Vasquez: Setting the record straight

Guest ColumnGuest Column 6 Comments

Share

In response to a Friday Rostra opinion piece by Southern Exposure, the following was submitted as a guest column.

by Bernardo Vasquez

Please allow me to set the record straight for you and clear up the baseless inferences you make in your story.

I have been on the Sweetwater Union High School District bond oversight committee since April 2009. I became chair in April of 2011, and my term ended in June 2012. During this time period, many scandals rocked the school district. Superintendent Jesus Gandara was replaced by Ed Brand, two current trustees were indicted due to Prop O related activities, and Prop O Program Manager SGI was fired by the district.

As I am certain you are aware, there have been a multitide of investigations by the DA, and numerous stories by many publications and news organizations during this time. All of those investigations and stories have been deeply and thoroughly investigated before being reported. Something that is clearly lacking in your story.

With all of the detailed investigations and stories done on this district and Prop O, never has the committee, or me personally, been alleged to be involved in any way. Never have any inferences or allegations ever been made against our all volunteer committee.

I have never received any meals or other gifts from contractors. I have not gained any clients from the district, contractors, trustees, politicians or any others that you question.

So you’re aware, we are an oversight committee, with absolutely no decision making authority. We do not get involved in any aspects of Prop O business, other than reviewing of documents provided by the district and reporting to the Trustees and public. We don’t get involved in interviewing, recommending or selecting contractors, approving contracts, bids, change orders, or any other decision making aspect of this program.

You claim I fell asleep at the switch, but I never had access to the switch! Your friend on the Board of Trustees has access to the switch. He and the majority of the board have fallen asleep at the switch!

This committee has never been required to sign the Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700), not when Gandara was the superintendent, not when Brand became superintendent, nor at any other time other than now. Lack of transparency has always been the district’s issue, never the volunteer committee’s issue.

We are not required by law to sign the Form 700, we are a volunteer committee with no decision making authority! Heck, the PTA and ASB advisors who are volunteers have more decision making authority than the bond oversight committee. They handle finances and make decisions on how to spend district money, but the district is not requiring them to fill out a 700. I imagine the district will now require the PTA, School Site Council, and other parent volunteer organizations to be required to fill out the 700.

And if they don’t, I expect you will report on this and call them out on their lack of integrity, honesty and transparency if they question the need for this form.

Clearly, the district and majority of the board are unhappy with the committee’s recent vote of no confidence in Superintendent Brand. Ironic that with all of the issues currently facing this district, this is one of the first things Brand does upon getting his contract — bully an all volunteer committee and community volunteers.

He never questioned my transparency when I was chair, but the community has always questioned the district’s transparency. Nothing has changed in that regard. Now that a group of parents and I are questioning the district’s use of the Mello Roos fund, the district’s recent Open Boundaries decision, a recent vote of no confidence by parents and the oversight committee, Brand has threatened the committee and me.

Rostra, shame on you for your lack of thoroughness in this story. Picking on a volunteer that gives his time to help the district. It is well known that you are good friends with a trustee at Sweetwater, and many feel you are just his ghostwriter or mouthpiece. Too bad he does not have the courage to discuss these issues with me or the committee, or bring it up during our public meetings or the trustees public meetings.

I may sign the 700, or I may continue to refuse. Do your homework to see if there is any merit to your baseless inferences. And to those in your audience who criticize me and the committee, we have an at-large position open and could use the help. I invite Gordo, Tiffany, Jose, Maria or Joe or any other who thinks they can help to submit their application. Let’s see if you have the courage to be involved and be part of a solution to these district issues, and not another part of the problem.

# # #

Share

Comments 6

  1. Well stated, Mr. Vasquez.

    I might be that Ed Brand has been hanging around football players so much that he decided to live by the old phrase, “The best defence is a good offence.”

    Ed Brand, on the offensive, or just offensive, either way, the man clearly demonstrates his reliance on intimidation and bullying tactics.

    When you couple that with his over-emotional reactions to points of discussion, (as we have just seen in the most recent board meeting) and his refusal to step up and answer questions regarding “the big dirt pile”, you get a picture of someone who is, in point of fact, not suitable to hold the position of superintendent of schools for Sweetwater, or any other school district.

    So, Mr. Vasquez, I am sure you have realized that Brand’s methods of attack merely demonstrate his own feelings of fear and vulnerability as you and the rest of the Bond Oversignt Committee members do your job.

    He is trying to hide things he would rather keep hidden–why else would he go after honest volunteers?

  2. I agree with Mr. Vasquez on all but one point. He says that the Sweetwater Union High School District trustees were “asleep at the switch.” Not hardly!

