Tuesday, October 6, 2015


Boutique Noël helps ALO serve others


The 100-year-old Assistance


League® of Orange chapter house in downtown Orange will be transformed into Boutique Noël, a shopping wonderland, featuring unique and well-priced items, Oct. 21-25. The boutique will feature


holiday décor and gifts created by local artisans and Assistance League’s own crafters, plus cloth- ing, jewelry, and accessories. An assortment of soups, dip mixes, mustards, jams and fresh baked goods will also be available. Shoppers will be helping the community with every purchase, as 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit Assistance League’s philanthropic programs serving families and children in Orange. Boutique Noël will be held at


124 S. Orange. Shopping hours are 4-8 p.m. Wed., Oct. 21; 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Thurs. and Fri, Oct. 22-23; 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sat., Oct. 24; and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun., Oct. 25.


"OUSD" continued from page 1


candidates, let them present their qualifications and respond to questions at a public hearing were not seconded. Instead, Sur- ridge’s motion to “paper screen” the candidates passed, 5-1. The vote meant that trustees would make a judgment call on infor- mation presented on the candi- date’s application forms, whittle the field down to four or five, and invite only the finalists to the next board meeting. Moffatt objected, noting that the appli- cations had not been made pub- lic, and therefore the proposed process was too secretive. “We need our views and opinions on the public record,” she said. “It sounds like the decision has been made already.” Under the approved selection process, board members agreed to provide their individual lists of ”paper screened” top candidates to Superintendent Michael Chris- tensen’s office by Thursday, Sept. 17. The superintendent would compile the results and notify the “winners” on Friday. The final selection meeting was scheduled for Monday, Sept. 21, during


Foothills Sentry


which time each finalist would have three minutes to convince board members that he or she was best suited for the seat. On Friday, the agenda for the Monday meeting was made pub- lic, as were the finalists. Superin- tendent Christensen advised that since an appointee would need four votes to earn the seat, only candidates who received four votes from the paper screening process made the cut. The final- ists were Chris Nguyen, Greg Sa- las and Andrea Yamasaki. Nguy- en was not a surprise. An Orange County political aide with ties to several board members, he was the candidate thought to be the majority’s favorite. It was as- sumed that he would jump on the majority bandwagon and become the cherished fifth vote needed to sell surplus (Peralta) property. Nguyen was the main reason peti- tions calling for a district election had been created in advance.


Musical chairs Andrea Yamasaki was also an expected finalist. Long active in OUSD, she had worked with bond supporters for Measure K, was PTSA president at two schools, and was well known throughout the district for her enthusiasm and drive to improve facilities. Greg Salas’ appearance among


the final three was a mystery. A newcomer to the district with no history or background in OUSD issues, he was considered to be a “strawman” included by board members who wanted Nguyen. By the Monday night meeting, however, the agenda had changed. Apparently so many people had asked the district office which trustee picked which candidate


and how the non-finalists ranked, that OUSD legal counsel ad- vised the board to re-do the paper screening process in public. But no one knew about the


change in agenda until the meet- ing began – not even all of the trustees. In addition, all eight can- didates were invited to the meet- ing after all.


Since few members


of the public had seen the revised agenda, no one expected anyone other than Nguyen, Salas and Ya- masaki to be there.


The people’s choice Andrea Yamasaki’s supporters


were there in force. A garrison of teachers, parents, bond sup- porters and other OUSD volun- teers spoke publicly, reiterating her qualifications, passion and dedication to the district. Board members were repeatedly urged to select her. Since the public believed that the other five candi- dates had already been rejected, no one who might have support- ed them was there. Several ap- plicants commented that they had been invited to the meeting at the last minute with little time to pre- pare. Yamasaki looked to all like a shoo-in. With nothing left to do but


vote, Moffatt asked the board to allow the other candidates to speak. That was not part of the revised agenda, but she noted that the agenda had already been changed once and “they’re all here. We should let them speak for themselves.” Her motion to do that passed 4 – 2, with Ortega and Surridge voting “no.” The field of eight applicants


each took their three minutes, but it was too little, too late for the slate of viable “rejects.” In the end, the board did not “paper screen” the candidates in public as the revised agenda indicated.


Page 7


Greg Salas got the needed four votes. Alexia Deligianni-Brydg- es voted for Chris Nguyen; Mof- fatt, for Andrea Yamasaki.


Torches and pitchforks The audience was outraged.


Livid meeting-goers claimed that the vote had to be fixed, that there was no way four trustees could have independently be- lieved Salas to be the best choice. It strengthened the suspicions of many constituents that his selec- tion as a finalist had been orches- trated behind the scenes. “He was the weakest candidate,” said one shell-shocked meeting attendee. “I can believe one trustee voting for him, but not four.” Diane Singer, who resigned


from the seat now in contention when she moved out of Trustee Area 1, “knows all too well how this board operates.” That’s why she did the legwork in preparing the petition. “That trustee seat is important to me,” she says. “I am still fully engaged with how our district moves forward.” Signature gathering is being conducted by Anaheim Hills residents (Area 1), teachers, bond supporters and members of the Save Peralta group. Andrea Ya- masaki has agreed to run if the special election is called.


After 36 years as one of the largest lighting suppliers in California, California Commercial Lighting Supply Inc. (“CCLS”) announced on September 1, 2015, that it would close its doors due to economic circum- stances and market conditions beyond its control, effective immediately. “Despite our very best efforts and desire to continue serving our commu- nity, we will be closing our doors today. We want to sincerely thank our customers for the loyalty and support they have shown us over the past three decades,” stated President and Founder Richard Mitten.


WE CAN HELP BALANCE YOUR LIFE


•Have you ever wanted more energy? •Ever thought you would like to lose weight and become more fit? •Would you like to reduce your aches and pains? •Would you like to improve the quality of your sleep? •Ever wonder if you could improve your memory and concentration? •What about reducing your dependence on prescription drugs?


If you answered yes to any of these questions you might be a candidate for a new kind of medicine called “Functional Medicine”.


Please call us for a consultation.


AFFORDABLE, PERSONAL SERVICE WEEKLY, BI-WEEKLY, MONTHLY LIC. & BONDED


CLEANING HOUSE CALL FOR FREE ESTIMATE (714) 381-4220 HOUSES - CONDOS - APARTMENTS - OFFICES


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24