 15 perps each with multiple (some as many as 29) counts to deal with). It seems that no one wants to litigate anything when it is so much easier to settle for pennies on the dollar. Everyone wins, except the victim in this scenario, and we, the public, are the victim. Sigh— April 14, 2014 9:38 a.m.
School officials Gandara and Sandoval plead guilty
I have heard that Judge Espana will stand for election next in 2017. Certainly we should not forget her cavalier attitude toward the victims of the South County School Board perps and her leniency given those who ripped the school children off so egregiously. We should also remember that the presiding judge of the SD Superior Court, one David J. Danielsen, is equally to blame for moving the cases to South County in the first place. According to the court's own website, Danielsen is quoted: "Access to impartial justice is an core American value...We will endeavor to deliver the access to quality justice that our community deserves." Yeah right! Apparently Judge Danielsen does not believe we in the South County community are equally deserving. Shame on him, and shame on Judge Espana!— April 11, 2014 11:11 a.m.
School officials Gandara and Sandoval plead guilty
Visduh -- well said! The DA's office is complicit with the plea bargains, which must greatly disappoint those who worked so hard on the investigations and the grand jury process. Who knows what goes on inside the DA's office, but it is hard to reconcile all the rhetoric made at the time of the indictments with the kid glove treatment they are all receiving. I truly believe that the presiding judge in downtown SD court just wanted the mess out of that arena...too many perps, too many counts, just too (whine, whine, whine) much to manage in the courts there. Instead, he lobbed the whole kit 'n caboodle 'down' to South County, which he probably thinks is lower class and beneath HIS court. And as for Judge Espana, it is evident to me that she took every easy way out available to her, granting extensions and postponements across the board to facilitate every interest EXCEPT the victims'....that would be US.— April 10, 2014 11 a.m.
School officials Gandara and Sandoval plead guilty
I think the only reason SWC was able to even demote Ricasa was because the grand jury transcripts showed that she violated college policies by using college equipment (email and/or fax) for political purposes. She is now a 'director' of EOPS, and still makes well over $100K in that job. I agree that Judge Espana does not seem to think the conduct of these perps is egregious...and Espana does not seem to be able to understand that these are NOT victimless crimes...the victims are each and every member of the public and the children who are to be educated in the SUHSD. Espana should get off her duff and go visit the schools to see the conditions there that these scums have helped created by their larceny, and to be able to better visualize the their true victims. Then, perhaps, she would better manage the process of so-called justice.— April 10, 2014 9:40 a.m.
School officials Gandara and Sandoval plead guilty
Thanks Bvavsvavev...I missed the actual ad, which is a full page and by any standards, waaaaaaay too wordy to have any impact. All such pieces should be clearly labeled as to advertisement or op/ed or whatever they are. Clearly HOMETOWN is nothing more than an slick shopper publication that has no editorial standards.— April 9, 2014 3:27 p.m.
School officials Gandara and Sandoval plead guilty
The piece in the HOMETOWN magazine appears to be a 'puff' piece, and has Ed Brand's actual byline. It would be suspect even if the District had gotten it for free (which news outlets sometimes do when they have too much unsold ad space)...IF the District paid for it, it should be labeled as an "ADVERTISMENT" .....in reality, it is what's called an 'advertorial'...something that appears to be editorial copy but is really bought and paid for by the sponsor...designed to mislead the reader into thinking that it is somehow 'real' because it appears in print.— April 9, 2014 12:38 p.m.