DUSTIN TO CUSD BOARDMEMBER LANDO: "MAN, IT'S A CIRCUS" * 03-09-22 * CHICO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

SUPER DAD DUSTIN VARGAS GIVES AN EPIC “THREE MINUTES” AT THIS MEETING! TRULY EPIC.

LOOK AT ALL THE GREEN IN THE AUDIENCE! WE HAD A “GREEN MAP” BATTLE AND TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT, WE ALL WORE GREEN… TOM LANDO DIDN’T UNDERSTAND “WHY IS EVERYONE WEARING GREEN”? EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO WORE A GREEN BOW-TIE, A SILLY GREEN BOA, A STUPID GREEN SCARF…. HELPED US WIN THAT GREEN MAP. YOU DON’T ALWAYS HAVE TO HAVE THE LOUDEST VOICE. OR BE RUDE AND CRUDE. JUST SHOW UP. ALWAYS SHOW UP.

BACKGROUND:

CHICO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT HAD TO “DISTRICT” THE SCHOOL ELECTION MAP THIS YEAR. IT HAS BEEN A “MEMBERS AT LARGE” ELECTION SYSTEM WITH FIVE SCHOOL BOARD SEATS. ANYONE ELIGIBLE FROM WITHIN THE ENTIRE SCHOOL DISTRICT BOUNDARY CAN RUN, AND EVERYONE WITHIN THAT LARGE SCHOOL DISTRICT BOUNDARY CAN VOTE FOR THE CANDIDATES ON THE BALLOT. e.g. IF THERE ARE 3 SEATS OPEN, AND 2 PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON THE SAME BLOCK RUN, PLUS 2 ON THE NORTH END OF TOWN AND 3 ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF TOWN, EVERY VOTER IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BOUNDARY HAS 3 VOTES AND CAN LITERALLY VOTE FOR ALL 3 ON THE SOUTHSIDE OF TOWN. THEREIN LIES THE PROBLEM. OVERSEEING A DISTRICT WITH 12,000 STUDENTS, $170M BUDGET AND 21 SCHOOLS SHOULD HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM MORE THAN JUST THE SOUTHSIDE OF TOWN!

IN CALIFORNIA THERE WAS A BIG PUSH TO MOVE AWAY FROM “MEMBERS-AT-LARGE” ELECTION SYSTEMS AND IMPLEMENT A “DISTRICT” OR “TRUSTEE” SYSTEM FOR MORE BALANCED AND FAIR ELECTIONS THAT BETTER REPRESENT THE PEOPLE. FOR CHICO UNIFIED. TODAY 3 OF THE 5 LIVE WITHIN AN APPROXIMATELY 10 SQ MILE AREA AND ONE IS ALL THE WAY UP IN FOREST RANCH OUTSIDE OF CHICO CITY LIMITS.
AND ALL ARE TASKED WITH REPRESENTING ALL 21 SCHOOLS. AGAIN, THEREIN LIES THE PROBLEM. AND CUTTING UP THE ELECTION MAP INTO 5 SMALLER AREAS IS A GOOD THING. EACH TRUSTEE AREA GETS ONE BOARD SEAT AND THE INDIVIDUAL MUST LIVE THERE. ONLY THE VOTERS WHO LIVE THERE CAN VOTE FOR THEIR OWN SCHOOLBOARD MEMBER. IT WILL ADD A BETTER LEVEL OF DIVERSITY AND LOCAL KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT THOSE SCHOOLS REALLY NEED.

WELL ANYWAY, IT’S BEEN A LONG 6 MONTH PROCESS AND WE WERE DOWN TO THE GREEN MAP VS. THE ORANGE MAP. THE GREEN MAP IS THE "PEOPLE’S MAP". DRAWN BY THE PAID "INDEPENDENT" CONSULTANT AND HAD THE MOST PUBLIC SUPPORT AT THE END. THE ORANGE MAP APPEARED MYSTERIOUSLY AT THE LAST MINUTE AND WAS DRAWN BASED ON ONE THING – THE CURRENT INCUMBENT'S HOME ADDRESS. IMAGINE THAT. 3 OF 5 SUPERVISORS ARE UP FOR REELECTION IN 2022. 4 OF THE 5 ARE LIBERAL SOCIALISTS SO THEY OWN THE MAJORITY AND DID A LOT TO CONTROL THIS PROCESS. ONE BY ONE THEY ELIMINATED THOSE MAPS THE PEOPLE WANTED. PURPLE FIRST, THEN BLUE. A COMPLETE SHAME BUT THEN AGAIN, WHO SAID ELECTIONS ARE FREE AND FAIR?

