Students, parents discuss racial tension in schools
Suit filed to stop school plan vote
Human Services director is appointed
District attorney, civil rights leader at odds on hiring
DA Totten's slap to Latino community
Red Ribbon Week honors slain DEA agent
Visionary plan for
Plan to split Oxnard is revised
Paul Felix,
Jim Hensley, along with Keith Moore was inaugurated into
office for a four-year term as Directors on the Board for the
Several guests attended the ceremony which included M.L. Peterson and Ramon
Flores Ph.D, both from the Ventura County Board of Education, Denis O'Leary
Oxnard School Board, Nina and David Rodriguez from the LULAC organization and Dr
Jon Ziv, outgoing CIB-CSC director was pleased to be part of the audience as his
commitment to his dentistry and numerous other civic organizations consume much
of his time. The ceremony ended and there was a short celebration and the board
commenced their monthly work session.
The Channel Islands Beach Community Service District is
comprised of Channel Islands and
Several years ago the community established a service board
known as the Channel Island Beach Community Service District Board, in order to
provide basic community services such as water, sewage, trash, public safety and
some oversight on the roads. They also act as the liaison between the people
that live there and the
For more information visit the CIB-CSD website:
http://www.channelislandsbeachcsd.com/ [Contact
point: Paul Felix 310-413-8358 email;
pafoxnard@hotmail.com]
Students,
parents discuss racial tension in schools
By Marjorie Hernandez, Ventura County Star
More than 50 students, parents and community members packed an Oxnard restaurant
this week to discuss reports of racial tension and profiling at their high
schools.
Members of the League of United Latin American Citizens and the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People organized the Tuesday night
forum at the Experimental Café to give people the chance to talk about race
relations between Latino and African-American students.
The two civil rights groups recently created a task force that has been
gathering complaints concerning incidents at campuses in the Oxnard Union High
School District.
"We've had some reports of racial fights from parents, teachers, counselors who
were afraid to say anything because they fear there might be retaliation from
the school district," said Guillermo Terrazas, LULAC's Oxnard and Camarillo
president.
LULAC and NAACP representatives said they plan to visit all schools in the
district. So far, they have visited only Oxnard High School.
"All of a sudden, we are labeled as that," Oxnard High Principal James Edwards
said of reports of racial tensions at his school. "I have been a principal here
for seven years. There is a level of frustration. When they visited and walked
out of here, their report was favorable."
Many parents and students at Tuesday's forum talked about a fight that occurred
at Oxnard High between African-American and Latino students. Some claimed 40 to
50 students were suspended as a result.
While the fight involved both groups, students said, administrators and campus
police officers targeted only Latino students.
"The career center was used as the ‘holding tank,'" said Oxnard High senior Amy
Aguilera. "Some of the kids had tears in their eyes. If this fight involved
African-American students and Latinos, why was only one group being attacked?"
Edwards gave a different account, saying the fight did not happen, but about 40
students were sent home for the day as a precaution. Their parents eventually
had to meet with administrators and counselors, Edwards said, but only two
students were suspended.
"I made a tough decision to get in the middle of what I thought could have
become a violent situation," Edwards said.
Students said Tuesday that tensions between Latino and African-American students
are evident. Some also said certain students are being wrongly profiled as gang
members.
"My son has definitely been stereotyped (as a gang member) because of his short
hair, but he has never been in trouble for anything before," said Leonor
Bennette, whose son attends Oxnard High.
No Oxnard Union district administrators attended Tuesday's meeting. Denis
O'Leary, LULAC's state chairman for education and an Oxnard Elementary School
District trustee, said administrators were invited.
Oxnard Union Superintendent Jody Dunlap, however, said she was not notified of
the meeting.
Former local NAACP President John R. Hatcher III said the task force plans to
hold more forums.
Dunlap said administrators welcome an open meeting with parents and students.
"We try very hard not to look at ethnicities and recognize kids come in all shapes and sizes," Dunlap said. "We are about respecting the rights of any individual, but when we get word that there might be a problem, we take whatever measures (are needed) to protect every individual on campus."
Human Services director is appointed
By Kathleen Wilson,
County personnel chief Barry Zimmerman was appointed Tuesday to head the Human
Services Agency, a move top managers said would bring "a positive change" to the
department serving some of the county's poorest and most vulnerable residents.
Zimmerman, 42, of
The agency is one of the largest in county government, employing about 1,000
people and administering more than a dozen programs, including food stamps,
welfare-to-work initiatives, child abuse and neglect investigations and a string
of job centers. Its budget totals $180 million annually.
Myers' resignation does not take effect until March 28, but the county's top
management called for Zimmerman to step in immediately and to be paid at the top
of the salary range, about $173,000 annually.
"This will allow Mr. Zimmerman immediate authority to address needed actions
with the pending budget and program activities for next fiscal year," says a
memo to the Board of Supervisors from County Executive Officer Johnny Johnston
and incoming CEO Marty Robinson. Although selections of high-level government
managers normally take months, supervisors said they needed to move swiftly with
Myers' departure coming in less than three weeks and the state budget crisis
looming.
