Monday, March 25, 2013

Sen. Lieu -- Support School Choice!

Based on his record, State Senator Ted Lieu (D-Santa Monica) cares about pets, bears, tanning salons, and abandoned ships.

At the February 2013 meeting of the League of Humane Voters, I asked him about supporting the pupils in our state, not just the animals; the pet owners, not just the pets. He said that he would consider supporting a school choice bill, a reform which one of many animal enthusiasts at the convention supported.
State Senator Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) has just introduced SB 451, which would extend "open enrollment" to every public school in the state of California. No longer will students and parents have to suffer the education in a substandard school because they reside in the same zipcode. Choice will empower families while holding school districts and their administrators accountable with how they allocate, invest, and spend our tax dollars.

So far, State Senator Ted Lieu does not have a strong record on educational reform. He was one of four state senators who voted against SB 1530, which would have expedited the removal of teachers accused of misconduct or incompetence. If Lieu refuses to champion choice, and allow students to choose wherever they go to school in the state of California, then voters, no matter what their party affiliation, should choose not to elect him for another term in office.

Lieu would do well to heed the bitter example of former Assemblymember Betsy Butler, who helped kill SB 1530 in the state assembly, and thus killed her chances for reelection the following year.
Senator Lieu, our pets and the animals may not have a voice, but so far, neither do our students. Listen to their needs, and the needs of their parents. Support SB 451, and grant every child a choice where they may go to school.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Lieu Voted "No!" on SB 1530 -- Will He Vote "No!" on SB 451?

State Senator Ted Lieu:

I am appalled and dismayed once again with your record in Sacramento.

Beyond the culture of tax and spend which you attest to and approve, you even voted against a bill which received widespread, bipartisan support.

SB 1530 would have protected our kids from perverted teachers in the classroom, the vast majority of whom are impossible to fire, but instead hold on to their jobs, their salaries, and their pensions. The unions fight for them, and the school district instead backs down, offers a severance package, and allows the teacher to resign.

This spiral of corruption, perversion, and unaccountability cannot continue.

State Sen. Lieu, this bill had massive support, and yet you voted against this bill.

You would rise to the aid of a wounded animal or an abandoned pet, but when it comes to the well-being of our students in the classroom, you do not seem to care?

Or is it all that union money that you have received which has distorted your judgment?

You voted against SB 1530. Will you vote against SB 451, School Choice, too?

Sunday, March 17, 2013

School Choice Now -- Support SB 451 and 452

Manhattan Beach Unified School District reported that they had to issue layoff notices for the next academic year. Torrance schools still suffer with at least forty kids per class. What happened to all of that Prop 30 tax money? The tax increase was supposed to save our schools from the pink-slip" tsunamis. The taxpayers in the state of California, which includes everyone, not just the so-called "rich", should let this bait-and-switch be the last time that they permit Sacramento to pressure anyone for more tax dollars.

Instead of bringing down class sizes, shoring up staff, and expanding resources and technology, the tax increases have chased away more businesses, while funding over-generous pensions and benefits, and compensating staff for lost furlough days.

Instead of taxes, our legislators must support school choice, and now they have the chance to do so. State senate minority leaders Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) just introduced SB 451, which will extend the "open enrollment" provision to every student and every school in the state of California. A companion, SB 452, will empower parents to demand more reforms from their local schools.

These laws will not be popular with union-friendly Democrats, but if the Democratic Party expects to remain a relevant force in the Golden State, then they should take this golden opportunity to support state-wide school choice.

Contact your state legislators: demand that they support SB 451 and SB 452

State Senator Ted Lieu: (310) 318-6994 or (916) 651-4028

Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi: (310) 316-2164 or (916) 319-2066

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Bob Huff, School Choice, and the Crisis of the California Democratic Party

California Republican state senate minority leader Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) just introduced an "open enrollment" bill which would permit California students to enroll in any school that they want to. State Senator Huff has done much to improve public education in California. He authored the school choice parent-trigger law, which allows parents to take over the operations of their children's local school should the test scores and the achievement of the students suffers. Adelanto families successfully implemented the program with rave reviews from all over the country supporting the parents. Parents in Lynwood, Compton, and even Los Angeles are taking steps to take back their local schools and take control of their children's learning from bureaucrats and union influences. Huff has a long and legacied history stumping for education equality and access in the Golden State.