WHEN IT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE GOING TO GET ONE OVER ON THE PEOPLE, AND SPIT ON THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS AT THE SAME TIME, THE MOST AMAZING THING HAPPENED. THE ON THE NIGHT OF THE BIG VOTE, FEBRUARY 16, AFTER A RUCKUS DURING THE FACE MASK PART OF THE AGENDA, THE BOARD TOOK A 10 MINUTE BREAK. UPON RETURNING TOM LANDO WASN'T THERE AND HE NEVER DID RETURN.

UNBELIEVABLE. WELL, AGAIN, TYPICAL FOR TOM BUT HE HAD BEEN THERE THE WHOLE MEETING. WHY DID HE LEAVE? NEVER DID UNDERSTAND ALTHOUGH HE SAID SOMETHING PERSONAL CAME UP (WHICH WE OBVIOUSLY KNEW THAT MUCH). I DO THINK HE INTENDED TO LEAVE AND NOT HAVE TO PUT DOWN A VOTE BEHIND THE ORANGE MAP (PISSING OFF THE PARENTS) OR PUT DOWN A VOTE FOR THE GREEN MAP (WHICH MEANT HE WOULD PROBABLY ELIMINATE HIS OWN SEAT).

HE PROBABLY BELIEVED BOARDMEMBER DALBY WOULD VOTE FOR THE ORANGE {WHICH WAS BEST FOR HER) AND ORANGE WOULD PASS WITH NO BLOOD ON HIS HANDS. TYPICAL POLITICIAN. BUT I GUESS HE DIDN’T INCLUDE DALBY IN THAT CONVERSATION BECAUSE SHE VOTED GREEN! THAT MADE IT A SPLIT VOTE AS THE TWO SOCIALISTS VOTED FOR THEIR OWN MAP THEY DREW! I AM NOT SURE WHY DALBY VOTED FOR GREEN OTHER THAN I ALSO THINK SHE DIDN'T WANT BLOOD ON HER HANDS. SO SHE FIRST VOTED GREEN "FOR THE PEOPLE". I HONESTLY DON’T THINK SHE REALIZED WITHOUT TOM IT WOULD BE A TIE VOTE.
BUT THERE WAS, AND THEY PUSHED THE DECISION UNTIL 3/2 WHEN TOM WOULD HOPEFULLY SHOW UP (WHICH WAS A WILDCARD).

LITTLE DID WE THINK THAT ON 3/2 WE WOULD WALK INTO THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AND IT WAS CAITLYN DALBY ABSENT! "TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM".
I KNEW SHE LIVED IN FOREST RANCH SOME 15 MILES AWAY UP IN THE FOOTHILLS BUT CERTAINLY SHE COULD HAVE CALLED AN UBER. RIGHT? CAME TO FIND OUT SHE WAS OUT OF TOWN AND THE PLANE HAD SOME KIND OF PROBLEMS SO SHE COULDN'T GET BACK IN TIME AMAZING. MARK ONE FOR THE PEOPLE!! ORI GUESS NOW IT'S TWO!!

UNBELIEVABLE. SO AFTER MORE DEBATE TOM VOTED GREEN FOR TEH PEOPLE! BUT WE WERE NOW SPLIT 2-2.
DALBY HAD VOTED GREEN THE LAST MEETING CAN'T THAT AS HER INTENDED VOTE? OF COURSE NOT.

THEN IT BECAME A BIG ISSUE WITH THE COUNTY DEADLINE. THE DECISION WAS MADE TO PUSH IT OUT AGAIN. BUT THIS TIME, THEY HAD TO CALL A SPECIAL MEETING. A SPECIAL MEETING COSTS TAXPAYERS $$. BUT THIS TAXPAYER PERSONALLY BELIEVED IT WAS A PERFECT INVESTMENT! I TRULY BELIEVE DALBY AND LANDO DIDN’T WANT GREEN BUT DIDN’T WANT TO VOTE AGAINST THE “PEOPLE’S” MAP!

THE FINAL VOTE WAS PUSHED OUT AGAIN SO ON THIS 3/9 SPECIAL MEETING, THE FULL BOARD VOTED, 4-1 GREEN (ROBINSON VOTED GREEN JUST TO LOOK GOOD ON PAPER). AND WE WON THE DAY! DEMOCRACY WON AND IS STILL ALIVE IN BUTTE COUNTY!

JUSTIN VARGAS WAS A CONSISTENT PRESENCE AT THE MEETINGS AND TONIGHT HIS SENSE OF HUMOR, ALONG WITH A POINTED SPEECH DIRECTED AT THE AUTHORITARIAN'S WHO MAKE PARENTS LIVES SO DIFFICULT. IT WAS IMPRESSIVE!! HE IS AN EXAMPLE FOR THE YOUNG MEN ON HOW YOU CAN USE SOME HUMOR BUT STILL GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS.

THE FUNNIEST, SWEETEST, MOST RESOLUTE DAD. DUSTIN VARGAS – YOU ARE ONE FORMIDABLE HUMAN BEING!

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