Myers resigned a little more than a month after a closed-door evaluation by the
board on Jan. 29. The 21-year county employee said he wanted to pursue new
opportunities.
Zimmerman stood out as his successor because he was a strong manager in Human
Services, knows the myriad programs it offers and has a fiscal background,
Supervisor Kathy Long said.
Peter Foy, chairman of the board, said the board did not discuss any other
applicants. The appointment is one of relatively few that the CEO makes with the
concurrence of the board, which came Tuesday in a unanimous vote in closed
session.
"This was the CEO's recommendation," Foy said. "We went along with that."
Robinson said afterward that Zimmerman was the right fit for the job.
"This particular department is key," she said. "We want to be sure of the
leadership there. We focused on what we want to do next. The focus is going to
be quiet, competent delivery of services."
Critics said Myers was demanding and controlling, pointing to an exodus of
senior management over the years. But others said he had brought needed changes
to the mega-agency, including more accountability for results.
County officials said they did not believe an outside search was necessary
because of Zimmerman's strengths.
But a spokesman for the League of United Latin American Citizens said he was
troubled by the number of appointments county managers are making from within.
"Barry is a good choice, we think, because of his sensitivity toward
minorities," said David Rodriguez, state deputy director for LULAC. "But we're
right back to the same old buddy system, and the Board of Supervisors has done
nothing to stop that."
Rodriguez said he expected a local LULAC board to discuss the appointment at its
next meeting in April.
Officials acknowledged that county government does not have a single department
headed by a minority, although there are several deputy directors who are
minorities. Robinson declined to discuss in detail whether a search would have
resulted in minority applicants, saying only that the county has a good record.
National searches don't necessarily work, she said, adding
that the candidates can be unsuitable or unwilling to move to
Myers did not recommend anyone for the post and said he did not believe any of
his deputy directors were interested.
"I think it's an excellent choice," he said of Zimmerman. "He's worked for our
agency twice, he's a steady hand, very bright, familiar with our business."
Zimmerman graduated from
He was one of the finalists for chief of the agency in 2003, when the board
chose Myers instead. He left the agency in 2004 to handle benefits in the Human
Resources Department, then was named to the head job in human resources in 2006.
He also serves as a chief deputy executive officer in the CEO's office.
The low-key administrator said he hoped to be an effective leader in the Human
Services Agency. But he declined Tuesday to discuss his plans for the
department.
"I have ideas, but I don't want to prematurely give those out," he said.
Robinson approached him about taking the position last week after Myers tendered
his resignation, he said.
Myers said he did not know if he would take any leave before his resignation
takes effect. He said he expected to meet soon with Robinson and Zimmerman to
discuss the transition.
"Marty and Barry and I will be talking together about how it's going to work," he said.
District
attorney, civil rights leader at odds on hiring
By Raul Hernandez,
Feeling thwarted in his efforts to get Ventura County District Attorney Greg
Totten to hire more minorities, an official with a Latino civil rights group has
started lobbying county supervisors to shake up county government's hiring
offices.
David Rodriguez, state deputy director of the League of United Latin American
Citizens, accuses Totten of dragging his feet about fulfilling 5-year-old
promises to hire and promote more Latinos and minorities, especially in top
positions.
Totten adamantly rejects the accusation, although he says he isn't satisfied
with the diversity of his office or the legal profession as a whole.
"I've run a good office," Totten said in an interview. "I've run a diverse
office that I've tried to make more representative of this community."
County figures show his office hired 28 minority-group members in the past three
years, or 42 percent of the total hires by the district attorney during 2005-07.
Latinos alone were 42 percent of Totten's total hires in 2006, but last year
they slipped to 21 percent, according to county records.
U.S. Census figures for
'Means a fair
playing field'
In February, Rodriguez and other LULAC representatives met with county
Supervisor Kathy Long to pitch the idea of putting most of the county
government's human-resources offices under one roof.
That way, Rodriguez said, there would be more accountability and closer scrutiny
in the hiring practices of each department.
He also wants a professional hiring operation, not what he calls a "good old
boys" political system run by Totten and his managers.
"That doesn't mean a quota system," Rodriguez said. "That means a fair playing
field for everyone."
Rodriguez said Long seemed receptive.
"She made a commitment to work with us," he said after the meeting with Long
last month.
Long didn't return phone calls seeking her comments.
Rodriguez said he is scheduling meetings with other members of the Board of
Supervisors to discuss LULAC's concerns. He said he also plans to meet this
month with the county's new top manager, County Executive Officer Marty
Robinson, who will officially start in that position later this month.
Barry Zimmerman, director of the
The rest of the 29 offices are part of the county's main Human Resources
Division, where Zimmerman works.
"I have no supervision or authority over those departments," Zimmerman said,
adding that he hopes they adhere to county policies and standards.
'Whole thing
saddens me'
Over the past five years, Rodriguez said, LULAC, the nation's largest Latino
civil rights organization, met with Totten and his staff five times to discuss
hiring and promotion issues. Rodriguez said he met twice with Totten, who was
first elected in 2002 and re-elected two years ago.
Rodriguez contends that qualified Latinos, minorities and even some whites have
been turned down.
