Wasteful IUSD Special Election Looks Certain

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Sources tell TheLiberalOC that petitions with nearly 2,600 signatures were turned into the Orange County Registrar of Voters meaning a special election will be held for the school board.  While the signatures need to be verified, the number far exceeds the necessary numbers needed to qualify.

This means a special election that will cost in excess of $440,000, funds taken directly out of the classroom, looms for June.

Both the Irvine Democratic Club and the Irvine Matters newsletter published by council members Larry Agran and Beth Krom came out in support of this special election.

We’re not sure what this will accomplish other than wasting money.  Ira Glasky, the appointed board member, was to run for election in November.  Now it appears he’ll be the first candidate on the ballot for a special election in June as well as November.

Petitions were turned in today to the OCDE claiming 2,579 signatures.  They are going over to the Registrar for verification.

At that number, they should have no problem qualifying.

9 Comments

  1. Ive rad the earlier post you wrote about Ira Glasky. He is a Republican. So how is he different than Tom Tait? You are an enigma. You bash Dems and Reps alike for supporting a moderate Republican in Anaheim, and you support that Matt Cunningham guy who also appears to be a very close and dear friend of yours who is also a blatant racist. But you come out in support of a Republican in Irvine for School Board? Do you think he will stay moderate while he is campaigning on a Republican platform? If he goes to the right will you still support him? And if you do will you find the need to forgive those who support Tait? This is going to be fun to watch.

  2. Henry, Dan and I usually cross swords on many issues. That said, when it comes to what is in the best interests of the kids of Irvine, we are in sync. You can accuse Dan of many things, but being a big fan of the Republican Party is not one of them. Actually, it is also another thing that we share in common. I can’t speak for Dan, but I believe for select positions, in this case the Irvine School Board, he goes with the most qualified candidate. Frankly, what more could you ask of an elected representative. As I understand it, Mr. Glasky meets all of those prerequisites. Yes, it will be interesting to watch Ira Glasky at work in the future, helping keep Irvine at the top of the list when it comes to outstanding schools.

  3. As good Democrats, we need to support Larry Agran and help get a Democrat elected to the IUSD. People claim Ira Glasky is only Republican for political preservation, but I have even less respect for people like that. Why? Because it shows they do not have the guts to stand up for the own views and values. If he is caving in a school district where Republicans outnumber Democrats by a little more than a 1,000 voters, who is not to say he will not throw the children under the bus when the GOP leadership tells him to. Support Larry Agran, lets let the people of Irvine decide, that is what Democracy is all about. I am sure any good Democrat would agree.

  4. If the electorate doesn’t like Mr. Glasky, he’s up for election in November. Taking $440K out of the classroom only hurts students with no demonstrably change in the school board’s decision on the new high school site. Might as well flush money down the john….

  5. The cost of the special election is small change compared to the costs of repeating the high school site selection process. That is what is at the heart of this sordid mess: compromising the independence of the IUSD board in a desperate bid to overcome years of waste and failure in the Great Park. Irvine’s very own Captain Ahab now looks to drag Irvine’s students and schools into the murky depths of his obsession. This is one Irvine voter (and a registered Dem. at that) who will oppose Agran and Krom at every turn, starting with this IUSD special election.

    • “just a parent,” it is refreshing to see a citizen who has removed the rose colored glasses and now sees King Larry for what he truly is. Despite all of Dan’s spinning of the facts, those who know Larry Agran well, understand he is only out for Larry. He could care less about the kids and schools and only used them as a means of laundering his campaign contributions of the past. The school location issue is proof in the pudding of the comment I just made. I personally don’t agree with the site that the School Board selected, but not for the same reasons as Agran. At the same time, I recognize the School Board put a lot of time and study into Site A and they were elected to make decisions like that one. On the other hand, Larry Agran is having temper tantrums because he is not getting his way and to hell with what is best for the kids. This is the true nature of the man we have all come to know and dislike over the past thirty years. Unless something drastic happens, in 2014, Larry Agran may well be swept into forced retirement as Irvine voters like yourself wake up to the antics of Larry and Beth.

    • You don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. I sure hope Democrats are not the party that agrees in lock step like Republicans do. If Agran supports the special election, that’s his decision. I’ll still vote for him in the next election cycle because I agree with him on most everything else.

      As far as the special election goes, I see it changing nothing. I do expect Hugh Hewitt to actually become a candidate and put himself out there for the voters. If Irvine residents want creationism taught in our schools, he’s their candidate.

  6. Claudio, quite drinking the Argan Tea, stereotyping candidates and start thinking for yourself like “just a Irvne Parent” has done. If you have lived in Irvine for more that thirty daysover the past many years, you would know there was no democracy here. The Agranistas led by King Larry ruled the City and the Not So Great Park with an iron fist. Republicans were in the minority, consulted on zero decisions and were treated like “Trailer Park Trash” by the Agranistas. Large “No Bid” contracts were the rule of the day as many millions of dollars went out the door to Agran backers and supporters. There was zero progress at the Not So Great Park, except for elaborate plans on paper, that could never be affordable, even in good times. Then in 2012 the voters had the audicity to remove control of the Council from the Agranistas and gave it to the minority Republicans. So what has happened in just over a year, a logical person might ask. The Agrainsta dominated Great Park Board has been dismissed, “No Bid” contracts are gone, many of the Agranista backers like Forde & Moolrich,” who were raking in the big dough are history, bloated Park staff has been cut and many programs eliminated at the Park to save what few dollars they have left. The big achievement however, is the agreement with Five Points Developers to assume and get the building of the Great Park started. When Irvine voters in 2014, look at the choice of City Council Candidates, they will see two clear and distinct types. Larry Agran, Beth Krom and probably Sukhee Kang the “do nothings” from the past, or Steven Choi, Jeff Lalloway and likely Lynn Shott, two of who got off the dime, fulfilled their campaign promises and got something positive done. Which group do you think any rational and objective voter might go for? You can take it to the bank, it will not be the Agranistas. Wake up Claudio, start drinking the java and get on the bus before it passes you by.

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