Greater Orange News Service

Plaza Menorah Lighting Nightly at 6:00 PM during Chanukah
This Wednesday December 1st is the beginning of Chanukah and for the fourth year in a row the Temple Beth Sholom on Tustin Ave will host the nightly ceremony lighting the menorah in the Orange Park Plaza at the Orange Traffic Circle. For the 8 nights of the Jewish festival of lights a ceremonial lighting at 6:00 pm will take place in the Orange Park Plaza. The simple ceremony includes blessings over candles and singing songs. Participants from all faiths are welcome.
For more information on the Chanukah Ceremony email
information@tbsoc.com

Lighting Schedule
Wednesday, December 1st Leader: Mark Borovay
Thursday, December 2nd Leader: Peter Newell
Friday, December 3rd Leader: Peter Newell
Saturday, December 4th Leader: Elaine Schwartz
Sunday, December 5th Leader: Cantor Reinwald
Monday, December 6th Leader: Lindy Lane Epstein
Tuesday, December 7th Leader: Lainey Mitzman
Wednesday, December 8th Leader: Sara Weiss-Gottesman

16th Annual Orange Plaza Tree Lighting and Candlelight Choir Procession

The Christmas holiday season’s official Greater Orange kickoff celebrates 16 years of tree lighting ceremonies in the Orange Plaza. This year's program narrator is Dr. William Hall, Dean of Performing Arts at Chapman University. The 350 voice Orange Master Chorale choir led by Orange High’s world famous choir director Michael Short and a 60 piece orchestra in the traditional Choir Procession and Tree Lighting Ceremony.

The festivities start at 3:30 pm on Sunday December 5th with food booths and kids activities including those holiday photo ops with none-other than Santa himself followed by the official choir and tree ceremony starting at 5:15 pm.

In case of rain please call the official Orange Special Events Hotline for details: 714-744-7278.

Santa to Tour Villa Park before heading to North Pole
Few people outside Villa Park may know that Santa and Mrs. Claus keep their Southern California vacation residence right here in Greater Orange at the Claus Villa in Villa Park. Each year before making the final push towards getting ready for that Christmas Eve world tour, the Claus family spends a weekend at their Villa Park get-a-way. Traditionally, Santa has thanked his home-away-from home neighbors with the Annual Villa Park Santa Tour winding his way through the Greater Orange “Hidden Jewel” in a bright red fire truck. This year’s tour is Saturday December 4, 2010 from 8:00 am- 5:00 pm.

Santa has been known to drop by or stop along the route where ever there is a gathering of believers. For more information contact the Villa Park City Hall at 714-998-1500. The Annual Santa Tour is sponsored by the Villa Park Foundation.

For a map and times CLICK ON: SANTA TOUR

13th Annual Villa Park Great Inland Boat Parade-December 12th, 2010
Being land-locked never bothered many in Greater Orange, especially in Villa Park where the 13th Annual Great Villa Park Inland Boat Parade takes place on Sunday December 12th, 2009. this year a new route sails through the backwaters of Villa Park, from starting at 5:00 pm, the mighty Villa Park Fleet sails to the Villa Park Towne and Community Centre arriving around 6:00 pm. for more hometown festivities including a tree lighting ceremony and entertainment. The Great Villa Park Inland Boat Parade is sponsored by the Villa Park Foundation. The new route was designed at the recommendation of the Sheriff's Department, and will have the parade cross busy Villa Park Road only once instead of twice, but still covering the same traditional streets. Instead of staging the parade on Taft, adjacent to Villa Park High School, the new route will start at the south end of the community, on Fitschen Ranch Road, then circle through town along the traditional streets until it ends at Villa Park Towne Centre.

For a Parade Route Map: CLICK ON: BOAT PARADE

Former El Modena teacher Carlie Rose Attebury trial starts

The alleged sex scandal trial of former El Modena H.S. band teacher Carlie Rose Attebury started in Santa Ana today as the story went national.

LINK: Associated press story

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
a news service of Orange Net News /O/N/N/
Independent insight into OUSD

Trustees Smith and Kimberly Nichols last meeting
as Neo Conservative Board wins

Orange Unified School Board Trustees Melissa Smith and Kim Nichols last night as OUSD Board members will be this Thursday November18, 2010. Nichols was defeated by private school teacher Tim Surridge in the November 3rd election and Smith’s home was moved out of Trustee Area 1 she was serving. Both Smith and Nichols were part of the original Citizen Board that was swept into power in the 2001 Orange Recall election. At the same time, Trustees Kathy Moffat, John Ortega and Rick Ledesma were also elected as part of the Citizens Board. However, that original five trustee alliance over the years has been shattered. The strains on the alliance over the years were numerous: from selections over superintendents and Board officers and Board procedures; to the issues over the Santiago Revocation actions and the law firm involved in that attempt; splits on how to deal with controversial Trustee Steve Rocco; and basic personality and political allegiances have often boiled to the surface over the years during OUSD Board meetings and fractured the one time allies. Shifting allegiances and long–ago departures of the other OUSD Trustees made this November’s election a struggle between two competing blocks, one lead by Rick Ledesma, and another lead by Nichols. Ledesma made the feud very public by publicly endorsing Surridge over Nichols. In losing, Nichols is the first of the one-time Citizen Board trustees to be defeated at the polls. Ironically, in this election, Ledesma defeated Steve Rocco who in a strange way helped bring about the downfall of the Nichols block that at one point had tried to recall Rocco After failing to recall Rocco, it was the Nichols Realignment that shifted not only Rocco, but Smith out of their respected Trustee Areas, thus preventing both of them from running for their old trustee seats. That realignment also paved the way for Mark Wayland and Alexia Deligianni to be elected in 2008 who allied with Ledesma. This year, Smith’s open Area 1 seat was won by Dianne Singer who is regarded as ally of Moffat. Current Board President John Ortega is considered to be an independent moderate swing vote, while Ledesma, Wayland, Deligianni, will be joined by Surridge as the new OUSD Neo Conservative Board majority.