Before his bold "open enrollment" initiative, Huff pressed for ending the excessive "pink slip" culture which harms our teachers with fears of early layoff notices every year. Instead of forcing schools to inform teachers of potential layoffs by the middle of March, Huff wants to give school districts more time before informing staff of potential reductions in force. Teachers deserve more stability on the school site, and districts can save money from the costly arbitration which often ensues from the annual March 15 pink-slip tsunami.
It's amazing that the Democratic Party leaders in Sacramento have not taken a lead on improving the quality and the culture of students or their teachers in public schools. Of course, this should come as no surprise, since four assembly members helped kill SB 1530, which would have empowered school districts to fire incompetent, improvident, or immoral teachers more quickly.

Huff also submitted a resolution on school choice last December. He then submitted a "name change" bill, SB 172 which would remove the "low achievement" stigma from schools which are improving, and cast them as "open enrollment" schools, instead. He also submitted a resolution recognizing "School Choice Week" earlier this year. Senator Huff's latest bills including SB 451, which will extend open enrollment to every school, every student in the state of California. SB 452 will empower parents to demand reforms from their local schools, in compliance with President Obama's "Race to the Top" legislation.

"Open enrollment", or "school choice", is anathema to union-backed Democrats, since allowing parents to choose where they enroll their children, regardless of the status or the quality of the school, will take power and funding away from the school bureaucracy and union leadership in public education, and put the power of the purse and the pupil back in the hands of the parents, where it belongs.

Despite their negative influence in the public sector, unions have become the dominant force in Democratic politics over the last ten years, but Huff's bill can put an end to their immoral imposition. Over the past two years, union influence has been waning, which may assist a minority bill getting more attention. In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker signed into law "Act 10", with its collective bargaining reforms. Cities and school districts saved millions of dollars, and union membership declined considerably since Act 10 enacted paycheck protection. President Obama did not bother to campaign for recall challenger Tom Barrett in 2012. In Michigan, Governor Rick Snyder signed into law right-to-work legislation, which will permit individual employees to choose whether they join a workplace union or not. In California, where Democrats have just obtained supermajority in the legislature, the union dominance is coming to the forefront like never before. Even failed mayoral candidate Jan Perry complained about union influence in state politics. Because of Perry's staunch Democratic status representing liberal constituencies for nearly two decades, her statements are a refreshing admission for voters frustrated with the special interest status quo, and an alarm for those who like to maintain the special interest dominance of the union hall in city halls and the state house.

School choice is a losing proposition for unions, and threatens the hegemony of the California Democratic Party, the open enrollment bill represents a win for everyone else, and a winning issue for Republicans. Democratic leaders now have a crisis on their hands. Will they support the people, or will they support the payouts? The Republican Party is demonstrating resolve to move on what should be a bipartisan issue. Of course, Republicans must lead not just on school choice, but also on right-to-work legislation, as well as comprehensive pension reform, issues which affect every voter in the state of California, regardless of their political affiliation.

Republican State senate minority leader Bob Huff should be commended for leading on education reform, whether his party was in power or not, because the best interests of our students rise above the politics of the moment. The Democratic Party has a choice: represent the people, or keep suppressing the best interests of the state, her citizens, and especially her students in order to further their diminished support from the overextended union lobby.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

State Senator Ted Lieu: "Spend Offender"

Megan's law has 80,496 registered sex offenders. CA puts GPS on less than 9,000. When these high-risk felons cut off GPS, it's major problem -- @tedlieu March 7

Editorial on sex offenders cutting off their GPS ankle bracelets. Problem is not going to go away. Needs to be fixed. http://www.thereporter.com/rss/ci_22728244?source=rss -- @tedlieu, March 7

Felonious acts against children must be prevented at all costs, not just by local law enforcement, but by our state leaders. Yet a more subtle offense is being perpetrated against California youth. Young people suffer in substandard public schools, where improvident or incompetent teachers can misuse their authority and abuse children, yet they cannot be fired. The unions which "represent" teachers do nothing to protect the best while excusing the rest. Sacramento's legacy of debt and dysfunction will leave an abusive legacy of diminished quality of life for California youth, as well.