    They were controlling the switch! They picked who should be in charge of FLIPPING the switch. They limited ACCESS to the switch. They ACTIVELY avoided letting others know about what was going on at switching central.

    Unless you are Rip Van Winkle, you can’t sleep 24/7. Yet that’s what the district trustees must claim to explain how they could be that blind to their surroundings.

    Seems to me that most of the SUHSD trustees were negligent or worse — and drew a salary while being so!

  3. Thank you Mr Vazquez for setting the record straight. I met you many years ago and I do believe you are a man of honesty and integrity. Stories such as this one and many others full of half truths would give me a reason to not give this district any of my personal information. They sway stories in the media as they see fit to serve them, just look at the idiotic story done on the un Americaness of the public during a board meeting. These trustees and this superintendent are not worthy of this committee’s time and effort. They can’t recognize these qualities even if it smacked them right upside their head. Keep up the fight Mr Vazquez you speak for many!

  4. Richard Rider: I thank you Sir for taking the time to register your informed comment. the words you speak are on the lips of the majority in the south bay. certain board members are more concerned with attending high school football games and flipping the coin then they are with the education of the 7th – 12th graders or overseeing our tax dollars. there i sat in the Olmpian football stands – listening to the negative comments about the board member flipping the coin – “why is he here, he has his nerve” the same board member is said to be pursuing a future career as mayor of chula vista (as if that is ever going to happen after what he has NOT done as a sweetwater board member) the frustration down here is at a boiling point – we are simply sick and tired of being sick and tired of the lack of leadership and alleged corruption.

    i would hope that you might take the time to review ed brand’s new contract and weigh in. please note that as part of the contract we, the taxpayers, will pay for his medical, dental and vision 6 years after his contract ends – at which time he will be eligible for medicare. additionally it is standard procedure for all employees to take a physical, brand is exempt from this – john mccann, jim cartmill and arlie ricasa voted for this exemption. brand is now one of the highest paid superintendents in the nation – according to john mccann he is worth every penny, according to jim cartmill he is a good choice, according to indicted board member arlie ricasa he is a bargain – (paraphrase) –

    i have attended every board meeting for the past 3 1/2 years and the majority of the BOC meetings during that same length of time – i can attest to the integrity of Mr. Vasquez – he has fought against all odds to be the best watchdog possible of our bond tax dollars. the majority of the board, ‘the gandara’ and ed brand have fought him every step of the way. the last ‘comment/story’ on this web site referred to him as a slimy insurance agent – wow, one might think they are trying awfully hard to hide something. be assured Sir, we will not be stopped – we will uncover what is going on – that you can take to the bank.

    this story and the one that came before it on this web site has done much to empower our resolve.

    don’t you find it interesting that the same people who went to the da and fbi initially about the ‘allegedl’ corruption are the same ones speaking for and standing behind Mr. Vasquez. i think that speaks volumes………………………….. where is the majority of the board and ed brand – fanning the smoke screen and leading the attack. what is that saying “if you are not part of the solution perhaps you are part of the problem” – BINGO!!!!!!!!

  5. It is time for you to come clean Mr. Vasquez. The community demands it! You talk about transparency, but in your world it applies to everyone, except yourself. The majority of your fellow committee members voted for this disclosure requirement and have made their disclosures public. What are you hiding?

    There are so many misstatements and half truths in your statement, I feel like I am getting one of your insurance sales pitches.

    You are not on the PTA. You were suppose to look over $644,000,000.00 of public money! You were a complete failure at it! The overspending and corruption happened right under your nose!

    You say you never took any meals from anyone. How about Dr. Gandara? Please post here who paid for your meals with Dr. Gandara.

    Let’s see if you have the courage to come clean or maybe your are afraid the DA will come knocking on your door.

    For four years you have been part of the problem! Now it is time for you to go!

  6. Jose, for someone who seems to know so very much about what has been going on in Sweetwater, where have you been hiding out for the past several years?

    Once again, spurious attacks on volunteers is not going to gain points with anyone, much less the informed voters of the South Bay.

    Attempting to hold a volunteer responsible for decisions that are made by the superintendent and other paid members of the administration of Sweetwater, as well as the Board of Trustees is sheer lunacy, tantamount to a flashing marquee advertising your stridency, inaccuracy and lack of substance.

    Now, it has already been pointed out here that friends of Brand and the board will stop at nothing to muddy the waters, because they can hide so much in those muddy waters–Mr. Vasquez knows full well that legal opinion is on his side with regard to form 700.

    Bullying tactics on your part, Jose, or on Brand’s part, or on the part of McCann, Cartmill, Ricasa or any other person with strong feelings one way or the other in this matter simply puts the spotlight on the bully for what he or she is.

    Are you sure you want to continue this line of bullying and cant?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.