One of the key issues, according to Rodriguez, is the district attorney's
failure to hire more Latino lawyers, even though Latinos and other minorities
have been hired for other jobs in the District Attorney's Office.
According to figures provided by Totten, his office has hired 31 attorneys since
he became district attorney. Of those new hires, 28.3 percent were minorities,
he said.
Also, Totten has promoted 16 attorneys, of which 37.5 percent were minorities,
according to his figures.
"We are making steady progress in making the DA's Office more diverse, and I
will continue our efforts to achieve that goal," Totten said. "But I am not
going to be intimidated by someone who makes allegations that are not true."
He said his hiring record speaks for itself.
"This whole thing saddens me, honestly," said Totten,
adding that he is married to a
He said he understands that his marriage to a
Arranged for a
mediator
Rodriguez said combining all county departments' human-resources activity in a
single office would save taxpayers money and help assure that qualified people
are being given the opportunity to apply for jobs.
Rodriguez arranged for a mediator from the U.S. Department of Justice to get
involved last year, but Totten has declined to participate in mediation sessions
with Rodriguez.
"To have mediation work, both sides have to be acting in good faith, and I don't
believe that's what's occurring here," Totten said. Also, he said, some Hispanic
leaders support him on this issue and advised him not to go through mediation.
Rodriguez readily admits that he doesn't represent the views of all Latinos.
"I never said LULAC did, nor do we want to," Rodriguez said.
Totten said he has increased the percentage of minorities in his office from 31
percent to 34 percent, including an increase in black employees from 1.9 percent
to 3.4 percent, and Latinos from 22.7 percent to 25.2 percent.
The employees include office assistants, investigators, victim advocates,
paralegals and attorneys. Of the 85 lawyers, seven are Latino.
Law firms can
pay more
Totten said his office hires law school graduates. However, he said, it is
difficult to hire minority law school graduates because they are recruited
aggressively by law firms that can pay much more than the District Attorney's
Office.
"It's a real challenge for us to be able to recruit people who want to work for
us at a starting salary of about $50,000 when they can go to a downtown law firm
and make more than twice that," Totten said.
He said his office's percentages are higher than the
statewide averages for lawyers, according to State Bar figures showing that 3.7
percent of
Rodriguez said he has grown tired of Totten's statements about the office's
progress. During separate gatherings of the Mexican American Bar Association and
LULAC five years ago, Totten's remarks about hiring more Latinos and minorities
were even met by applause from the audience, said Rodriguez.
"Mr. Totten came to the Hispanic community and made several promises to us right
after his election that there would be significant changes in the DA's Office,"
Rodriguez said. "His statements to me have been Give me time. Give me time, and
give me more time.'"
One minority
judge
Totten points out that race can't be a factor in hiring decisions at his office.
Rodriguez agrees. "We don't want him to hire unqualified minorities or people,"
he said. "That's not our issue." He said most of those who are victims or
defendants in the county's criminal and civil justice system are Hispanic or
other minorities.
A criminal justice system where Latinos and other minorities see only white
faces meting out justice and prosecuting them is perceived by many minorities as
being unfair and unjust, said Rodriguez.
He noted that there are 28
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Arturo Gutierrez retired last month, leaving
only one minority judge on the county bench, Judge Manuel Covarrubias.
DA Totten's slap to Latino community
By David M. Rodriguez,
Ventura County District Attorney Gregory Totten has
recently taken action to legally prevent Judge Arturo Gutierrez, a
well-respected
California Superior Court judges are appointed by the governor and are not
required to follow the whim of prosecutors. They are, however, required to
exercise good judgment, judicial discretion and an understanding of law in
trying and sentencing offenders. Like any other attorney, the district attorney
should always show utmost respect for the court.
In speaking with several local attorneys regarding Judge Gutierrez, all praised
his experience, impartiality and temperament. To his credit, he served the
community well by volunteering to calendar many of the cases Mr. Totten is
complaining about. This was part of a plan agreed to by both the court and the
DA to reduce a backlog in cases.
To our surprise, Mr. Totten fails to recognize a basic element of our court
system. It requires some independence between courts and prosecutors. This
enables judges to make decisions based on law and procedure, free from any
outside interference.
Simply stated, prosecutors should prosecute and judges should judge. The public
should be wary of any prosecutor who also attempts to play the role of judge.
The League of United Latin American Citizens believes there is more to this than
meets the eye. Mr. Totten's criticism doesn't make any sense. After all, like
any other prosecutor, the district attorney is free to appeal any decision he
doesn't agree with.
This political posturing should be seen for what it is — an
attempt to influence the appointment of
County residents are well-served by many excellent judges. However, as trusted
advocates for the Latino community for more than 78 years, LULAC encourages
diversity in future appointments. The community's rich diversity of
African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics and others also have something to
contribute to the justice system, given the opportunity to serve.
Mr. Totten's act of disrespect toward Judge Gutierrez is the latest item in a
growing list of reasons as to why Ventura County Latinos should not trust him to
prosecute offenders fairly or administer the DA's office in a manner that
promotes a fair hiring and promotion process.
