Posted on October 29 at 4:16 p.m.

The real issue as far as I am concerned is the violation of the Brown Act. The City of Santa Barbara has a history of Brown Act violations, but most victims do not have the deep pockets to call them on it. My run in with the City Council was documented on their own videotape, but those without deep pockets must depend upon the Santa Barbara County District Attorney to follow-up and the DA has "better" things to do. The City Council just accepted a slap on the wrist in the form of a letter from the DA and went about their business as usual. Allowing the City to get away with repeated violations with just a slap on the wrist leads them to believe they do not have to follow the rules, and that leads to community apathy. Unfortunately the Brown Act lacks the necessary teeth to command compliance.

On Santa Barbara and News-Press Ownership Settle Lawsuit

Posted on October 5 at 11:10 a.m.

Getting rid of Sarvis or Diaz is not the answer. Each time we get a new superintendent they think and we hope that they can do the job well, but after a few years it all catches up with them. Each new superintendent spends the first couple of years cleaning up the garbage left by the last while creating their own garbage for the next new hire. The answer is splitting the elementary and high school districts, giving each one a separate board and administration. The work load is too big and complicated for our leaders to adequately supervise, making them unable to effectively respond to the community's needs. The financial books are too complicated with funds being transferred between the districts and different rules for each pool of money. It will probably cost more to fund separate boards and administrations, but you get what you pay for. What we are getting now is worthless.

On Superintendent Brian Sarvis on Budget Woes, Mini-Victories, and the Noël Factor