It Was A Hot Mess...

I should have written this when I was thoroughly disgusted, not now when I am only mildly disgusted, and days away from the Nmusd Board meeting Tuesday night.

This “Special Meeting” was ostensibly for the final vote on what map was going to be chosen on the redistricting issue. To remind you ….Nmusd was sued for $100,000 because they were a little late following the Voting Rights Act and taking care of the protected class on the west side of Costa Mesa. The way the zone had been drawn years ago it was virtually impossible for a Latino to represent the district on the board.

It wasn’t a surprise that the Nmusd Board of Education voted unanimously for Map G, and it certainly wasn’t a surprise that they voted 7-0 since that is usually how they vote.

What was a surprise was that they were so in-your-face about it. The meeting was tense and the board was in an attack and defend mode that would make Sun Tzu (The Art of War) proud. Stone-faced doesn’t really describe how they look down from the dais at their perceived enemies…it’s certainly intimidating, and it’s meant to be.

Speaker after speaker went up to the podium and spoke for the penuriously given two minutes, and if they were 10 seconds over, they were shooed away by the nice guard who I am sure hates it. He even carries a gun…seriously.

The speakers Tuesday night talked about how the protocol hadn’t been followed, and how they kept mislabeling meetings calling them “ public hearings” “town halls” and “community meetings”. No one could figure out why. It certainly wasn’t because the board hates meetings. They love meetings when only ten people are there or after their enemies leave (“enemies” are people who ask questions) so they can giggle over inside jokes and occasionally make disparaging remarks about people.

As it turns out the superintendent didn’t encourage them to come to whatever these meetings were called at the time, because he didn’t want their feelings to be hurt.

The district’s attorneys stated: “These public hearings were more of a ‘town hall meeting’ or ‘community meeting’ that allowed the public to have interaction with the Superintendent, the DecisionInsite consultant and legal counsel which were all present. Additionally, the Superintendent did not encourage the Board members to attend the first two meetings to allow the public the freedom to speak and ask questions without offending any of the Board.

That really wasn’t the reason, of course. The real reason was that this board, who constantly heaps praise upon itself wanted a map that favored them individualy and collectively. There was never “a dialogue” regarding anything to do with redistricting.

It was a hot mess from the beginning with the Superintendent’s Boundary Committee voting to recommend Map B, and the board deciding they weren’t really in love with the recommendation and literally birthing a new map … Map G.

It’s hilariously like the movie “Three Men and a Baby” (Plus One). Tim Holcomb, Dennis Ashendorf, and Matt Eimers all claim fatherhood, and then there is the suspicious partial parenthood of Martha Fluor who was apparently in the room when Map G was born. Just so you know the trustees aren't supposed to draw the maps for obvious reasons.

One would expect to get the full story about the genesis of this map at the "Special Meeting" meeting. Nope.

There was really no logical legal explanation as to exactly where Map G came from or why. There was only the loud steady drumbeat leading to the only conclusion that was ever in play….Map G was the map that the trustees wanted, the map that pleased them, and more importantly the map that kept them all together in what Steve Smith calls “The Club”

It was a mess…

***these videos are short, informative and kind of funny (in a sad way)

This is the actual "Special Board Meeting"