THE TRUTH ABOUT ARLIE RICASA FOR STATE ASSEMBLY

Arlie Ricasa is at it again. The Sweetwater Union High School District Board member, is making yet another effort to step-stone up from the School Board to Sacramento. Although it is a new election year, somethings never change. Ricasa faced strong criticism when she last ran against Democratic-favored Chula Vista City Council Member Patty Davis and 2006 Democratic Candidate for the 78th AD, Dr. Maxine Sherard, to face State Assemblywoman Shirley Horton. Ricasa had received a significant amount of her funds from outside of the 78th AD. The argument that, the people of the community should pay for their candidates, not outside interests from Los Angeles, was made. Ricasa also faced criticism for her campaign tactics, which were less than friendly towards her Democratic Counterparts. Immediately proceeding her failed attempt to grasp the Democratic nomination in th Primary, Ricasa re-ran for the SUHSD School Board. The Sweetwater School Board has faced outcry for Proposition BB fund distribution. For instance, Ms. Ricasa's husband was appointed to serve on the Citizen Bond Oversight Committee, which is in charge of monitoring Prop. BB funds. Although several members on the Committee brought the concern to light, ultimately nothing was done. Alleged mismanagement prompted investigation (See Grand Jury Report & Findings) and found various concerns including the appointment of a school board member's spouse on an "independent" committee. Ricasa is one of 4 school board members of a school board of 5, who have previously sought higher office. As of yet, all have failed. Many call SUHSD, the political grave-yard. Recent attempts have been made by Greg Sandoval for State Assembly, Pearl Quinones for Mayor of National City, and Arlie Ricasa for State Assembly. For this reason, Ricasa has been accused by opponent candidates, students, parents, teachers, of political step-stoning them to higher office. Before, citizens of the 78th Assembly District begin to receive and believe campaign literature of the Burbank, CA-managed Ricasa campaign on how effective of a leader she is in South Bay education, think again...

API Scores Released (San Diego Union Tribune) Take a look on how SUHSD matches up to other school districts.

-National City (twice) and Imperial Beach have attempted to gain control of SUHSD schools in their communities due to lack of results from SUHSD, also called unification.

Currently, there is a petition initiative, to create school board member district areas due to lack of representation of each community. (Ricasa resides in Bonita and has spent well-over $40,000, increasing each term, for her school board campaigns with much money from developers on contractors of the SUHSD)

See below for additional material on Arlie Ricasa


La Prensa San Diego Newspaper (On Ricasa's First Run for School Board)

1. "ARLIE JOINS THE [SPECIAL & PERSONAL INTERESTS] CLUB" (SUHSD Teacher Group)

2. "ARLIE RICASA, running for Sweetwater Union High Trustee trying to unseat Trustee Ruth Chapman, taking a page out of National City Councilman Ralph Inzunza's bag of dirty political tricks, is being charged by the law offices of Attorney Bruce M. Boogaard, representing a group of clients, with using the district mail boxes to recruit students to work in her campaign, and to speak in their classrooms. Ricasa has 24 hours to respond to the attorney or injunctive litigation will be started Friday, Oct. 2, 1998.

Superintendent Ed. Brand, Sweetwater Union High, has been informed that he will have to appear in court 8:30am, South Bay Superior Court, Oct. 2, on having a restraining order placed on Ms. Ricasa, and possibly on the District, on the issue of Education Code 7054 prohibiting the use of district funds, supplies, services and equipment. My, my Mr. Brand you learned nothing from your last stealth campaign for your school bonds.

... Arlie Ricasa works for Trustee Greg Sandoval, and seats on the Board of Roger Cazares, MAAC Project.

Roger Cazares and Norma Cazares along with Councilman Ralph Inzunza, Teacher Sweetwater High School, Gus Chavez, EOP director SDSU, Jorge Covarrubias, Sweetwater Union high teacher, Maria Neves Perman, Trustee Southwestern Community College, and Frank Urtasun, Port District Commissioner are all listed as being on the Ricasa team.

PREGUNTA: WITH ALL THOSE experts ON THE Team you would think Ricasa would be better advised." (FULL ARTICLE HERE )

3. MORE ON RICASA'S SPECIAL INTERESTS


4. RICASA'S SPECIAL INTEREST TRADE-OFF, RICASA GETS CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS, YOU PAY $1.1 MILLION IN LEGAL FEES FOR SUHSD

-BACKGROUND ON RICASA'S CONTRIBUTOR BONNIE GARCIA

La Prensa San Diego Newspaper:

Prop BB:

Proposition BB is a $187 million bond measure that was passed in November 2000 to fund critical repairs at 20 dilapidated district schools. According to the SUHSD Facilities Improvement Plan, which was circulated to voters in July 2000, the 30 to 60-year-old facilities had “outdated electrical and plumbing systems, broken sewage and drainage pipes, inadequate ventilation” and heating and classroom spaces “poorly configured for increasing enrollment and modern curricula.”

Paul Gage, who requested that his name be changed for fear of retribution, has taught at Mar Vista High for almost a decade. Within the past few years, the student population has skyrocketed from 1,200 to more than 2,300 students, and the shortage of classrooms has reached a critical level.

“When Prop BB came around, I thought it would be our savior. Mar Vista is seriously overcrowded, and they said they were going to build new classrooms and new bathrooms. I was really shocked when they built this monstrosity of a gym,” says Mr. Gage, who volunteered his time at a phone bank to help get the bond passed. “It’s a serious misuse of funds, and I just boil over every time I see it.”

When asked to describe the atmosphere at Mar Vista, Mr. Gage paints a picture of the “traveling teacher.” “Basically, because of the overcrowding, these teachers don’t have rooms. They have to use other teacher’s classrooms, and they carry around their things in baskets like homeless people. They have a different room every hour,” says Mr. Gage, who teaches out of a portable classroom with a rain leak that has yet to be fixed, and an air conditioner with sealed off controls so that it “runs 24-7”. “If a teacher can’t teach effectively because they don’t have a room, students can’t learn.”

Mar Vista was built in 1951 and has the capacity to serve 1,215 students. Under the list of “specific repair, renovation and overcrowding needs” to be addressed at a proposed cost of $12,676,198 are such things as: modernizing classrooms, adding science classroom space and a computer lab, adding student and faculty restrooms and renovating existing classrooms. Modernizing “physical education facilities including boys’ and girls’ locker/restroom” is listed second to last.

Dr. Louise Phipps, the principal at Mar Vista High, confirms the district’s claim that the decision as to what repairs “come first” under Prop BB was not made by the district....

She confirms the validity of Mr. Gage’s assessment. “We need bathrooms and classrooms. I used to ask the students if they knew what ‘Prop BB’ stood for, and they would say ‘Prop Better Bathrooms,’” says Dr. Phipps, whose students and faculty often have to stand in line to use broken-down bathroom facilities. “But we are already involved in planning the second phase of Prop BB, which will result in science labs, refurbished classrooms and new bathrooms.”

Rafael Muñoz, Assistant Director of Planning for the SUHSD, did not return La Prensa San Diego’s calls about the cost of Mar Vista’s athletic complex or the start date for phase II of Prop BB.

Whether the hands of the district’s board members and administrators are tied when it comes to utilizing money earmarked for extras for basics such as supplies or textbooks, or whether local school-based committees choose to build a super-gymnasium before installing bathrooms and classrooms, the question from concerned employees, parents and community members remains: In a time of financial uncertainty and academic accountability, who is going to stand up to visibly make academic gains and critical building repairs a priority?