His attempt to sully Judge Gutierrez's reputation is one more slap in the face
of the Latino community and its leadership. Taking into account the unfulfilled
election-time promises Totten made to Latino leaders, the discriminatory
practices LULAC has had to frequently take him to task for, and the zero percent
of Hispanic and African-American administrators in his office, this latest
misstep is more unwelcome news for many of us who honored him with our vote.
Mr. Totten has some explaining to do to the community as to his motive for this
undeserved rebuke of a respected judge. Both Judge Gutierrez and the community
deserve an apology.
— David M. Rodriguez, of
Racial tension on campuses inspires local groups to act
Task force formed to probe reports
By Marjorie Hernandez ,
Two civil rights organizations have formed a task force to
examine reported racial tensions between Latino and African-American students in
the
Representatives of the League of United Latin American Citizens and the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People said they have received a
growing number of calls from people about tension in the schools.
Task force members made an unannounced visit Wednesday
morning to
Denis O'Leary, LULAC's state chairman for education and an
"We want to diffuse any racial tension that exists, and we're going to implement
projects that will address that," O'Leary said.
"We're calling this alliance a partnership between the two civil rights groups,
and we will also meet with parents, students and elected officials and see if we
can build this bridge."
Edwards said the school has a zero-tolerance rule on racial threats or fights
among students.
He said there are fights on campus from time to time, but none he would
necessarily define as racially motivated.
"My black kids and my brown kids get along just fine," Edwards said. "We're
better than that. We are a family. We do have kids who might put a spin on
things and have a certain agenda, but from our perspective, the campus is
relatively safe. We are a reflection of the community."
Oxnard High is one of the largest schools in
David Rodriguez, LULAC's state deputy director, said the group heard about a
recent argument on campus involving African-American and Latino students.
The incident was not racially motivated, but the task force will continue to
investigate it and talk to students and school officials to diffuse any
friction, Rodriguez said.
Ventura County NAACP President Regina K. Crawford and former president John R.
Hatcher III were part of Wednesday's visit. Crawford said she saw a diverse
group of students eating together during lunch, but she was concerned to see
evidence of self-segregation in some parts of the campus.
"The kids were very receptive to us ... but Oxnard High has its challenges," she
said. "We (NAACP and LULAC) are here on the same page."
County schools superintendent meets with LULAC
Jim Hensley
,
As the new superintendent for Ventura County Schools, Stan
Mantooth says he will be reaching out to community groups in order to hear
perspectives on the educational programs administered by the
Dave Rodriquez,
Four local chapters of the League of United Latin American
Citizens (LULAC) are sending 12 delegates and alternates to the organizations
national convention and exposition in
The local delegation of LULAC members include Oxnard School District Trustees
Denis OLeary and Dr. Debra DeVries.
Retired school counselor Crespin Solarez said he is looking
forward to the resources available at the convention to plan for a Military
Veterans conference in
Presidential Candidates Sen. Barrack Obama and Sen. John McCain will be in
attendance along with Sen. Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao,
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez.
In addition, a strong congressional delegation from California will also
participate in various convention events including; Rep. Javier Becerra, Rep.
Lucille Roybal Allard, Rep. Hilda Solis, Rep. Grace Napolitano, and Rep. Joe
Baca
LULAC State Deputy Director Dave Rodriguez said participation by Hispanic voters
in the November election may hold the key to victory for both Obama and McCain.
They must be willing to listen and address issues important to our community
nationwide Rodriguez said. Obama will conduct an Open Dialog Session with
members and McCain will be the keynote speaker at the LULAC Unity Luncheon.
For LULAC information contact Dave Rodriquez, Deputy State Director,
805-861-3100 or
venturalulac@hotmail.com
Suit filed to
stop school plan vote
Group opposes
regional election on unification
By Cheri Carlson,
After years of debate at the local level, the state Board of Education ruled
last month that the unification proposal should be allowed to go to a ballot.
If approved by voters, the plan would allow about 3,000
But while unification proponents wanted only
After the state decision, Weis by law must call for an election. He did that
Tuesday, asking the county clerk to put a measure on the November ballot.
Citizens for a
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs charge that the state board
went against its past practice by expanding the election area to include
residents outside of the proposed
And, they said, the state board did so on the basis of race, which they called
"a single, predominant and impermissible factor."
A significant portion of Oxnard Union's nonminority
students would be removed from its schools if
Fairness is
challenged
"My only goal for the last decade has been to get this issue to a vote, a fair
vote," said Roger Lund, a plaintiff and member of Camarillo Unified, which is
paying for the lawsuit through private donations.
The group has said
A local committee set the area of election as solely
State board Executive Director Deb Merle said Thursday that she had yet to see
the lawsuit and declined to comment.
"We think this is a lot of trouble for nothing," said Dave
Rodriguez, state deputy director for LULAC. In the group's view,
"Our position is that Camarillo Unified allowed race to be an issue by excluding
thousands of Latino voters," Rodriguez said. "They inserted the matter of race
in this decision."
