Foothills Sentry March 2024

Page 3 Foothills Sentry MARCH 2024 VOTE YES! OUSD RECALL End Pay to Play Politics like the 25-year lease of Peralta End reckless spending pulling tax dollars from classrooms End the lies about OUSD staff and curriculum End mass staff exodus END CHAOS & CORRUPTION IN ORANGE UNIFIED OUSD Recall Parent led, teacher supported WE are OUSD. OUSDrecall.com Paid for by Citizens for the recall of Ledesma, Ortega, Miner & Rumsey FPPC#1458000 JOIN OUSD PARENTS & TEACHERS F REE A DMISSION ! O PPORTUNITY PRIZE DRAWINGS HOURLY ! [ Enter your prized plants, À owers, or À ower arrangements in our profes- sionally-judged show. [ Shop vendors’ booths, including our Sweet Shoppe and Plant Booth. [ Pause and refresh at our Garden Cafe. Pick up a light luncheon or a beverage & dessert. Information&Entry FormsAvailable at: TheWoman’sClubofOrange 121 S. Center St. More Info: www.womanscluboforange.org or call 714-836-5919 NonProfit License #95-1385689 All net proceeds bene À t WCO Charities [ Enjoy the plants and À oral arrange- ments on display from local gardens. Open to all Amateur Gardeners – No Entry Fee to Exhibit The Woman’s Club of Orange Presents 85th Annual Spring Flower Show 100Years of Roses Thursday, April 4, 2024 12 Noon to 4 PM it. “You didn’t do any due dili- JHQFH UHJDUGLQJ WKH FKDUWHU¶V ¿ nances,” Erickson pointed out. “They already owe us $1.5 mil- lion and have a $700,000 pay- ment due next month. We know WKH\ KDYH FDVK À RZ SUREOHPV OCCA claims that it will make improvements to the property us- LQJ LWV RZQ PRQH\ EXW LW ORRNV OLNH WKH\¶OO EH XVLQJ RXUV ´ It is apparent in the language of the agreement that OCCA will KDYH WR ERUURZ PRQH\ WR SD\ IRU the classroom trailers it intends to install on the property. The col- ODWHUDO IRU WKDW ORDQ ZLOO EH WKH license itself. If OCCA defaults on the loan, the mortgage holder will get the rights to the property. That third party can, in turn, ex- tend the license to a fourth par- ty to continue operating on the site. The agreement stresses that OUSD must approve any result- LQJ OLFHQVHH RU VXEVHTXHQW XVH RI the property. “We are giving them the right to mortgage our property,” Er- ickson advised. “That is a huge LVVXH :H ZRQ¶W EH DEOH WR OHDVH sell, or use that property.” Competing interests OCCA, it turns out, wasn’t the only game in town. Orange Lu- theran High School had, since ODVW -XQH EHHQ WDONLQJ WR GLVWULFW VWD൵ DERXW OHDVLQJ WKH SURSHUW\ for a sports complex that could EH XVHG E\ ERWK 2/X DQG 286' VWXGHQWV 7KDW VFKRRO VXEPLWWHG D IRUPDO SURSRVDO LQ 2FWREHU EXW LW QHYHU UHDFKHG WKH ERDUG 7UXVWHHV IRXQG RXW DERXW LW RQO\ ZKHQ WKH\ received an email from OLu’s president asking them to consider LWV SURSRVDO EHIRUH YRWLQJ RQ WKH OCCA agreement. The OLu pro- SRVDO KDV QHYHU EHHQ DFNQRZO edged or discussed in an open meeting. Santiago Community Col- lege (SCC) Board Trustee Tina $ULDV 0LOOHU DWWHQGHG WKH )HE PHHWLQJ WR WHOO WKH ERDUG WKDW LW too, was interested in the prop- erty. SCC, she said, would like to partner with OUSD and put a middle college school on the Per- alta site. A middle college school allows students to take advanced FRXUVHV DORQJ ZLWK UHTXLUHG KLJK VFKRRO FODVVHV HQDEOLQJ WKHP WR graduate with (or almost with) an $$ GHJUHH ³,W ZRXOG EH D JDPH changer for enrollment,” she said. “It’s good there are other in- WHUHVWV LQ WKH SURSHUW\ ´ D SXEOLF speaker remarked. “First OLu, now SCC. It’s time to look out IRU 286' DQG