John Briscoe

A parent in the Ocean View School District has legally challenged the candidate statement of incumbent Trustee John Briscoe, who accused the district of declining test scores, illegal secret meetings and more in his filing with the Orange County Registrar of Voters. Parent Mary Beth Arnold petitioned for the registrar to change Briscoe's statement for the November ballot. The registrar has until Sept. 2 to make changes to ballot materials. An Orange County Superior Court judge heard the case Friday, although a court clerk said Tuesday that the order to change Briscoe's statement had not been officially signed yet. In the proposed order, the court ordered a number of comments removed from Briscoe's candidate statement, including repeated uses of the phrase "We can do better," plus references to the district having "declining test scores," "thievery of teaching minutes" caused by furlough days, "secret spending of public money," "illegal secret meetings" and more.

Torus Tammer FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- City Council incumbents Larry Crandall and Chuck Conlosh came up winners Tuesday night as both retained their seats for four more years. Crandall garnered a 28.4% cut, with 8,723 votes. Conlosh, who is next in line to serve as mayor, received 25.3%, or 7,769 votes. Planning Commissioner Cheryl Brothers received 5,459 votes, or 17.8%, while newcomer Mark McCurdy earned 4,008 votes, or 13%. John Briscoe, who also serves on the city's Planning Commission, received 11.1% of the votes, or 3,397, while newcomer Doug Henry finished last with 4.2%, or 1,300 votes.

Regarding “‘Caged’ not monitored well,” Community Commentary, March 25: John Briscoe is an embarrassment, both to the Ocean View School District, where he serves on the Board of Trustees, and also to the broader community. At a time when our schools are facing unprecedented fiscal challenges, resulting in larger class sizes, elimination of music and arts programs and teacher layoffs, as well as increased high-stakes testing at the state and national level, what holds his attention?

The real real story about cell tower placement in Huntington Beach is absolute city arrogance in its approval process. 1. Ocean View School District of Orange County gave the city $1 million in free land easement use for all perpetuity on a storm drain with a 50-year life. 2. Some trustees gushed all over the public record about how this enormous giveaway would boost relations with the city and make them a district friend. 3. Some district administrators admonished me for suggesting the city pay money for the $1-million easement, claiming the city belongs to us all and paying money would be like taking from ourselves.

Kenneth Ma, Torus Tammer and Angelique Flores It's going to be an interesting election come November. There are nine positions available between Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach city seats and school boards, including three hot slots on the seven-member Huntington Beach City Council. Two seats are being left vacant by Councilman Dave Sullivan, who cannot run because of term limits, and Councilman Tom Harman, who will not run because he is running for the 67th Assembly District seat.

Angelique Flores ISSUE: PARAMEDIC EQUIPMENT Vote: 5-0 Summary: The City Council voted Tuesday to purchase three Zoll M-Series defibrillator monitors and two battery support systems. Community Development Block Grant Program funds will cover the $27,953 cost. The new equipment will replace the older, less efficient heart monitors. Paramedics use the monitors to recognize and document important heart irregularities. ISSUE: CITY YARD Vote: 5-0 Summary: The council approved 10 more changes to the City Yard project, which include seismic retrofitting and remodeling to the existing building at 17300 Mt. Herrmann St. These changes will cost $106,043.

Supt. Alan Rasmussen ruled that the Ocean View School District will not ban Maya Angelou’s book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” at Tuesday’s board meeting, but asked that the district consider requiring parental permission to check out the controversial novel. In a meeting often interrupted by applause from the audience, Rasmussen and several trustees praised Angelou’s autobiographical book as a worthy piece of literature, while acknowledging that parents should make the final decision on whether the book’s contents are appropriate for their children.

Normally, this is the kind of campaign we’d be dead against. John Briscoe, a trustee for the Ocean View School District, and Judy Ahrens, a former trustee for the Westminster School District, asked the Huntington Beach City Council on Monday to ban Maya Angelou’s book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” from middle school libraries. Briscoe, in making his presentation, said he was speaking on behalf of “helpless children who are currently subject to inappropriate reading material.

Ocean View School District board members will meet in closed session on Monday to review applications for a new superintendent. The school officials will go over the applications with representatives of the Cosca Group, a private firm the district hired to search for a new superintendent after Karen Colby resigned unexpectedly last year. The business includes some prior superintendents. On Monday, the board members will narrow the field of applicants and determine which candidates to interview.