Districts on
opposite sides
None of the involved districts were listed as plaintiffs or
defendants in the suit. Officials from both Oxnard Union and
They have taken opposite views on unification and the area
of election. While
Pleasant Valley Superintendent Luis Villegas said Thursday
that he supported the local committee's decision to allow only
Oxnard Union Superintendent Jody Dunlap, however, said officials of her district
supported the state board expanding the election area because they believe
unification would affect all their residents. With the issue headed to a
November ballot, Dunlap said she was pleased there could be some closure soon.
The lawsuit, she said, "seems to prolong this unnecessarily."
DA Totten's slap to Latino community
By David M. Rodriguez,
Ventura County District Attorney Gregory Totten has
recently taken action to legally prevent Judge Arturo Gutierrez, a
well-respected
California Superior Court judges are appointed by the governor and are not
required to follow the whim of prosecutors. They are, however, required to
exercise good judgment, judicial discretion and an understanding of law in
trying and sentencing offenders. Like any other attorney, the district attorney
should always show utmost respect for the court.
In speaking with several local attorneys regarding Judge Gutierrez, all praised
his experience, impartiality and temperament. To his credit, he served the
community well by volunteering to calendar many of the cases Mr. Totten is
complaining about. This was part of a plan agreed to by both the court and the
DA to reduce a backlog in cases.
To our surprise, Mr. Totten fails to recognize a basic element of our court
system. It requires some independence between courts and prosecutors. This
enables judges to make decisions based on law and procedure, free from any
outside interference.
Simply stated, prosecutors should prosecute and judges should judge. The public
should be wary of any prosecutor who also attempts to play the role of judge.
The League of United Latin American Citizens believes there is more to this than
meets the eye. Mr. Totten's criticism doesn't make any sense. After all, like
any other prosecutor, the district attorney is free to appeal any decision he
doesn't agree with.
This political posturing should be seen for what it is — an
attempt to influence the appointment of
County residents are well-served by many excellent judges. However, as trusted
advocates for the Latino community for more than 78 years, LULAC encourages
diversity in future appointments. The community's rich diversity of
African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics and others also have something to
contribute to the justice system, given the opportunity to serve.
Mr. Totten's act of disrespect toward Judge Gutierrez is the latest item in a
growing list of reasons as to why Ventura County Latinos should not trust him to
prosecute offenders fairly or administer the DA's office in a manner that
promotes a fair hiring and promotion process.
His attempt to sully Judge Gutierrez's reputation is one more slap in the face
of the Latino community and its leadership. Taking into account the unfulfilled
election-time promises Totten made to Latino leaders, the discriminatory
practices LULAC has had to frequently take him to task for, and the zero percent
of Hispanic and African-American administrators in his office, this latest
misstep is more unwelcome news for many of us who honored him with our vote.
Mr. Totten has some explaining to do to the community as to his motive for this
undeserved rebuke of a respected judge. Both Judge Gutierrez and the community
deserve an apology.
— David M. Rodriguez, of
Red Ribbon Week honors slain DEA agent
By Denis O'Leary,
Across
Different fun activities have been enjoyed each day of the week, such as
crazy-socks day, crazy-hair day or red-shirt day. Children were given small
trinkets with the Red Ribbon Week theme. During the second half of the week, a
public display of the certificates or ribbons on a school fence declared to the
neighborhood that the school is drug-free.
We can hope the school is truly drug-free. We can always hope the students will
not be affected directly or indirectly from the plight of drugs and alcohol when
away from school.
Unfortunately, the chants of, "Say no to drugs!" are just that. Many children go
home to older siblings, parents or others who may have answered differently when
given the opportunity. Students often live in the world of teachers, structured
schedules and classroom chants, as well as a world outside the control of
accountable public instruction.
Red Ribbon Week did not appear in our schools after a concerned awakening by the
citizenry nor after a sound bite given by Nancy Reagan.
The yearly pledges actually started as a tribute to fallen DEA Special Agent
Enrique Camarena, who died after being tortured by a drug cartel in Mexico.
Having graduated from college, Camarena served in the U.S. Marines with honors
and became a police officer. Upon joining the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration, his mother tried to talk him out it. "I can't not do this," he
told her. "I'm only one person, but I want to make a difference."
The DEA sent Camarena to work undercover in Mexico investigating a major drug
cartel. Feb. 7, 1985, the 37-year-old Camarena left his office to meet his wife
for lunch. Five men appeared at the agent's side and shoved him into a car. One
month later, Camarena's body was found in a shallow grave. He had been tortured
to death.
Within weeks of his death, Camarena's high-school friend Henry Lozano launched
Camarena Clubs. Hundreds of club members pledged to lead drug-free lives to
honor the sacrifices made by Camarena and others on behalf of all Americans.
To honor Camarena's memory, friends and neighbors began to wear red ribbons.
This week, children sat in cafeterias throughout Ventura County and the nation.
They were led in a chant and later showed their ribbons and pledges to their
parents. I hope they also know about the name of a DEA special agent who gave
his life while trying to make a difference.
— Denis O'Leary, of Oxnard, is a teacher in the Rio School District and an Oxnard School District trustee.
Visionary plan for
Secession from
By Jonathan Ziv and Keith Moore
,
Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are
certain to miss the future.
