Orange County voters have an opportunity in the upcoming June, 2016 Orange County Primary Election to greatly improve the Orange County Board of Education by dumping the incumbents and voting for the better qualified challengers.
Here is our voter guide for the upcoming O.C. Board of Education Primary Election:
Area 1 – The incumbent, Robert Hammond, has become a real embarrassment and a danger to the residents of Orange County. He voted to approve a charter school run by a weird Turkish sect and more recently referred to homosexuals as “Sodomites” in an email. He must go! We endorse Tustin Council Member Becky Gomez, who has served as President of the Tustin Public Schools Foundation, Tustin High School Academic Boosters, TUSD Coordinating Council, Thorman Elementary PTO president and Currie Middle School PTA president.
IUSD Trustee Michael Parham
Area 3 – The incumbent, Ken Williams, was once the personal physician to disgraced former O.C. Sheriff Mike Carona and he too voted to allow a charter school run by a weird Turkish sect. Williams is now a hair loss surgeon. Like Trustee Hammond, this relic must go! We endorse Michael Parham, a Trustee at the Irvine Unified School District. Parham became President of the IUSD Board in 2008 and was reelected again in 2012 allowing him to spearhead efforts that have expanded the reputation of excellence in Irvine while saving taxpayers over $20 Million through the “Green Team Initiative”. In 2009 his leadership helped the IUSD to receive the prestigious District Leadership Award at the Green California Schools Summit & Exposition.
Area 4 – The incumbent, Jack Bedell, unlike Hammond and Williams, has a background in education and a strong record in public office. We also like one of the challengers, former State Legislator Chris Norby, who was once a high school teacher in Brea. Norby is a Libertarian-leaning Republican who helped stop redevelopment – which more often than not resulted in the seizure, vie eminent domain, of properties for what often turned out to be ridiculous development projects. Take your pick. Bedell and Norby are good choices for Area 4.
This is a very important election. The religious extremists, Williams and Hammond, must be removed from office before they do more harm!
Hammond must go.
The claim that Norby is in any way qualified to make education decisions is absurd. He lacks the knowledge and experience of incumbent Jack Bedell, who has proven his support for public schools while serving on the OC Board of Ed, and while teaching and leading at CSUFullerton. Bedell’s Bridge program, specifically designed to prepare high school students to succeed once they begin college, is only one piece of evidence that his focus is on student achievement.