John Briscoe

Torus Tammer FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- A candidates forum Monday brought out an array of hopefuls discussing everything from the legalities of recreational vehicles to how much the city attorney earned last year. Instead of using his opening statement to tell the audience of the Chamber of Commerce and Business Assn. event what his goals will be if he is elected, Councilman Chuck Conlosh, who is seeking a second term, took issue with City Atty. Alan Burns' salary.

Jose Paul Corona With the gates closed to newcomers the race has begun for 32 Surf City residents who have stepped forward to run for one of 11 open seats on four school boards. A total of five candidates are running for three open seats on the Huntington Beach City School Board. Incumbents Shirley E. Carey and Robert J. Mann are running for reelection. Challenging will be resident and parent Celia Jaffee, who has served on the district advisory committee, retired attorney Bill Wallace, a driving force behind the recently successful $30-million school bond measure and Rosa E. Latios.

The Ocean View School District met this week to discuss displaying the motto “In God We Trust” somewhere around district offices, but no vote came out of the informational discussion. The five board members couldn’t agree on a single course of action, so they asked their staff to come back at a later meeting with a few options on what to display and where, along with the price tag attached to each. The proposal, brought by district Supt. Alan Rasmussen, would differ from recent votes to display the motto in nearby city councils by surrounding “In God We Trust” with other slogans and seals representing the nation, state and city.

Just two days after the swearing-in of four new trustees to the Ocean View School District board, Supt. Karen Colby was placed on administrative leave. Some felt it was a decision long overdue, others saw it as a rash move by a board that has not yet dealt with Colby. On Tuesday, board members read a letter from Colby announcing that she would resign. Ed Sussman, a retired superintendent from the Downey Unified School District, was appointed interim superintendent. "We have the highest faith and confidence in him," board Trustee John Briscoe said, adding that Sussman made it clear that he is not interested in the position full-time.

Torus Tammer FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- Some city residents are not pleased with the procedure the City Council used to fill former Councilman Chuck Conlosh's seat. The problem is disconcerting, said 30-year resident Catherine Whitney, who added that she called Mayor Larry Crandall the day after Samuel Lew was chosen to voice her objection to the council's selection process. Whitney said that she did not hear back from Crandall, rather, it was Councilman Guy Carrozzo who responded to her call.

I spent a large portion of my first two years of high school around the remote shelves of the school library. These were the shelves that most kids, I imagined, never even knew existed, the ones tucked in the back containing bleak British plays and old film reviews from the New York Times. I had a thirst for knowledge back then, especially if it required digging. However, I never had to scratch to get my hands on a banned book, or even a book that I needed a parent signature to read.

Eight-year-old child rape, young female molestation, lesbian fantasy, teen sex and teen pregnancy — are these topics for free-range reading right off the library shelf in our elementary and middle schools? As an elected public school board trustee, I can assure these topics are absolutely inappropriate for our young 8- to 13-year-olds to read without teacher or parent intervention. And yet, all of our local elementary school districts have Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” on their central library bookshelves.

The final three candidates have thrown their hats into the rings for the 19 open school board seats in districts serving Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley. Retired college president David D. Grant and educator and retired policeman Bob Mosley are on the ballot for Coast Community College District's Area 5 open seat. Engineer and business owner Charlie Chi Manh Nguyen will also be running for the Huntington Beach Union High School District. There are 34 candidates vying for positions in the Fountain Valley School, Huntington Beach Union School, Huntington Beach City School, Ocean View School, Garden Grove Unified School, Westminster School and Coast Community College districts.

As the only independent on the Ocean View School District Board of Trustees, I am frequently asked why I vote no. I am writing to explain recent events from my perspective. I voted no on classroom size increase. Ocean View district administration has contrived to save money by increasing kindergarten-through-third-grade class sizes from 24 to 29. This action saves money by eliminating teachers. Several hundred community members and teachers have appeared at recent board meetings to testify.