— President John F. Kennedy
A proposal to form the
Two public meetings have been well-attended and many have offered to help
develop the support to proceed with this initiative by 2010.
Councilmanic districts
A notable feature of the
Its recent inclusion was primarily a political decision and
provides local control, concentrates city services closer to local revenue
sources, and protects the coastal resources of
When LULAC officials heard that South Oxnard would be
included and that Latinos could find an avenue of increased political
opportunity in the
Opponents seem to be confused by the concept. Former Mayor Lopez warns,
"Attempting to circumvent (the status quo) process radically creates chaos."
Well, Save Our Agriculture Resources, for example, was a
"radical" idea fought aggressively by opponents of change, and we and our
children in
Despite all the opposition and derision by opponents, including The Star, SOAR
was overwhelmingly embraced by the forward-thinking voters because voters are
pretty smart people when given the time and facts to consider a new idea.
The proposed city is also a visionary concept that we are betting will resound
with the voters and that will similarly improve the quality of life of current
and future residents.
Mr. Launius, an opponent who lives in
Not a joke to us
Well, maybe it's a joke to Mr. Launius, but the continued
record of ignoring South Oxnard and its largely Latino community by the city of
Oxnard is no joke to us.
Mr. Sotelo also chose to attack the idea of including South
Oxnard in the
Well, thank you, Mr. Sotelo! That's exactly what Channel
Islands proponents are promoting, and we ask: Why is
We view inclusion of all residents in the coastal area a positive feature —
especially if they are better-represented.
Note also the
We trust a visionary idea to create two smaller, more
efficient and more locally controlled city governments out of one unwieldy
megacity will appeal to our intelligent voting population. The
As noted in The Star's recent articles, it appears very
clear that the remaining city of
To learn more about the proposed special reorganization and
its benefits to residents of both future cities, go to
www.channelislandsbeach.us.
— Jonathan Ziv and Keith Moore, of Oxnard, are members of the Channel Islands Beach Cityhood Formation Group.
Howry: Forming a
Tale of one metropolis
By Joe Howry,
It's hard not to be skeptical about the proposal to split
Jonathan Ziv, a Channel Islands Beach Community Services
District board member who is championing the proposal, recognized the potential
public-relations nightmare of the original proposal and quickly revised it to
make it more palatable. Ziv offered the revision after speaking with local
members of the League of United Latin American Citizens. Apparently enlightened
by this discussion and seeing the merit of including Latino neighborhoods in the
Despite the magnanimity of Ziv's offer to include Latino neighborhoods, LULAC
members weren't convinced and haven't taken a position on the proposal. Those
who have, however, are convinced the proposal is wholly without merit and say it
would be devastating to the city.
Oxnard City Manager Ed Sotelo not only raised questions
about Ziv's motive for including Latino neighborhoods, but also expressed grave
concerns about how the
Ziv and his supporters say the
No matter how Ziv and the other supporters of this proposal
try to dress up this dog, it smacks of arrogance and elitism. Most likely, it
has little chance of going anywhere, even with the heavy financial backing of
Ziv and his friends. What it does do, though, is perpetuate the perception of
There is another presence ready to emerge from
While the other nine cities in the county have severely
restricted their growth potential,
It has long been great sport in the county to make fun of
Those who believe that growth is bad will continue to look
down their noses at
The vision of a
Plan to split Oxnard is revised
New Channel Islands Beach proposal to be discussed this week
By Charles Levin, Ventura County Star
A revised proposal to create Ventura County's 11th city would split Oxnard in
two, cutting off a swath of land that includes million-dollar homes at Mandalay
Beach and Latino neighborhoods near Hueneme Road.
Under a new proposed map, the city of Channel Islands Beach would offer more
direct representation to south Oxnard's Latino community, said Jonathan Ziv, a
Channel Islands Beach Community Services District board member who is
spearheading the proposal.
Supporters argue a new city would give residents more control over traffic,
development, police and fire services without raising taxes. They say harbor
services suffer from "confusing, overlapping and deleterious jurisdiction and
oversight."
On Monday, Ziv said he adjusted the proposed map after speaking with local
members of the League of United Latin American Citizens. "So I decided to
include them," Ziv said of south Oxnard.
Oxnard City Manager Ed Sotelo delivered a harsh opinion Monday. By going after
largely poor, minority neighborhoods, proponents can boast they're not
discriminating, he said.
"But it paints a vicious scar right through the middle of our city, and I think
it's devastating," Sotelo said.
He and others continue to question how the proposed city would finance police,
fire and other essential government services. In addition, splitting Oxnard in
two could wreak confusion on where to locate services such as police and fire
stations, Sotelo said.
An initial proposal in June called for a new city that combines unincorporated
communities, including Hollywood Beach and Channel Islands Harbor, with the
western half of Oxnard, from Mandalay Beach to Ventura Road and north to River
Ridge.
The revised map reaches into the city's southeast corridor, taking neighborhoods
south of Wooley Road down to Hueneme Road, near Oxnard College and into proposed
development areas near Ormond Beach.
121,000 for new city
The new city would have more residents, roughly 121,000, than what would be left
in Oxnard, about 72,000. Ziv said Oxnard would catch up in time, based on its
proposed development plans.
