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Judge España goes easy on Southwestern College VP
Many good people who suffered under the tyrannical rule at Southwestern either lived through it (newspaper advisor, for example, but he has tenure) or have come back to the campus after having been literally run out. Many have scars, of course, but you are correct in characterizing the character of Southwestern as being tenacious and committed to the institution and the students. By the way, in my opinion, Zasueta's casualties were more subtle but he cost the college some talented and dedicated folks who moved on because of him and his toadies. I do not think he was nearly as corrupt as those who have taken the sweet plea deals; he was however, a spendthrift and an ego maniac and obviously not very bright to have gone along with Remer's fantasy explanation for paying the commercial producer with general fund resources. The community saw thru the perfidy at Southwestern when the accreditors put the college on probation, a very serious move that threatened the college's existence. That single fact got the community's attention enough to clean most of the house (somehow Terri Valladoid escaped although she was complicit in the madness....or at least played ignorant) at the board level at the first available election. Now, SUHSD perfidy has been at least partially exposed, and the upcoming public hearing to consider trustee election areas; as well as the unification discussion, one hopes will have the same effect to get the larger community engaged and angry enough to take back the district by electing trustworthy new board members. November is 9 month away! Tick tock, tick tock.— February 2, 2014 2:53 p.m.
Judge España goes easy on Southwestern College VP
Agreed Anniej! Let's not forget that while judges may have the authority to rule as they may, however stupid their ruling and reasoning may be, but they DO have to stand for election. I have heard Judge Espana will be up for election in 2017. Do not forget the perfidy that she has sanctioned with her really, really, lame rulings in these serious cases of corruption against the public. So glad to hear that the asst DA Shorr objected to the deal.— February 2, 2014 1:37 p.m.
Judge España goes easy on Southwestern College VP
I think the public is the losing party. I also think the only grounds for complaint against this judge is that she appears to be gullible, if not lazy, in accepting really lame excuses from those who have been indicted for MULTIPLE criminal acts against the public. Those lame excuses such as "no one instructed him how to complete a form 700! " That was John Wilson's evaluation by her honor. Really!!! The guy ran multi-million dollar programs, wrote RPP's etc. and managed the Southwestern College property for 30 years, and he can't read??? Or, "Alioto was just 'swept up into existing wheeling and dealing, not to mention the partying ' must have been like a piece of lint. Aiioto was not an underling...he was a Vice President of Fiscal Affairs and Business, and was required to complete the form 700. I suppose he also was struck dumb when he signed on to the Southwestern College payroll. An on and on it goes. Raj Chopra is also 'excused' but he was 'only' the guy in charge of the joint...the college president! Further, it appears that the presiding judge in the San Diego Superior Court is complicit. Short of picketing the Superior Court and calling judge Danielsen out for shuffling these public corruption cases down to 'little ole gullible judge Espana' on picket signs, I can't think of any remedy that would get anyone's attention. What does it take for this court to be embarrassed?— February 2, 2014 1:02 p.m.
Judge España goes easy on Southwestern College VP
It tells me that the goal of this court is to not hold any trials. That mulst be way too much work. It tells me that lip service is what counts, and the lips are barely mumbling here. I do not believe Alioto's attorney who said 'in his (Alioto's) heart, he believed he was doing right by the school.' Really???? Alioto was the one who controlled the purse strings and took away funding the school paper needed to print the edition that was scheduled to come out just before the election in November because the paper had already been critical of the administration and was exposing the perfidy. That is not someone who 'in his heart' believed he was doing right. The photo that tops this story of Alioto living large during his reign of terror at Southwestern tells us he was all about living the good life on the taxpayer's dime. Sigh!— February 1, 2014 11:19 a.m.
Judge España goes easy on Southwestern College VP
Sigh! Such a disappointment, again. It seems Judge Espana would rather cut these felons very large breaks rather than actually hold a trial. One wonders if she is afraid of managing a trial? So, according to the judge, the wheeling and dealing was going on already, and Alioto just 'got swept into it' ? One asks, then, who was wielding the broom? She has already let John Wilson, the Sr. Facilities Manger off the hook. Recall that Wilson had been at the college for 30 years. Surely he should have known better after all those years! How about the college prez, Raj Chopra? ....oh,but he is also off the hook thanks to her honor's ruling in his matter..so that leaves board member Salcido, who surely should have known better and as the board is ultimately responsible, right? Oh no, the judge has already cut Salcido a very big break too. Seems no one is left with a broom, so one must conclude, according to the judge's logic, that corruption just happens in a vacuum and no one is to be held accountable. Kudos to Dr. Kirkwood and others who came forward to protest these extra-lenient rulings by a judge who is clearly not seeing clearly. I agree that a very, very, sad and dangerous message is being sent to the students of Southwestern College and to the community it serves. Sigh! Double Sigh!!— January 31, 2014 5:38 p.m.
Classroom shenanigans in Sweetwater school district?
Yes, you are correct. The vacant seats will be Ricasa, McCann and Cartmill. Quinones and Lopez were up two years ago. If Qunones and/or Lopez are removed from office through the court process ahead, there could be five open seats in the November election.— January 29, 2014 5:40 p.m.
Classroom shenanigans in Sweetwater school district?
it should read, 'who go ALONG with Fast Eddy and his toady Bleisch.' It may also be a way to provide handsome employment 'opportunities' for the likes of John McCann and Cartmill if they suddenly find themselves without the Board stipend and benefits.— January 29, 2014 2:48 p.m.
Classroom shenanigans in Sweetwater school district?
My guess is that the Charter School will offer huge compensation for administrators and others who go alone with Fast Eddy and his toady Bleisch. It is just another way to take public money that should be used to educate the kids in the SUHSD and put it in their own pockets.— January 29, 2014 2:26 p.m.
Classroom shenanigans in Sweetwater school district?
It's complicated and governed by state law. Check out www.cde.ca.gov/re/lr/do, especially chapters 5 and 6. It does not happen overnight. I think that while unification may seem at first glance to be an attractive alternative to the SUHSD mess we now have, I would encourage everyone to focus on the immediate need to take back the SUHSD district at the ballot box (if the judge continues to look at her shoes and let all the indicted perps slide away) in November. We DO hold the keys to the future of the SUHSD. Three seats are up for election, plus we have the Ricasa vacancy to fill as well, and that seat will be a fourth on the November ballot.. Once (and if) the District is restored and the crooks removed from the treasury, that would be the time to consider if it is better educationally to divide it up. I would caution that using unification as a remedy to get rid of the crooks may be the wrong place to put our energies until November. Unification is not necessarily the best solution for the current problems, and as well meaning as the suggestion might be, it will only further confuse the matter and divide our energies and efforts.— January 29, 2014 12:10 p.m.
Classroom shenanigans in Sweetwater school district?
Unification (realigning schools in a K-12 system based on geographic communities) was proposed in the early 1990s. The process is one wherein all voters in the entire area currently 'served' by the SUHSD are asked to determine if they wish to break up the Sweetwater Union High School District and 'unify' those 7-12 schools with the elementary schools in each respective area.(the proposal failed at the ballot box.) If successful, a new unification proposal would dismantle the SUHSD district entirely and place the middle/junior, senior highs within the control of the respective elementary districts now within the SUHSD: CV Elementary School District; National School District; South Bay Union School District; San Ysidro Elementary School District. Each would be a stand-alone district serving the students in the designated jurisdictions in a K-12 format. I believe the process is governed by state law, and likely begins with a petition. Of course, the current liabilities of the SUHSD would need to be divided along with the assets and properties.— January 29, 2014 11:08 a.m.