Category: Education

With today’s announcement by the Union-Tribune of the latest San Diego area teacher to be accused of having sex with a student being arraigned in the South County Court, we turn to our archives. Now, with Carmina Erica Lopez charged with molesting and having sex with a boy who was a one-time student, we add her to our rolls of area teachers – which now add up to twelve – who have had sex with students in the last few years. Helix High School has been getting all the attention, as four of the teachers taught there. But the focus by the mainstream media on that singular fact misses an even greater issue.

The debate over the recent vote of the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education on a Project Stabilization Agreement with the local Building Trades continues here. Pat Flannery – blogger, city gadfly, community activist – has been very critical of the PSA, and we re-post his most recent comments. The Center for Policy Initiatives speaks up for organized labor, and we re-post their website comments.

The right not to associate – union shop or merit shop
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Fight the barrage of lies with facts: School board vote is good for San Diego

The Ocean Beach branch Library has no better friends than Dorothy Shumway and her family. Over the past year, this long-time OB family donated nearly $13,000 to the OB Branch of the San Diego Public Library. Dorothy Shumway, now 83, and her family wrote checks that totaled $12,900 at two different times during 2008, and sent them to the San Diego Public Library Foundation ear-marked for our local branch. This incredible act of generosity by one family in support of the Ocean Branch Library, particularly since the branch has just fought a successful, if temporary, battle to keep its doors open, does need to be recognized by the broader community.

On Saturday, December 13th, the Union-Tribune ran an innocuous article entitled, “DA ends probe of land sale to college,” over on page B-3. Staff writer Jennifer Vigil described very matter-of-fact-ly how the District Attorney “had cleared everyone involved in a land sale to the San Diego Community College District that benefited two politically connected developers.” Does this bury the scandal? It’s such a small scandal and involved our former ‘ballpark czar’ Mike Madigan.

Ocean Beach business – Falling Sky Pottery – commits to donate 5% of sales to the Ocean Beach library, from December 7th to December 21st.

Pat Flannery, of Blog of San Diego, has a perspective on why Mayor Sanders made an abrupt proposal to summarily close down several libraries.

Rally reports & photos – Ocean Beach, Carmel Mountain, University Community, Benjamin, University Heights.

Our good friend and fellow librarian activist Anna Daniels has sent a letter to the San Diego City Council and…

Late this afternoon, the San Diego City Council delayed any decision on Mayor Jerry Sander’s budget cutting proposals until another special meeting that they will hold on Monday, November 24th, from 1 to 4 pm. The Council, sitting as the budget review committee and chaired by Councilmember Toni Atkins, held its meeting before a packed Chambers, as they considered Mayor Sanders’ proposals – the closing of 7 libraries – including the Ocean Beach branch, and 9 recreation centers, including the Point Loma Cabrillo Center.

OCEAN BEACH, CA.  Ocean Beach residents who have organized recently to save the Ocean Beach Library from closure, have called…

OCEAN BEACH, CA.  Over 600 Ocean Beach residents and supporters of the OB branch library have signed petitions demanding that…

The following excerpt – recommending actions regarding library and rec center closures – is from the OFFICE OF THE INDEPENDENT…