ACLU ACCUSES SDSU OF ILLEGALLY WITHHOLDING DOCUMENTS ON ADMISSIONS POLICY CHANGE
Printer-friendly version December 18, 2009 (San Diego) – The ACLU says San Diego State University has delivered an "empty Christmas present", turning over incomplete records in response to a public documents request. Now the ACLU has sent a demand letter on behalf of the Education Consortium demanding full disclosure. In an effort to better understand who SDSU consulted with prior to eliminating the local admissions guarantee, the Education Consortium submitted a public records act request in October. What they got back was over 2,000 pages that failed to include significant documents encompassed in the request, according to a press release issued by the ACLU. Chief among the missing documents are records of an enrollment management plan and any consultation with the CSU Chancellor’s Office or SDSU’s Enrollment Management Advisory Council (EMAC) prior to eliminating the local guarantee. “The only mention of the local guarantee that we see in the records occurs after President Weber announced he was eliminating it on September 21, 2009,” stated Leo Carrillo, the lead organizer for the Education Consortium. “It’s hard to believe there was no plan and no consultation, and even harder to believe there are no records of them.” “CSU policy requires the university to form a long-range plan that, among other things, addresses service to the local area. It also requires the university to consult with both the Chancellor’s Office and with EMAC before it changes the admissions rules abruptly. Otherwise, SDSU must give the public 12 months notice,” said Dr. Isidro Ortiz, who was instrumental in negotiating the 2002 CSU policy and served on the EMAC for several years. Now Vice Chair of the Education Consortium, Dr. Ortiz added, “We, like the San Diego school board and many others throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties, are very concerned that SDSU changed the rules of the game without consulting the appropriate people and without giving high school seniors adequate time to prepare.” Alleging that SDSU unlawfully withheld documents, the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties has sent a demand letter asking for the full disclosure of documents. “Access to information is a fundamental right,” stated David Blair-Loy, legal director for the ACLU. “It is especially important on an issue such as the elimination of the local guarantee, which has a significant impact on the community.” Printer-friendly version
$15 MILLION AVAILABLE FOR FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS, COUNTY ANNOUNCES
Printer-friendly versionMany East County communities are on list of eligible areas December 18, 2009 (San Diego) -If you’re a first-time homebuyer, you may be able to take advantage of state funds awarded to the County of San Diego Department of Housing and Community Development. The department received $15 million for the Mortgage Credit Certificate, or MCC, program, in addition to almost $11 million awarded to Housing and Community Development earlier this year. An MCC allows eligible homebuyers to reduce their federal income tax by up to 20 percent of the annual interest paid on a mortgage loan. With less being paid in taxes, the buyer’s net earnings increase, enabling that person to more easily qualify for a mortgage loan. Homebuyers must meet certain qualifications to participate in the program. Among them, buyers cannot earn more than $109,020 annually for a family of three or more, and not more than $94,800 annually for a family of two or less. The limits are higher if buyers purchase home in specially designated areas. The purchased home must be the buyer’s primary residence, and an MCC may only be used to purchase single-family detached homes, condominiums, townhomes and manufactured homes on a permanent foundation. The property to be purchased must be located within an unincorporated area of San Diego County, or in the cities of Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Coronado, El Cajon, Encinitas, Escondido, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, Poway, San Marcos, Santee, or Vista. The cities of San Diego and Oceanside operate their own individual MCC programs. Interested homebuyers apply for the program through a mortgage lender. For information, please visit the County of San Diego Housing and Community Development Web site, or contact Bonnie Petrach at (858) 694-4810 or bonnie.petrach@sdcounty.ca.gov. Printer-friendly version
SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT: VOCAL COMPETITION AT SDSU JAN. 30 OFFERS $2,000 TOP PRIZE
Printer-friendly version December 18, 2009 (San Diego) – High school juniors, seniors and sophomores who are recommended by a vocal or choir teacher are eligible to enter the Schmidt Youth Vocal Competition at San Diego State University on January 30th, where competitors will vie for a top prize of $2,000. Applications must be received by January 15th. The competition, which is held at locations across the nation, is named for Kentucky arts patron William Schmidt.The second place and third place winners will receive $1,500 and $1,000 awards respectively. All finalists will receive $100. There are also several additional prizes, including "Broadway Bound" and "Audience Choice." Applicants must present three musical compositions from standard literature representing different periods and styles, for example, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic or Contemporary Art Song. One selection may be from Broadway theatre repertoire. All selections must be memorized. A professional accompanist will be selected and provided for the competition by the Schmidt Foundation. Singers will need to provide one copy of printed music that is clear and easy to read for each of their songs. The printed music should be in a binder and well marked to convey cuts, stops and starts. It is to the singers advantage to send their printed music with the application materials. There will be three to five judges. The young artists will be judged on beauty of voice, technical skill, musicality, accuracy, and presentation. The competition will be held at SDSU’s Rhapsody Hall and Smith Recital Hall. For more information and an application, visit http://schmidtcompetition.com/schmidtcompetition.com/Home.html or call Kris Gilbert at 859-257-7182. Printer-friendly version