Profligate Public sector unions throughout California ingratiate themselves with Democratic lawmakers like Ted Lieu, while they intimidate small businesses and denigrate Republican and reform Democrats who want to restore power to the voters and local leaders. Sex offenders are a real threat, who must be identified. The long-lasting threat of tax-and-spend statism which is hurting our children now and into the foreseeable future must also be curbed. In the latter case, thsoe "spend offenders", represented by the Democratic supermajority in Sacramento., must be registered, monitored, and marginalized.

One local letter writer in the Daily Breeze suggested that instead of microchipping pets, it's time to place homing devices in the state legislators, like Ted Lieu, who sponsored the microchip bill:

Bruce Szeles concurred with David Winnet's complaint in Aug 5 Daily Breeze:
 

Mr. Lieu should be focused on state government that needs to be overhauled and not creating laws that are best dealt with by an individuals own common sense. Ted, please fix the CALPERS  system that is still in the mix to bring this state to it's financial knees. Shut down the Alcohol Beverage Control in the state because they are just  lobbyists for the booze sellers of this state. Let the booze sellers pay for  their own lobbyists and save the tax payers money.

From attempting to triple the state's car tax, to micromanaging the care and sale of pets, to dictating the how and where of car loans on used car lots, to preempting the collection of rents by Internet payment, to intervening in tanning salons, the treatment of abandoned ships, to ignoring the pension crisis looming over California, to redoubling the regulations on businesses, to standing by while the state legislature continues to spend money that the state does not have on agencies that we do not need to hire people that we should not have to pay. . .

State Senator Ted Lieu is a "spend offender" if there ever was one.

He claims that the state budget is balanced, when the rosy projects of increase revenue have not rolled in yet, even as wealthy and working Californians are leaving the state in droves. He claims to support tax credits, yet he should credit every tax payer with lower rates on sales and income taxes. He receives substantial contributions from union interests, whose only interest is protection and payout from Sacramento, at the expense of California voters.

State Senator Ted Lieu should be microchipped as a "spend offender", along with the rest of the Democratic Lawmakers in Sacramento. Every time that a legislator wants to raise our taxes, or spend money that the state does not have, while denying students a proper education, or California residents compensated core services, then the legislator should endure a sharp "shock" to bring them in line with limited government, lower taxes, less spending, and respect for local control.

His latest tweet is offensive for its hypocrisy as well as its audacity:

$10m priest sex abuse payout in LA. What does it say about Church that Cardinal Mahoney is now voting for next Pope? latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/03/…

I have a better question for State Senator Lieu:

Attempted to triple car tax, refuses to meet with constituents in Redondo Beach -- what does that say about Lieu's true interests?

Monday, March 4, 2013

Ted Lieu --- Where Are You?

How much longer will the residents of the Beach Cities have to wait before State Senator Ted Lieu hosts a townhall meeting in Redondo Beach? He should have scheduled something by now, since his new “deferral areas” include Rancho Palos Verdes, along with Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. Senator Lieu mocked the newly appointed California GOP Chairman Jim Brulte, claiming “his position is like coaching the Cleveland Browns”, because of the “deeply loyal base” with “little chance of winning.”Voters want a legislator who cares about humans. Lieu cares about animals. Animals can't vote, people do. Who has the loyal but losing base, then?

Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi has moved into his new office in Torrance, CA. When will he tell the voters about his plans to protect Prop 13, to resist the public sector union lobby which is crippling our schools and our city services, and when will he recant the slanderous attacks he made against his previous political opponent? Honesty and integrity are in greater need, but in such lacking supply.

Congressman Henry Waxman blames Republicans for resisting compromise on the much needed sequester, which is cutting two cents from every dollar in the federal budget. Waxman co-sponsored mandatory funding of postal workers’ benefits decades in advance, which has bankrupted the Postal Service and deprived voters of Saturday Service. Obama-WaxmanCare is creating doctor shortages and premium hikes, plus higher taxes. Waxman needs to explain these issues. Voters deserve more than “I don’t know!”, “I’m sorry!”, and “We’re not broke!”