The Importance of Transparency

Politics is about the free and open discussion of ideas.  While much of the focus is often on disagreement, a healthy community should welcome varying views about the best path to get to our shared common goals.  But when there are disagreements over process or even the end point, it is particularly important that ideas are shared openly and fairly.

In the 2012 election cycle, there was a shadow group from Arizona that dumped millions of dollars into California's political cycle in order to defeat Proposition 30 and support Proposition 32.  They created the group in order to hide who was really funding their political activities.  California's Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) stepped up and sued them for not publicly disclosing their funding sources and filing the appropriate reports.  Fortunately, California law is clear and the group was found in violation. 

Currently in Berryessa, there is a small group of people who are intent on undermining the district's attempt to raise revenue the Board and District believe is desperately needed to bring our facilities up to 21st century standards, ensure a safe and secure learning environment, and offer modern technology to our students.  There is nothing wrong with legitimate debate about whether or not the district needs the community to provide this investment and the best way to structure any bonds.  However, this group of individuals began leaving leaflets on cars in front of schools and placing ads in local newspapers without any identifying information.

The materials contain unknown group names such as "Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education" and "Coalition Advisory Committee on Fiscal Reform."  State campaign law says that such groups must file paperwork with the state so that interested parties can find out who is funding them, if they are advocating for or against ballot measures or candidates.  

When no such paperwork was found, I filed a private complaint with the FPPC to try to shed light on these groups.  The FPPC has informed me that the anonymous nature of these groups' activities would be a violation of California election law once there is an actual ballot measure placed on the ballot.  Since the Board has not yet decided whether to place a bond measure on the ballot, there is no transparency required by any groups campaigning against the district.  They encouraged me to refile my complaint once the district takes action to place a bond on the ballot, if anonymous political activity continues.

While there may not yet be any violation of the letter of the law, there is no question that the spirit of the law has not been met in this case.  I will continue to advocate for transparency in all political activity in our community.  I welcome all public discussion of the issues surrounding the district's need for a bond measure, but the public should know who is behind all sides of the debate.

Kevin Costello Explains Why Berryessa Needs a New Bond

At this week's Board Meeting, community member and retired teacher/counselor Kevin Costello gave an impassioned speech about the district's need for a bond measure.  He ran out of time to complete the entire message, so I am posting it in its entirety here.  Thanks Kevin for always being there for the students of Berryessa. 

"I have been serving the district continuously since 1975 as a teacher, counselor, and now a community member.  I am currently serving on the Measure W oversight committee and the steering committee for the new bond measure.  When I retired, Jack Owens said he had one more gift for me after he gave me the bell...  He gave me a ream of paper representing all the grievances I filed against the district.  If the district was doing something wrong I was there to challenge the status quo and when it is doing something right I'm there to stand by her and that's why I'm here tonight.

"I support your efforts to pass a new bond to improve the infrastructure of our aging schools and bring more security and upgrades to enhance the learning of our children.  When I transferred to Morrill in 1991 I found that the school was in poor shape...  Original carpets still there from 1972, all the classrooms were in need of paint.  The water from all the spickets ran a rusty color.  There was no gym so no home games as the indoor basketball court was in the multi-use room and too small.  We'd get hand me down furniture from companies that went belly up for our library and offices.  

"Then, a couple of years later my wife transferred over to Morrill from Vinci Park with her principal and a couple of others.  Now my wife was a new teacher mentor and so when the new teachers came at the beginning of each new school year well we'd jump in and paint their classrooms with an off-white color of hope.  (One year we got 6 new teachers so I got pretty good with a paint roller.) The principal asked me to build a couple of walls in the library to make a computer lab.  Did I mention that the roof leaked for a number of years on those worn out old brown carpets?   

"Finally the district decided to have a measure G for infrastructure improvement so I got on the committee and was hopeful that finally we would get some needed improvements.  But dog gone it if some community members were opposed to improving our schools for this reason or that.  Well a couple more years passed and the district tried for another bond Measure B and it passed but it cost the community an extra 2 million dollars.  But at least we'd get some needed improvements.  And we did!  We got all fixed up, a new gym, new carpet, fresh paint, heating and air conditioning that worked, and a new roof.  One year our API shot up 64 points!

"Let's fast forward now to 2014 deja vu.  Same players trying to sabotage your efforts to make the schools safer and ensure the future of our children and improve the quality of our community.  

"When I was a counselor a key component was confidentiality.  But you know there is another side to that coin.  Do you know what it is?  It's the duty to warn.  And that's why I'm here tonight.  Look at the private schools Challenger, Merryhill, Milpitas Christian.  All fenced.  Since the Sandy Hook tragedy of Dec. 2012 (14 months ago) there have been another 28 school shootings.

"And in every community they all said "how could this happen here?"  Could it happen here?  It already has.  Do you know you Al Joseph Deguzman is?  He went to Morrill but is best known for being the De Anza bomber.  Even though he was stopped it already happened here.  Do we really have a choice in making our schools safer today?

"Opposition to the new bond will only support the vandals, the thieves, the arsonists, and the intruders that prey upon our open school campuses.  This past year 6 cars were broken into at Noble, a homeless man was using the bathroom at Cherrywood, park users were using the bathroom at Majestic Way and at Summerdale there was an intruder.  

"I would like to invite anyone who is opposed to this new bond measure to sit down with me and the Superintendent and have a few cups of tea.  I'd like to share with them some of the stories I have of protecting our campus at Morrill for 20 years.  I'll tell them about the intruders I've dealt with.  The vandalism I've seen.  I'll tell them about the arsonist I helped apprehend and a number of graffiti cases I solved. 

"I'm tired of our schools being sitting ducks.  Tired of our teachers getting their cars ripped off while they are teaching our children, tired of having our trees cut down, our classrooms, burned, our roof tops the campsites of the homeless, our metal stair railings stolen in the middle of the night.  I'm tired of the graffiti that our children must see after a long weekend or school break.  I'm tired of homeless men panhandling parents in our parking lots as they drop students off, I'm tired of the lame excuses used by intruders when they speak to the police about why they were on our campuses.  Book 'em Dano.  There should be a no tolerance law for intruders so they spend at least one night in jail thinking about their poor judgement.  

"The times we live in dictate adding a blanket of security to our schools and providing what's needed to ensure our students can compete with the rest of the global community.  

"Finally, there are community watchdogs and puppy dogs.  

"Watchdogs
 - Sit and listen to the pack for long periods of time
 - Respected by the pack and usually win elections easily
 - Keen observers with one eye always fixed on the big picture
 - Know the culture of their community
 - When they act it's decisive
 - They engage in oversight as a matter of routine

"Puppy Dogs
 - Come late and leave early
 - Nip at the watchdogs to gain attention
 -  Usually have a singular focus
 - Don't know the whole culture of their community
 - When they do act it is usually rebuked
 - Find fault with oversight but never serve on oversight committees

"I hope this community appreciates the great watchdogs they have, and I hope that the community comes together and wises up about the culture that preys on our schools, and I hope the community acts in a decisive way to build up our schools and our community.  We can do this and we should do this.  

So community wake up, wise up, and stand up for our schools and support this needed Bond Measure."