Foothills Sentry January 2020

Foothills Sentry January 2020 Page 7 JOHNSON MOTORCARS 29 Years of Specializing in the Service and Repair of Mercedes-Benz Gary Johnson 714-997-2567 982 N. Batavia # B13, Orange, CA 92867 gary@johnsonmotorcars.com LETTERS to the EDITOR DearEditor See "Letters" continued on page 8 Guest Commentary By Lynne Riddle There’s a rush of emotion I experience when learning an in- nocent community member or neighbor has been inexplicably harmed for no good reason at all. That same mixture of feeling came rushing over me – aston- ishment, disbelief, sadness and, eventually, rage -- as I left the Dec. 19 Orange Unified School Board meeting. It had just voted, 4-3, to allow the OC Classical Academy (OCCA) to open a char- ter school in the district using tax- payers’ public school funds. I felt spiritually ill then. Still do. Who -- or what -- fell victim to the board majority that night? Jus- tice. Fairness. Reason. The rule of law. Four members simply cut down my hope and belief that the folks elected to our school board will willingly put aside personal politi- cal agendas to serve the best inter- ests of all the kids in the OUSD. Here’s what happened. OCCA had presented a petition to the board for approval to open a charter school. At that point, each of the board members had a duty to grant that petition if, but only if, the petition itself satisfied all the requirements of California’s char- ter school law. The board’s task was straight- forward. Board members were to act as quasi-judicial decision makers. They are, of course, not a court of law; nonetheless, members were under a duty similar to that shared by judges. They were to read the petition as a piece of documentary evidence, listen to presentations and arguments, and then, most importantly, they were required to look at California’s charter legal prerequisites, one by one, and de- termine whether the petition pre- sented evidence to satisfy all the law’s requirements. Lastly, I respectfully suggest that when casting their votes -- just as a judge must -- board members should explain to folks in the audience and the commu- nity whether and how OCCA’s petition did or did not meet the le- gal requirements. That is to say, to do justice, their explanations and votes must be cast in terms of law; not personal whim, preference or advantage. That’s not what I saw happen. What I saw was a strident, cav- alier, utterly shocking and com- plete abandonment of any princi- ple of fairness — of doing justice. Of the four board members voting to support OCCA, not one gave a single explanation for their vote that had anything to do with the evidence or the law; much of their talk, as I heard it, was simply ir- relevant or unintelligible. What’s worse, those four board members completely ignored – actually trashed – and voted against the work of OUSD’s own professional experts. Orange Unified’s superinten- dent and her staff invested some 500 hours in doing its investiga- tion, research, and presenting to each board member – well in advance of the meeting – a 14- page analysis of the flaws and omissions contained in the OCCA petition. Based upon that analysis and evidence, district staff rec- OUSD board decision elicits astonishment, disbelief, sadness and rage ommended that the petition be rejected. Rejected because it was legally, fatally, flawed. For all appearances, there was not a hint that any of the Yea- sayers even read – let alone stud- ied – the district staff’s report and recommendation. Trustee Rick Ledesma repeatedly dismissed the district’s entire 14-page analysis by characterizing its well-docu- mented statements of fact as sim- ply “assumptions;” but he never give a single example or fact in rebuttal. In closing, I recommend – but only to those having a strong stomach – that you view the video recording of that Dec. 19 meeting and judge for yourself whether you’d ever want to put anything you value in the hands of OUSD trustees John Ortega, Alexia Deli- gianni-Brydges, Rick Ledesma or Brenda Lebsack. Ask yourself: Are those four the best folks avail- able in the community to entrust with protecting the well-being of your school-age children? It’s up to you and me to insist on how our elected officials conduct business in our name. Lynne Riddle is an Orange County resident, a retired federal judge, a lawyer, and a former uni- versity professor with a doctorate in education. Getting warmer Dear Editor: Thank you for your article spotlighting climate crisis dem- onstrations at the Orange City Hall. These strikes are being held worldwide as part of a youth-led movement catalyzed by 16-year- old Greta Thunberg of Sweden, in recognition that we have