He said LULAC officials emphasized a need to create districts with direct
representation on a new city council, as opposed to the at-large system used by
Oxnard.
Denis O'Leary, LULAC's immediate past director, said Monday that Ziv raised
concerns about racial balance in the initial proposal.
But the civil rights organization did not recommend that south Oxnard be
included, said David Rodriguez, director of LULAC's local chapter. LULAC has not
taken a position on the proposal.
Proponents will discuss the revised map at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in a community
meeting at Casa Sirena Hotel, 3605 Peninsula Road.
Incorporation of a new city is a long process. Backers must get petition
signatures from at least 25 percent, or 8,750, of registered voters in the
proposed city area.
The Local Agency Formation Commission then would conduct a financial analysis to
determine whether the new city could sustain itself and not drain Oxnard's
ability to provide services.
2010 elections
If approved by LAFCO, the plan would go to voters in Oxnard and the new city
area in separate elections, possibly in 2010.
Ziv said his group would bankroll its financial analysis before soliciting
signatures.
"If this new city cannot support itself, that would be the end of it," Ziv said.
"I wouldn't be going forward if a number of consultants had not opined that this
city is financially valid on its face."
Ziv declined to name the consultants.
Ziv said he has gotten "generally positive" feedback from most neighborhood
council leaders in south Oxnard after notifying them of Wednesday's meeting. He
declined to name the leaders.
Shirley Godwin, chairwoman of the Saviers Road Design Team, which advocates for
south Oxnard neighborhoods, said her group has not taken a position. Ziv is
speaking to the group next week.
Joe Avelar, chairman of the Lemonwood Neighborhood Council, said his group has
rejected the cityhood idea.
"He's going to take the poor people and the poor homes into consideration,"
Avelar said of Ziv's proposal. "Before, he was going to take the pretty people
and the pretty homes in the nice-looking areas. I'm not impressed with it at
all."
Que no le vean la cara de primerizo
Por Daniela Ganoza, Mi Estrella
Nada representa mejor el sueño americano que una casa propia, resultado de
trabajo duro, ahorro y mantenimiento de historial crediticio satisfactorio.
Es una meta que debe llenar de orgullo a las familias, inmigrantes o no.
Sin embargo, para muchos este "sueño" se ha convertido en pesadilla, cuando
descubren que desconocen detalles específicos en sus contratos.
Tan sólo en el estado son cientos los casos en que se ofrece a los compradores
préstamos bajos en interés que al momento de firmar el contrato aumentan
dramáticamente.
En vista de que este problema afecta a muchas familias hispanas de clase media y
baja, la semana pasada en Port Hueneme, Marcos Rincón, director de la Comisión
Nacional de Vivienda de LULAC (Liga de Ciudadanos Latinoamericanos Unidos),
ofreció una conferencia con el propósito de prevenir, educar e informar a la
población acerca de lo que lo que deben hacer para mantener a salvo su hogar y
su sueño americano.
"Este es el primer paso en la organización de programas de
vivienda de LULAC en el Condado de Ventura", dijo Gil Guevara, vocero de la
organización. "La respuesta
Otros querían unirse porque ven los beneficios de
establecer una red de contactos con una organización
LULAC apoya la educación de los compradores o dueños de
casa primerizos, así
A mayor información, menor riesgo de convertirse en víctima de prestamistas
rapaces.
Otra parte del programa es la apertura de la primera "Clínica de prevención" de
ejecución hipotecaria en el condado, específicamente Port Hueneme, el 26 de
septiembre.
Otras semejantes son organizadas en el país.
Inmigración, la lucha no ha terminado
Por César Arredondo
, Mi Estrella
Tras la derrota de la propuesta migratoria en el Senado, algunos activistas
desean concentrar sus esfuerzos en dos iniciativas menos ambiciosas que podrían
ayudar a un número limitado de inmigrantes indocumentados.
La Ley de Desarrollo, Ayuda y Educación a Extranjeros Menores de Edad (DREAM Act
en inglés), legalizaría a miles de jóvenes sin papeles graduados en escuelas
estadounidenses.
La Ley de Seguridad, Beneficios y Oportunidades de Trabajos en la Agricultura o
AgJobs, legitimaría el estatus de miles de campesinos indocumentados que laboran
en sectores con gran demanda de mano de obra.
Ambas iniciativas se incorporaron a la fallida propuesta de ley apoyada por el
presidente George W. Bush, que murió en el Senado.
Grupos activistas insistirán para que los legisladores federales impulsen
reformas migratorias, aunque de menor alcance.
"La Cámara de Representantes tiene la oportunidad de demostrar valor y liderazgo
en la creación de una ley, sino integral, que responda a algunos de los asuntos
más apremiantes del país" como la Ley DREAM, dijo Nativo López de la Asociación
Política México Americana, en un comunicado.