COMMUNITY SKEPTICAL OF EL CAJON’S PLANS FOR PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Printer-friendly version Citizens express ire over arts mismanagement by Gayle Early “That theater has been referred to as the white elephant sitting in the middle of El Cajon. It ought to be the jewel of that city, the community place to pull people in together.”—Patricia Parlin “I don’t have a lot of faith in them. I don’t think they’ll do the right thing.”—John Martes December 17, 2009 (El Cajon)—Smack in the heart of El Cajon’s business promenade sits a soon-to-be darkened, empty theater. On Tuesday, arts lovers and concerned citizens showed up to the first community forum over the summary closure and renovation plans for the East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC). After millions in local infrastructure improvements, the City is anxiously casting for ways to entice people to its downtown. The meeting was moderated by Deputy City Manager and Director of Public Works Rob Turner. Although Mayor Mark Lewis has repeatedly stated that his intent is to improve the theater, not close it long term, neither the Mayor nor any members of the City Council attended this first of two planned forums for public comment. Not five minutes into his presentation, Turner was grilled over the City’s true intentions for ECPAC. Most of the two dozen in attendance expressed grave concerns over the theater’s future and the City’s handling of it. They questioned why the theater had to remain dark for a year during initial renovation planning stages. “We’re concerned about what you think you’re going to do with the theater,” said Grossmont Community Concert Association President (GCCA) Ron Shelby, who uses the facility for its concerts. Turner said that by February, his staff will offer recommendations to the El Cajon City Council about the proposed scope of renovations and an operating plan. They aim to find a balance between providing a cultural benefit to the City and economic benefits to downtown, with projected revenues and the cost of subsidies to keep ECPAC running. Turner said the downtime during renovation will allow the City “to step back and take a look at how we really want to operate the theater.” To that end the City has hired consultant Kurt Swanson, who has ten years’ consulting experience with private and community theaters and was project manager in the design of a successful theater. Swanson will crunch dollar scenarios to see what kind of community demographics and options East County affords. The level of building upgrade will be commensurate with the professional level of future shows. As an example, Swanson said it costs $20,000-50,000 per show for a headliner act. “You need to make sure you have the demographics to support the ticket sales,” although he delineated several ways a theater can generate income. That level of professional performance, in turns, dictates the quality of theatrical upgrades. Patricia Parlin, who is active in the GCCA and community arts scholarship programs, expressed concern that the community would not be able to participate substantially in plans for the theater and that two brief meetings were not enough time for public input, by February. She conceded that it was a relief the City hired a qualified professional consultant to handle ECPAC’s issues. Credibility Gap Between Arts Community and City Council “There’s been no effective management [of ECPAC] for years,” Shelby said, referring to the City’s two recent contracts with Christian Community Theater (CCT) and its front management companyArtBeat’s failure to generate sufficient revenue while managing the facility. John Martes, who made an unsuccessful bid for City Council last year, observed, “CCT didn’t pay any rent, violated their contract, and then we had to pay $200,000 to help bail them out, for their expenses.” Peter Cuthbert, a longtime local planner, noted that when the City finally did an audit of CCT, it “found out the whole thing was a house of cards.” He suggested that, after renovation, the number one issue is to hire a very professional management group and audit it regularly, “so we know we’re getting our money’s worth as citizens.” “I’m more concerned with stewardship of the City Council,” said Martes. “They make decisions on who’s going to run this. Their track record is very weak.” Shelby pointed out that even “a bunch of amateurs,” like the GCCA, working independently of ArtBeat’s management team, have consistently managed to sell out six community concerts a year at ECPAC, which has over 1100 seats. The GCCA brings artists from all over the world, through theatrical agencies, at reasonable costs, he said. Ray Lutz, founder of CitizensOversight.org, a watchdog group, and also former president of the GCCA, said the public is disenchanted because it has seen the review process go awry before. He said the City Council has typically done a “song and dance–like here. Everybody feels happy that they’ve said their two cents, then they go off, and then you get this deal where [the contracts are] given away to the friends of the City, like with CCT, Hamman Company, Priest [Construction].” Turner responded, “Sir, I am not working with Hamman Construction. I’m working with [our consultant] and we’re going to make the best recommendations to City Council we can.” Cuthbert suggested the Council institute a citizens’ advisory committee to participate in the entire renovation of theater-operation planning process, a suggestion Turner found helpful. Parlin complained that she attended all the public meetings on the City’s five-year plan, and in not one of them did the City list or even discuss plans for ECPAC, even when prompted. She said in the City’s “Zone 1” downtown area planning document, “the theater isn’t even on the map; there’s just an empty space.” She was told ‘that was “open space” and it can be whatever we want it to be.’ “When you get that from City government, and then hear they want to make these improvements in a plan in two months? It doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Parlin stated. Turner said that map is just for general zoning, and that all parties wanted
EIGHT VEHICLES BURGLARIZED IN LA MESA THURSDAY NIGHT
Printer-friendly version December 18, 2009 (La Mesa) — Yesterday during the early morning hours, eight cars were burglarized in La Mesa, mostly in the 5600 block of Amaya Dr. and the 9100 block of Campina Dr. Various items were stolen during the burglaries, mainly loose items lying in open view. There is no suspect description at this time. The La Mesa Police Department advises the public to practice crime prevention precautions, especially during the holiday season. Always lock your cars, even if you are only leaving them for a short period of time. Nothing should be left visible inside the car of any value. Valuables and presents should be locked out of sight inside the trunk. If you have any information on this case or any others, please call the La Mesa Police Department at (619) 667-1400. You may also call Crime Stoppers’ anonymous toll-free tip line (888) 580-TIPS (or www.sdcrimestoppers.com). You can remain anonymous, and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in this case. Printer-friendly version