DA and mayoral candidate Bonnie Dumanis with unidentified Point Loma High School students on her recent visit.
By Gail Powell
D.A. DUMANIS, once dis-invited from the City College campus due to students irate over her perceived mishandling of the Diana Gonzalez murder case, has turned up again at a San Diego school.
This time, the Republican mayoral candidate managed to weasel herself into a class at Point Loma High School, alma mata of a number of people at the OB Rag including this author. Dumanis spoke in Room 301, according to the Point Loma High School Daily Bulletin, on Wednesday, January 11th from 12:30-1:30 with teacher Palmiotto hosting.
This bit of campaigning disguised as a school visit did not sit well with some parents. @Bonnie Dumanis on Twitter actually posted a picture of this adventure and it claimed, according to the caption, that Bonnie Dumanis was there to “meet with students at Pt. Loma High School and discuss her ‘Blueprint for America’s Finest Schools.’ http://twitpic.com/89b2nf
Several parents called the high school to complain about this usage of a tax-payer funded academic site masquerading as a staging ground for the shameless D.A. to politic at. I personally spoke with Vice Principal Kevin Gormly and told him that it was now incumbent upon the High School to invite Democrat Mayoral Candidate Bob Filner, a former SDSU professor himself, to pay a visit to the Chatsworth Blvd. campus and inspire the students.
The Vice Principal claimed to “not know much” of what transpired with Dumanis invading the Point Loma campus but promised to “look into it.”
I would like Bonnie Dumanis to know, as an Ocean Beach resident and alumni of PLHS, that she needs to get the memo that people in this area of town do not wish to see her parading around and acting like she cares about kids and “educational reform,” When, in reality, what is actually happening is BLATANT POLITICKING. The despicable D.A. was NOT welcome by most OB citizens when she came around last summer pimping some campaign donations from clueless Del Monte Ave. McMansion locals and she is not welcome at our children’s schools either! Get a clue, Bonnie! DUMANIS, OUT OF OB!
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
How about Free Speech? Should President Obama stay out of the schools too?
You provided no documentation of blatant politicking. (It seems your political slip is showing.)
As a parent of two PLHS students, I am glad the school is open to new ideas about education. Every elected representative, every parent, and every tax payer should be heard on the school issue. We should always side with Free Speech and against intolerance.
RB – This is clearly, straight-forward politicking by a politician; how about some equal time then to the other candidates at Point Loma High?
I don’t object to other candidates taking an interest in the schools and I would welcome it. And Obama often goes to public schools (his children are in private schools) without cries of equal time.
Also, a simple search reveals the author’s Dumanis focus rather than any school focus.
Gee Frank, it looks like PLHS students and their teacher could instruct others about equal time in our community forums. Seems they deserve an apology from those that failed to check their facts about who was invited. Congrats to PLHS.
they got their equal time right here by posting a comment. more will be granted when the fcc restores that doctrine to talk radio.
Why is it that those on the left are so interested in stifling free speech and competition? The fairness doctrine is nothing more than government mandated speech. The left has as much right to the airwaves as the left in our society as it stands. Once their arguments and hosts improve, so too will their grip on the airwaves.
Yes, my political slip is showing and so is my wrath. This poor excuse of a Mayoral candidate needs to quit schlepping all over town and pay attention to matters at the so-called “Hall of Justice.” Fine with me that RB is okay with “public servants” using her kids as props for getting their mugs out there in time for election 2012. And, as a matter of fact, the Twitter photo of Bonnie at PLHS included the caption noting that she was there to “discuss her educational reforms.” Which, in other words, is a political stunt Bonnie has designed to give herself some credence and separate her from the pack of other candidates. The older I get, the less I tolerate B.S. And when it involves my OB community and alumni high school, I am positively not going to idly sit by while some affront to justice comes slithering into view.
Very well said!
Political Stunts? What about Filner riding in the OB Parade with a sign on his car saying “Bob Filner Mayor OF San Diego” Didnt see any articles of Filner schlepping all over town on that one.
Sleeping during Latin class? It’s “alma mater” not “alma mata”.
The efforts of Internet grammar enforcement officers often go unheralded, but not here at The OB Rag: Thank you for your service.
Just what are her “educational reforms”? Has anyone heard her speak about them during her campaign?
here’s our coverage of her “plan” http://obrag.org/?p=52139
Thank you, Doug and Speak French (a principle I can endorse) for the links to her “Education Plan”. Not that I have any intention of voting for her, just curious.
Sorry for the misspell, Mark. Where is an editor when you need them?
As for Bogus Bonnie and her “educational reforms,” allow me to say that it was a coordinated campaign to seize the attentions of distracted voters. First, Bonnie sent her jack-booted thugs out with search warrants to grab the computers and files of the Sweetwater 5. I can assure you that these in-home invasions are never fun, as Bonnie had her goons at my front door in 2008, after a dirty DJ said I was “stalking” him. Educationally-minded Dumanis kept my son’s Dell special ed tutoring computer for 9 months, while they coughed up enough evidence to charge me with “emailing a DJ.”
Back to the subject at hand. After Bonnie pulled a big stunt and charged the Sweetwater 5 with all kinds of graft, bribery, and “pay-to-play,” (BTW, something Dumanis knows all about,) she made a big deal about “cleaning up the schools.” Hence, her educational reforms. That was a PR roll-out that came RIGHT AFTER charging the South Bay school officials with corruption (BTW, something Dumanis knows all about.) It was a somewhat coordinated effort to get Bonnie some press and her mug in front of the cameras and voters, conveniently right after the holidays.
