Bond Measure

As the chief executive officer and president of the Hilton Waterfront in Huntington Beach and a local resident, I try to keep abreast of the issues facing our community. We are fortunate that we live in a strong and vibrant community. Part of the strength that holds our community together is the quality of education that we provide our kids. Local business is dependent on an educated work force. In the past few years we have done a great deal to spruce up our community, but now we need to focus on our high schools.

The Fountain Valley School District Board of Trustees voted Thursday to put a $23.5-million bond on the November ballot to pay for upgraded computers and other technology. The measure, which the board approved 4 to 1, aims to replace outdated equipment and, in some cases, even fill voids. Supt. Marc Ecker said the district's computers are four to five years old on average and that the technology lab at the district headquarters has no computers left after administrators donated them to schools.

The tragic news spread through the environmental community like wildfire last week. I was utterly shocked when Vic told me the news. Indefatigable environmental activist Jan Vandersloot had passed away unexpectedly. Vandersloot was found slumped over his computer Nov. 4, dead of a possible heart attack. Our local wetlands have lost one of their most stalwart defenders. Vandersloot was active in the Amigos de Bolsa Chica during the early decades of the battle to save Bolsa Chica, leaving the Amigos to help found the Bolsa Chica Land Trust.

A state bond measure slated to go before voters in the next general election would allot at least $20 million for protection and restoration of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. The $11.1-billion package, known as the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010, was passed by the Legislature on Wednesday. The act seeks to overhaul the state’s water system to ensure safe drinking water and a reliable water supply. Among the projects earmarked in the measure are the preservation of Bolsa Chica and its adjacent uplands as well as interpretive centers on the property.

Five years after voters passed a $110-million school bond measure, district leaders are going back to the ballot, seeking $282 million more. At a special meeting on Wednesday, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to place an item on the November ballot that would allow the district to issue $282 million in bonds for school renovations. If voters approve the measure, which will appear on the special election ballot Nov. 8, district officials say they will have the resources to add new libraries and science labs, construct performing arts centers and pay for long-awaited athletic facilities at Costa Mesa's two high schools.

o7"The magic of it all, the secret, is hard work -- making sure standards are taught at every grade level. As we've all learned, it's just a lot of hard work and concentration."f7 -- Robert Barbot, Newport-Mesa Unified School District superintendent, on standardized test scores released by the state Department of Education that showed gains in English and math proficiency at every grade level o7"We are so joyous. We believe that God has relieved us and delivered us from this legal battle."

It was a mixed vote Tuesday as Huntington Beach voters finally and wisely approved a bond measure that will revamp city school district campuses, but also canceled themselves out in doing a little something to improve city streets and sewers. The good news is the passage of Measure DD, the school bond. After failing last year to give money to fix up Huntington Beach City School District campuses, voters now have OKd $30 million that will go to great lengths in fixing our crumbling schools, whether it be roofs, heating systems or fire alarms.

Mike Sciacca When you stroll across the campus of Ethel Dwyer Middle School, you see stately white buildings serving as a formidable backdrop to the manicured front grounds of the school. But the exterior to the school, built in 1934, is just that -- a facade. Behind those walls lies a multitude of repair work that needs to be done to a school that has stood in Downtown Huntington Beach for 68 years. "I think when you take a look at school maintenance it's vitally important to make upgrades, just like any homeowner would," said Dwyer Principal Duane Cox. "I can't explain enough how our district has done such a great job in the maintenance and upkeep of our school, with what they have to work with, but the time has definitely come to upgrade and modernize our schools."