"Exhortamos a la Cámara de Representantes a dar tratamiento
y no ignorar, temas de inmigración para que pueda servir a nuestras familias, la
seguridad y economía", dijo John Trasviña, presidente
La Liga de Ciudadanos Latinoamericanos Unidos (LULAC) pidió al Congreso
"comenzar de nuevo" tras el fracaso legislativo de fines de junio. "El Congreso
debe forjar una ley de apoyo mayoritario", dijo Rosa Rosales, presidenta
nacional de LULAC, en otro comunicado.
Los expertos concurren en que es improbable que el Senado o la Cámara de
Representantes retomen el tema migratorio antes de las elecciones presidenciales
de 2008.
"Algo bueno tenemos que sacar" de las protestas civiles,
dijo Alicia Flores de Hermandad Mexicana Transnacional de
Cada año se gradúan unos 65 mil estudiantes indocumentados
a nivel nacional, según la Asociación Americana de Abogados de Inmigración. Un
vocero local de LULAC calcula que en las escuelas
Según el Centro Hispano Pew, tan sólo en
Dispuestos presionar por una reforma migratoria integral,
los grupos activistas planean otra marcha en
"Se perdió una batalla pero no la guerra. Nadie dijo que
iba a ser fácil o que lograríamos la victoria de un día para otro", dijo
ENGLISH BOX
Groups to keep pressure on immigration reform
After the recent defeat of a Senate initiative to overhaul the immigration
system, pro-undocumented groups plan to keep pushing for immigration reform
proposals, including some that may benefit a much smaller number of immigrants
such as young students and farm workers.
Groups like the Mexican American Legal Defense and
Education Fund (MALDEF), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC),
the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) and Hermandad Mexicana
Transnacional of
Latino alliance holds convention in
By Gabriela Gonzalez,
For the first time, the League of United Latin American
Citizens will hold its statewide convention in
The theme of LULAC's 60th annual state convention is
"education, healthcare, equality, dignity and justice in our communities." The
three-day convention at a
One main topic will be immigrant students' educational rights, said Denis
O'Leary, a local district director for the Latino advocacy group.
"We believe in immigration reform that will help the
The first forum starts at 2 p.m. today and will focus on
the housing market. It will be moderated by Gil Guevara of
"We're going to talk about immigrant students' rights to attend state college,"
O'Leary said. The forum also will explore how the No Child Left Behind Act is
affecting immigrant students, and the myths and realities of English language
development programs.
The convention is at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel, 450 E. Harbor Blvd.,
Ventura.
It is open to the public. People can register at the door. The fee covering all three days is $100 for adults. For more information, visit http://www.calulac.org.
Let all vote on unification
Denis O'Leary and David Rodriguez,
The League of United Latin American Citizens is not opposed to the unification
of
An underlying argument for those in favor of unification has been that two new
high schools have been built in the last few years as
Looking at the votes from the measure, this bond would have failed had
At first, unification proponents wanted to be able to spend their share of the
building funds from measure H and to have the Oxnard Plain pay for
The arrogance on the part of many unification proponents has summarized the
proceedings. Many
LULAC believes that all students in every high school in the current OUHSD
deserve a good education in well-maintained environments. All students deserve
to fulfill the demands of the local and extended communities to graduate from
high school prepared to advance their educations and better our community.
Those who have spoken for unification seem to believe that they will lose if a
vote is given to all who live in the OUHSD. LULAC disagrees. If the issue is
solid, both districts will benefit. Taking the vote away from the entire
affected district will not allow for the details of the plan to be made public.
In fact, much of the plan has been speculation, at best. In many ways,
Less segregation according to race will advance both communities. An equitable
distribution of tax dollars to build an equitable educational system is fair and
is the law. Equal representation in the voting population is the foundation of
the democratic system on which this country is based. Excluding a vote or an
equitable education will take our entire society back.
LULAC asks that we be inclusive and that we all move forward together. Local
control should not exclude those who are locally impacted on the issue, but who
do not have the political clout shown by the unification proponents.
— Denis O'Leary, of
Benitez has been superintendent of the elementary district for eight years, but
she lost her majority support on the school board when Trustee George Perez was
defeated in the November election.
Since December, scores of people have turned out at board
meetings to protest what they believed were the possible dismissals of Benitez
and several principals in the elementary district serving El Rio and part of
Some were responding to a campaign of the League of United Latin American
Citizens, a civil rights organization that distributed leaflets in the area and
asked residents to prevent the firings. LULAC contends that any dissatisfaction
with the administrators is prompted by political rather than educational
reasons.
Critics of the administration say Benitez and the former school board were not
responsive to some parents' concerns and that turnover among teachers and
principals is too high. They also say test scores, which have improved
significantly over the past five years, are too low.
Eighth-graders scored at the 39th percentile in reading in
the spring of 2002, up from the 31st percentile five years ago. They scored at
the 41st percentile in math, up from the 29th percentile. The 50th percentile is
the national average, but
Trustees have been conducting performance reviews of the district's principals
in recent weeks.
Tonight marks the first time since the election that Benitez's evaluation has
been listed on the agenda.
Normally, the superintendent is evaluated in the summer. Her contract lasts
until 2006.
The meeting is scheduled at 6:45 p.m. in the district
administration building,
If any action is taken, it would be reported after the trustees go back into open session at 7:30 p.m.