only about a decade to limit the plan- et’s continued warming another 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. That is the point at which the earth, as we know it, will be a markedly less hospitable place, with more wild- fires, a sea level rise from melting icecaps, extreme heat, flooding and drought. The U.S. Department of De- fense, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations Inter- governmental Panel on Climate Change, and even the insurance industry have identified the cli- mate crisis as a top priority. An international group called the Global Commission on Adapta- tion estimated that $1.8 trillion in spending over the next decade would provide $7.1 trillion in benefits. I applaud the activists who are demanding action. Sue Schildt Orange County Climate Reality Project Leadership Team Dear Editor: Thank you for your December issue’s coverage of the climate crisis and the Friday morning protests in front of the Orange City Hall urging the city council to declare a climate emergency. It is my opinion that the climate crisis and sustainability are core reasons why more than 13,000 voters signed the petition for a referendum of the city council’s approval of a housing develop- ment. A major contributing source of global warming is methane; a former dump located west of the proposed site would require de- tectors to monitor dangerous lo- cal levels of methane. Air quality is also compromised by pollution aggravated by increased tempera- tures, as well as wildfires, which are increasing due to the climate crisis. More than 11,000 climate sci- entists are warning us to imme- diately reduce greenhouse gas emissions from methane and carbon dioxide to prevent an irreversible course of destruc- tion. The enormity of the crisis requires us to unite and urge the Orange City Council to declare a climate emergency. Without local leadership and a viable plan, we will be left on our own to protect our neighbor- hoods. How will we adapt for ourselves as temperatures rise? Will our stables need to be air- conditioned? Will horse riding during the day no longer be pos- sible because of the devastating effects of the heat? Help preserve the planet for our families, includ- ing our beloved pets and horses. Mel Vernon Villa Park Dear Editor: In the December issue there is an interesting connection between the new cemetery bike path and residents’ call for climate action in Orange. As a mountain bike rider, I appreciate the new trails for horses and bicycles, but con- tinue to be amazed that Orange, Villa Park, Tustin and Santa Ana have not been able to connect the existing bikeways. The first obvious connection must be a result of some conflict between Orange, the county and Santa Ana. The Santiago Creek bike trail goes under the 5 Free- way at the Discovery Center, and then disappears into the creek bed. The tunnel under the 5 Free- way must have cost $20 million, but it is absolutely useless except for easy access for homeless peo- ple and gangs. Yes, it would be expensive to extend it to the Santa Ana River Trail, but think of how many people would use it and what a beautiful riparian habitat it would create. The second is easy to build, but is probably expensive. If you look at the map, the old railway line stretches from around Warren in Tustin, all the way to Grijalva Park in Orange. Between 17th and Fairhaven, it is heavily used, and would provide a great con- nection for commuting from the southern part of Tustin to many regions of Orange County. Getting people out of their cars and walking and biking in a safe manner is worth working for. Stan Miller Orange Sentry Bonnie Dear Editor: Do you know how wonder- ful you are? This paper has more information of interest to our community than any paper being tossed or mailed. What touched me? Good news about the Villa Park Marine Thanksgiving, the administrator of the year, the Dino Dash (I am a retired teacher and participated in this), a new Eagle Scout, cemetery trail com- pleted, veterans celebrated, and the good news goes on and on. My husband and I loved reading about Matt Lester, as we remem- ber him well from when our son played football at El Modena. Ev- ery article had meaning to us, as we have friends in all your cov- erage areas. We are 56 years liv- ing in North Tustin. Thanks over and over and over again for your news, news and more news. Bonnie Sharp North Tustin Sign of the times Dear Editor: I think in all of the celebratory posts we have seen regarding the referendum, we have forgotten to honor those from the other side who helped make our success possible. I would like to person- ally thank The Trails at Santiago and their admin, who consistently