A tale of two O.C. school districts and their superintendents, post-election
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Nov. 27, and Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow. I’m Carol Cormaci bringing you this week’s TimesOC newsletter with a look at some of the latest local news and events.
Before we get started, please take note that I’ll be taking next week off, so there will not be a TimesOC newsletter on Wednesday, Dec. 4. We’ll resume on Dec. 11.
Two local school boards took divergent action after election results trending in their respective districts made it apparent who would be serving on the panels come mid-December. One board felt it necessary to ensure its current superintendent’s job would be protected from firing by the soon-to-be seated members, while the other, also alluding to the election results, announced its superintendent’s job would be terminated by the end of December.
The conservative majority on the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Board of Trustees voted Nov. 19 to shield Supt. Alex Cherniss (with whom they are politically aligned) and other top-level administrators, according to this article by TimesOC reporter Gabriel San Román.
“As voters appear poised to flip conservative control of the board, current trustees approved changes to Cherniss’ contract … that would make it more difficult for him to be fired,” the reporter writes. “Trustees can now only terminate his employment, with or without cause, by way of a supermajority vote of the five-member board, a threshold that sunsets at the end of 2026.”
This did not sit well with members of the public attending the meeting, including Trisha Quintero, who is leading by a wide margin to take the seat currently occupied by another member.
“These changes are being proposed with the guise of bettering school community,” Quintero said that night. “Unfortunately, the impression I have of these changes is not what is best for the community but, instead, is best for a select few.”
The California Teachers Assn. also got involved, sending a cease and desist letter on behalf of the Assn. of Placentia-Linda Educators arguing the proposed contract changes would violate education law and invite lawsuits.
“This is a naked attempt to shield the outgoing board’s preferred administrators from termination once the newly elected board is installed,” the letter read. “The proposed amendments conflict with the law and therefore would not be enforceable.”
The newly constituted board will be installed Dec. 17.
The story behind that story is far too complex to go into here, and although school boards, like city councils, are nonpartisan, they do not necessarily function as so. I encourage you to read San Román’s entire article to get a clearer picture.
Three days after the Placentia-Yorba Linda vote was taken and the motion passed, the Laguna Beach Unified school board announced the district was terminating its contract with Supt. Jason Viloria effective Dec. 31, the Daily Pilot reported.
That panel will reorganize Dec. 16, following this month’s election of two newcomers to the board, Sheri Morgan and Howard Hills.
The cryptic announcement, which seemingly came out of the blue, stated the move was not related to Viloria’s performance but rather due to “anticipated changes in the governing board that may influence the direction and priorities of the district moving forward.”
Viloria, who boasts a long list of achievements since stepping into the role in 2016, stated in a letter to district families the decision was a mutual one.
“The current Board of Education and I mutually decided that my stepping aside at this time would provide the incoming board with the opportunity to shape the leadership that best aligns with its vision for the district’s future,” Viloria wrote in the letter reviewed by the Daily Pilot. “While agreeing to the separation agreement was one of the most difficult decisions of my career, I believe it is the right choice to honor the progress we have made together and to ensure the district continues to thrive.”
MORE NEWS
• Unincorporated North Tustin may soon get its own, single ZIP code after having shared one with Tustin and a second with Santa Ana for decades, according to this TimesOC report. It’s a move community members have sought for some time, and their cause was picked up by Rep. Young Kim, a Republican representing the 40th congressional district. Kim cosponsored a bill that would designate single ZIP codes for North Tustin and several other U.S. communities. One of the reasons proponents of the change cited in their request was that since 2018 Santa Ana has had a higher sales tax rate, 9.25%. This means affected North Tustin residents who use their home addresses while buying a car or shopping online for big ticket purchases are sometimes assessed Santa Ana’s tax rate.
• Irvine-based electric-vehicle maker Rivian announced Monday it had received conditional approval for a federal loan of up to $6.6 billion to help fund construction of a plant in Georgia where it could manufacture smaller, more affordable vehicles, The Times reports. Rivian halted work on the Atlanta plant this year after losing $5.4 billion in 2023. The marque’s best-selling R1S carries a price tag north of $70,000.
• Backyard beekeepers in Costa Mesa are closer to being allowed to practice their hobby without being considered scofflaws. The City Council last week approved the first reading of an ordinance to legalize and regulate the practice. Those currently tending hives will be given 90 days to comply with the specifics of the ordinance following its second reading.