Surplus Killefer site to be sold for at least $3.4 million
Action Item 12 A (page 3) on the November 18, 2010 Board Agenda is a resolution to sell OUSD’s Killerfer site as surplus property for not less than $ 3.4 million. The site is at Walnut and Lemon Streets in Orange. In addition, Agenda Item 12 B (page 11) forms a new 7/11 Committee to evaluate the former Silverado and Riverdale sites for recommendations on potential disposal of the sites.

INSIDE the October 14, 2010 OUSD Board Meeting
Information Item 13 A- Annual Audit Report
Information Item 13 B – Review of Naming of Facilities Bylaws- relating to a proposed renaming of Esplanade to Lorenzo Ramirez Elementary School
Information Item 13 D- Legislative Coalition Chair Christina Bayles reports

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2010:
$ 385,000
2010 Attorney Fee Tally:
5/27/10 Dannis, Woliver & Kelley $ 30,000
5/27/10 Parker & Covert $ 55,000
5/27/10 Parker & Covert (to 6/11) $300,000
TOTAL $ 385,000

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2009: $1,041,000
2009 Attorney Fee Tally:
11/13/08 Parker & Covert (for 1/09 -6/09) $ 200,000
3/12/09 Atkinson, Andelson, Loya (Sp. Ed) $ 50,000
3/12/09 Parker & Covert (Special Ed) $ 98,000
6/18/09 Parker & Covert (09-10) $ 400,000
6/18/09 Parker & Covert (Special Ed) $ 200,000
6/18/09 Parker & Covert (property) $ 55,000
6/18/09 Atkinson, Andelson, Loya (property)$ 35,000
Total $1,038,000

2009 Consultant/ Speaker Fee Tally:
01/24/09 Leadership Associates Consultants $ 3,000
2009 TOTAL $1,041,000

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2008: $901,200.00

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2007: $704,090.00*

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2006: $849,717.00*
2006 Administrative Conference/Travel: Total $ 18,317 *

* JUNE 8th, 2006 Trustees VOTE to Give OUSD Superintendent the power to
APPROVE OUSD Travel Requests taking this item OUT of the PUBLIC AGENDA

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2005: $978,300.00

Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008): $30,460.00*

* The Godley Retirement Bonus presented here is an estimate of the amount in “bonus retirement” accrued since the Superintendent’s retirement on 6/30/08 using a 6% lifetime formula calculated here at $1210 a month since 8/08. The actual retirement plan the former OUSD Superintendent opted to take is not public information and the figures presented are only as an estimate of the taxpayer costs after the OUSD trustees voted against an amendment to exclude Godley from the retirement program. The on-going estimated figure is presented as a reminder to the community of the high cost in educational tax dollars the OUSD Board vote to allow the former Superintendent to participate in the 6% retirement incentive cost the OUSD education community in tax dollars. Godley retired from OUSD on June 30, 2008 after he worked for the school district for a little over five years.

NEXT BOARD MEETING: THURSDAY November 18, 2010 OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON: LAST MEETING

CLOSED SESSION- 6:00 pm
OUSD Regular Session: 7:00 pm

For more information call the OUSD Superintendent’s office at 714-628-4040
For budgeting questions call Business Services at 714-628-4015

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
Independent insight into OUSD
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/

NICHOLS DEFEATED while SINGER WINS IN OUSD,LANDSLIDE FOR CAVECCHE

In Orange Unified Trustee Kim Nichols was defeated by private school fundamentalist Tim Surridge in a two-way head-to head race In the three way race for the open seat in Area 1 Diane Singer won comfortably over political novice Chris Nguyen. In Area 4, another 3-way race let incumbent Kathy Moffat squeak out a win with 44% of the vote Incumbent Rick Ledesma defeated former Trustee Steve Rocco in Area 7.



Popular Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche won a landslide re-election in a nasty campaign that could spell the end of the political ambitions of Orange Councilman Jon Dumtru. The two open seats on the Orange City Council had incumbent Denis Bilodeau and Fred Whitaker top the crowded eight candidate field for the posts.

In Villa Park Incumbents Deborah Pauly with Brad Reese were re-elected and Robert Fauteux defeated Jim Rheins.