QRW WDNH WKH ¿ UVW ELWH \RX DUH R൵ HUHG %XW \RX ZLOO the OCCA lease seems predeter- mined.” Too little, too late “Now there’s a third competing ELG ´ DQRWKHU VSHDNHU REVHUYHG “You should pull as much value IURP WKH SURSHUW\ DV SRVVLEOH Have you asked why no one knew DERXW 2/X¶V FRPSHWLQJ R൵ HU" ,V it normal to allow leased land to EH FROODWHUDO IRU GHEW"´ $VNHG ZK\ WKH ERDUG ZRXOGQ¶W take the time to even consider those other options, John Ortega summarily dismissed them, say- ing, “All of a sudden, others are interested in Peralta. Where have WKH\ EHHQ IRU WKH SDVW WKUHH RU IRXU \HDUV"´ Rick Ledesma agreed. “Now it’s come up that this is an amaz- ing property,” he said. “This agreement is on a small portion of the property. There’s still 16 acres WKDW FDQ EH XVHG IRU RWKHU LGHDV And the money issue came up when we authorized this charter. :H ZHUH WROG WKH\¶G VRRQ EH RXW RI EXVLQHVV ,QVWHDG WKH\ KDYH WKULYHG , GRQ¶W WKLQN ¿ QDQFHV DUH an issue for them [OCCA].” Refuse to recuse Madison Miner’s children at- tend OCCA, and one of them ap- SHDUHG DW WKH ODVW ERDUG PHHWLQJ to urge a “yes” vote on the license agreement. Andrea Yamasaki QRWHG WKDW DQG UHDG WKH ERDUG E\ ODZV SHUWDLQLQJ WR FRQÀ LFW RI LQ terest. “No Board member shall participate in the making of any decision for the district when the GHFLVLRQ ZLOO RU PD\ EH Dৼ HFWHG E\ KLV KHU ¿ QDQFLDO IDPLO\ RU other personal interest or consid- HUDWLRQ ,Q DFFRUGDQFH ZLWK ODZ %RDUG PHPEHUV VKDOO DV QHFHV VDU\ DEVWDLQ IURP SDUWLFLSDWLQJ in the decision.“ She asked Miner to recuse her- self. “She doesn’t have to recuse,” Ortega thundered. “The attorney said she didn’t have to.” “I’m not saying she has to re- cuse,” Yamasaki responded. “I’m just asking her to. Her family will FOHDUO\ EHQH¿ W IURP WKLV YRWH ,W ZRXOG EH WKH ULJKW WKLQJ WR GR ´ “That’s enough,” Ortega shout- ed. “It’s legal. She doesn’t have to recuse.” $QD 3DJH EROVWHUHG <DPDVDNL¶V SRVLWLRQ QRWLQJ WKDW VKH KDG DE stained from decisions regarding Fletcher Elementary, where her FKLOGUHQ DWWHQG QRW EHFDXVH VKH ZDV FRPSHOOHG WR EXW WR DYRLG WKH SHUFHSWLRQ RI DQ\ FRQÀ LFW Regarding the new information DERXW 2/X¶V DQG 6&&¶V LQWHUHVW in Peralta, she said, “There’s a lot WR WKLQN DERXW ,V LW SODXVLEOH WKDW OCCA can open high school on WKHLU WLPH OLQH $XJXVW " :K\ LV WKLV YRWH DQ HPHUJHQF\" :H KDYH no legal prerogative to OK this. :H DUH D ERDUG WKDW VHUYHV VWXGHQWV in our district. I want to go on re- cord that this decision is rushed.” /HIW WR ULJKW (ONV /LVD $FNHUPDQ -& &RUWH] DQG 2&+6 3UHVLGHQW &DU RO 6XPPR Elks door opens to the community The Orange Community His- WRULFDO 6RFLHW\ VWRSSHG E\ 2UDQJH (ONV /RGJH WR ¿ QG RXW ³ZKDW LV EHKLQG WKH VHFUHW GRRU´ WKDW LV open to Elks and their guests. The Orange Elks hosted the Or- ange Community Historical Soci- HW\ 2&+6 IRU EUXQFK DQG D WRXU of the historic lodge. The OCHS SURYLGHG LQIRUPDWLRQ DERXW WKH &LW\ RI 2UDQJH (ONV PHPEHUV SUHSDUHG DQG VHUYHG EUHDNIDVW and explained the lodge's role in the community and the projects in oversees. The Orange Community His- torical Society was kind enough to donate $200 to the Lodge. See "OUSD Board" continued from page 1 OPAWL garage sale slated The Orange Park Acres Wom- en's League will hold a fundrais- ing garage sale, March 9 and 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 7229 Clydesdale. Proceeds from the sale of clothing, housewares, fur- QLWXUH DQG DQWLTXHV ZLOO EHQH¿ W WKH league's community programs.