Judy: here is a link from the San Diego Daily Transcript detailing what Bonnie is suggesting to help the schools. In short, it is more layers of bureaucracy and some new oversight to prevent the kind of corruption that Bonnie is so personally aware of. The power mad D.A. has obviously seen first hand all the potential for fancy dinners, Lakers tickets and free Cricket concerts that school officials get when voting on construction contracts and she wants in on that action!
m/Education/article.cfm?SourceCode=20120105czo&_t=Mayoral+candidate+Bonnie+Dumanis+releases+plan+to+reform+education
This is clearly a misinformed piece of Journalism and I please ask that the OB Rag take the article down. I am the teacher at PLHS who invited Ms. Dumanis to be part of an Internship my students participate in with ITV Channel 16. The point of the internship is to give my students the opportunity to get real world video training by making a televised news package and also engage them in local politics. This year my students are making a news piece about the 2012 San Diego Mayoral Campaign. We’ve given the opportunity for all the major candidates to participate. So far we’ve interviewed Mayor Sanders and Assemblymen Nathan Fletcher for the project. Unfortunately, Carl Demaio has passed on the project and Congressmen Bob Filner has canceled several times on us.
Please take this article down it’s completely misinformed, unfair and unbalanced.
Kind Regards,
Anthony Palmiotto
PLHS Multimedia Teacher
Registered Democrat and OB Resident
1. The article is clearly labeled “reader rant”. nothing dishonest about that.
2. It’s unfair that San Diego has to put up with opportunists like Dumanis. She was using you to give her “education plan” cred.
3. unbalanced? you betcha. that’s how we roll. by admitting a point of view. 4000 readers (and growing) every day like that idea.
dougporter
plhs 1968
As a parent of two PLHS students, thank you for your work with the students. Sorry journalism ain’t what it use to be.
It is unfortunate some in the community don’t understand the outstanding work in film and media being done at PLHS. During senior projects last year, I reviewed a student who was motivated, engaged, and personally proud of his work in media at your school. He planned to continue in media and film as a career. I have also met and discussed media with a PLHS student who graduated from PLHS, produced a film, and got into the USC’s film program. (most people would not understand how hard it is to get into the film program at USC).
The quality of your work with the student is being noticed by us the actual visit the campus.
Check out RB! Long out of school, but still sharp as a tack when it’s time to brown-nose a teacher.
Although I must say I’m having trouble squaring this sentiment with RB’s comments on other education articles, such as:
“It is good to know that school system is still producing plenty of people to cut our grass, clean our houses, pick our veggies, and flip our burgers”
http://obrag.org/?p=52139
hmmm… negative comments are revealing and interesting , while positive comments are brown nosing… What’s interesting about this is that high school students see this inimical behavior more clearly for what it is than adults do- our better judgement must get lost somewhere along the way, Because Shane is certainly not alone with this jaundiced outlook.
Sorry for the snark, but I find it hard to resist the urge to call out BS when I see it. Like when someone from the “teachers are the problem” camp suddenly starts kissing a teacher’s ass. Or when a rich person’s tool like Bonnie Dumanis acts like she’s in it for middle-class kids.
I think you’re right about younger folks seeing things more clearly than older adults. Sometimes this vision is dismissed as idealistic or impractical, but personally I think it’s natural that each generation really is more enlightened than the one before it. Thank goodness!
Gee, my son is ranked at the top of his class, taking AP English, AP Music Theory, AP Physics, Calculus and Political Science with college credit, so I don’t think I need to rely on any brown nosing. I have never met this teacher, my students have never been in this teachers class, and I am sorry my two anecdotal examples of great PLHS student results were lost on you.
Awesome job outing a regular tr*ll here on the site Shane. Nice job looking out for the casual reader who might frequent here. Thank you.
The students at PL are making a video to be aired on tv about the San Diego mayoral race. The video is the product of an Internship. The Internship is called Democracy snd the Media it is hosted by the SDCOE. These students have interviewed, Mayor Sanders, Fletcher, Dumanis and one of the authors of Paradise Plundered so far. This invaluable experience not only gives them personel insight into the poitical process, but they learn about the media’s role as well. Ms. Dumanis was kind enough to come to a room on campus for her interview – making it much easier for the students to get it done. She met with a grand total of 5 people on campus. A generous gift of her time for the students benefit. I coordinate the internship and also live in OB. I truly hope most OB dwellers are more open minded and interested in listening to all sides and not speaking out in ignorance.
The caption of the photo Twittered by Dumanis (included in the article) uses her PLHS visit as a chance to mention her “Blueprint for America’s Finest Schools.” Clearly a campaign plug. So the event is wide open for political criticism.
I understand why people who thought they were meeting with her under different pretenses might be upset.
Good Point. The kids had questions about her plan for San Diego Unified, since it obviously is of interest to them (more so than Pensions). It’s an interesting, unique plan, and pretty innovative- no other candidate has thoguht about trying to help our struggling schools. But she did speak on manyother topics as well. We will post when the video will be aired. The kids are doing a good job on it.
her plan is unique? really? it is almost completely recycled from the FAILED San Diegans for Great Schools Initiative.
I think a major difference is that she wants parents at the table. the SDGSI failed to get signatures- not surprising since not many citizens pay attention to these matters. Nothing wrong with trying again. Reforming education is such a huge undertaking it will take many different intitiatives and programs.
…and it still reeks of sulfur.
Bill Ray – your email bounced back. Could you send it to obragblog@gmail.com please?