Greater Orange News Service

Metro TALK
a community service of the Greater Orange Communities Organization

Orange Unified Attorney Spencer Covert’s history as an educational attorney with Brown Act problems came under media scrutiny in connection to the most current Orange County dysfunctional school district, Capistrano Unified School District. An article in Friday's Orange County Register and a posting on Dissent the Blog, outlines Covert's brushes with the California public officials meeting secrecy law known as the Brown Act.

Representing a total of 40 school districts, Covert’s clients include 8 Orange County school districts plus the Orange County Superintendent of Schools. Covert’s firm has worked for Orange Unified as the school district’s legal representative twice. Covert had represented OUSD until the radical (and eventually recalled) extremists lead by former OUSD Trustee Marty Jacobson dropped Covert for the ideological similar attorney James Bowles of the Los Angeles firm Hill, Farrer and Burrill. Bowles was the losing attorney in the landmark Colin vs Orange Unified El Modena H.S. Gay-Straight Alliance lawsuit. After the successful Orange Recall, Bowles was fired and replaced by Covert. In 2003, Orange Unified represented by Covert lost a court case over a 2001 Brown Act violation. That loss required OUSD to tape record all Closed Session meetings for three years. That case is highlighted in the Register article.

Last month Covert won an appeal over OUSD Trustee Steve Rocco that included alleged Brown Act violations against Orange Unified. The judge in that case ruled that the Brown Act did not apply to the Rocco Censure case under appeal.

For more information CLICK ON the blue links:

Capistrano district lawyer has run afoul of open-meeting laws-
OC Register 10-3-08
OC REGISTER

Covert defends the covert, but he’s a bungler
Dissent the Blog 10-3-08
BLOG

MEMORIES: (For those of you old enough)… The James Bowles Bio:
MEMORIES

* Spencer Covert caricature from DISSENT the BLOG

MONSTER GARAGE SALE
Covenant Christian School will be the beneficiary of a "Monster Garage Sale" to be held on Saturday, October 25, 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM in the school gym, located on the campus of Covenant Presbyterian Church.

The entire community is invited to shop the event. Hundreds of donors will generate a massive inventory of clothing, kitchen and household furnishings, electronics, tools and hardware, books, toys and games, sports and exercise equipment, baby and invalid care essentials, auto accessories, musical instruments, you name it.

There will be plenty of parking in the adjacent lot. Donations of items for the sale will be gratefully accepted at the site beginning Thursday, October 23rd. Covenant Christian School is a non-denominational Christian school, pre-K through 8th grade, which has been in existence for 33 years in the City of Orange.

Covenant Christian School Monster Garage Sale- October 25, 2008
855 Orange-Olive Road (north of Taft/south of Meats), Orange

For further information, please contact the school office, 714-998-4852, or visit the church's website: COVENANT.
Chairman of the sale is Carol Avellino.

Orange Chamber Election Endorsements
The Orange Chamber of Commerce has released it’s endorsements for the November ballot initiatives (see link below).

It has also endorsed Arianna Barrios and Jerry Winant in their races for seats on the Orange Unified School Board. The Barrios campaign also announced the endorsement of her campaign by Assemblyman Todd Spitzer.

To see the Orange Chamber Proposition picks CLICK ON:
CHAMBER

Metro TALK
is a community service of the
Greater Orange Communities Organization
greaterorangeco@gmail.com