• The Balboa Peninsula Trolleys, although serviceable, are no better looking than “airport shuttles,” according to a Newport Beach councilman who voted with his colleagues to spend $1.6 million to replace them with some that evoke the sense of being on one of the electric cars of the early 20th century.
PUBLIC SAFETY & COURTS
• Zihua Zhang, 37, of Irvine, suspected of buying stolen cars and trucks and reselling them with counterfeit identifiers, was arrested Thursday while driving a Dodge Durango SRT that police said had been stolen. At his residence in Woodbridge, police said they found a stolen purple McLaren worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• Orange resident Joel Navarro Hernandez, 55, was identified as the sole motorist killed in a series of collisions on the 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 19. Several other people were injured, five of them hospitalized, in the multiple crashes that led to a full-freeway, six-hour closure while California Highway Patrol investigators began the task of sorting out exactly what had occurred.
• An SUV crashed into the center divider of the Santa Ana (5) Freeway near Tustin Ranch Road shortly after 3 a.m. Monday, City News Service reported. The vehicle, which had been traveling northbound, burst into flames, killing one person inside and sending debris flying across both sides of the freeway.
SPORTS
• In a column published Monday, Times reporter Bill Shaikin notes that yes, the Angels are signing free agents (to the tune of $107 million this month), but wonders aloud what team officials should expect of injury-plagued, three-time MVP Mike Trout in 2025. Over the past five years, Trout, who is signed through 2030 on a 12-year, $426.5-million deal, hasn’t played in even 120 games of a 162-game season. “No one really knows how many games Trout might play next season,” Shaikin writes. “Even the Angels appear mystified.”
• Edison High’s boys’ basketball team fell Friday to Pacifica Christian Orange County in the latter school’s annual “Bring the Rain” game played at Vanguard University. The “rain” consists of whole rolls of toilet paper, which fans throw on the court after Pacifica Christian makes its first three-pointer. The final score was 59-56. In the “Bring the Rain” girls’ game, Pacifica’s junior guard Vivian Villagrana scored 22 points to lead the Tritons to a 57-31 victory over Lake Elsinore. No official tally of the TP rolls lobbed Friday was reported.
LIFE & LEISURE
• Stage actor/singer Rachel Ravel, currently a resident of Laguna Beach, was thrilled to be cast alongside Jason Alexander (of “Seinfeld” fame) in the sold-out “Fiddler on the Roof” at the La Mirada Theatre for Performing Arts this month. For a feature story the Daily Pilot interviewed Ravel, a Texas native who underwent vocal cord surgery at the age of 16 and wondered if she’d ever be able to perform in a musical again. Today, at 28, she’s capably handling the role of Tzeitel, who urges her younger sisters not to be in a rush to be married off with one of the musical’s signature songs, “Matchmaker, Matchmaker.”
CALENDAR THIS
• Sawdust Art Festival’s Winter Fantasy opened Friday and will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 22. More than 180 artists are selling original artworks and handmade gifts. Visitors can also enjoy live music, Santa meet-and-greets, marionettes, free art classes and more. Food, beer and wine are available for purchase. General admission is $12; $10 for seniors 65 and older; $5 for youth ages 6 to 12 and free for children 5 and under. Sawdust Festival grounds, 935 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.
• The classical piano ensemble comprised of siblings and billed as the 5 Browns will perform Christmas music at Irvine Barclay Theatre at 4 p.m. this Sunday as the venue launches a season filled with a variety of holiday-themed offerings. Tickets for Sunday’s concert start at $34. Visit the Barclay’s website to view its complete December schedule and to purchase tickets.
• Rossmoor Woman’s Club will host its annual Holiday Home Tour on Sunday, Dec. 8, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets, priced at $25, also provide entrance to the Tea Room for complimentary refreshments, holiday activities and a visit from Santa. Five homes decorated for the holidays will be featured on the tour, with funds raised earmarked for local charities. For more details call (714) 465-4417 or visit the club’s website.
I wish you and yours a happy Thanksgiving. See you back here on Dec. 11!
Best,
Carol
KEEP IN TOUCH
I appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome!) or comments to [email protected].
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