The following events, organizations and people deserve either a
Thumbs Up or a Thumbs Down.
The following events, organizations and people deserve either a Thumbs Up or a Thumbs Down.
THUMBS UP: For County Superintendent of Schools Tim Foley who outlined in no uncertain terms what the Hollister School District must do to get its fiscal house in order. Last week, Foley sent a letter to the beleaguered district stating his concerns as well as flaws in the district’s accounting system that must be fixed. He also gave the district 90 days to present a plan of action to avoid a state takeover. But along with the no-nonsense letter, Foley said he is interested in providing the district support rather than performing a police action. In a county where politics can get personal very quickly, it is refreshing to see this kind of firm-but-fair approach to problem solving. Hopefully, with Foley’s guidance and support, the district can avoid an unwelcome state intervention.
THUMBS DOWN: For the news that 33.7 percent of all children – 40 percent of all boys – in our local Assembly District are obese, according to a study conducted by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. That figure is slightly lower than it was in 2001, but still significantly higher than the statewide average of 28.1 percent – an alarming statistic on its own. We can blame TV, soda in schools, video games, computers, the Internet and more for this trend, but, really, it’s a parent’s responsibility to make sure their children eat right and get enough exercise. The best way to do that is to lead by example. Get off the couch and go outside and play with your kids.
THUMBS DOWN: For the revelation that 33 percent of local stores that sell tobacco products are selling them to minors. And another Thumbs Down for the fact that no one is enforcing the law preventing tobacco sales to minors. Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller said it is a problem, but that his prevention program has been cut and he has to weigh tobacco sales to minors against other problems like gang prevention. San Benito County Sheriff Curtis Hill was more blunt and said he and his deputies are not the “smoking police.” But breaking the law is breaking the law, and smoking can lead to serious health conditions down the road. The longer a person waits before having their first cigarette, the less likely they are going to pick up the habit. Surely, the HPD and the sheriff can collaborate on a sting every now and then that would go a long way in keeping the local vendors in line.
THUMBS UP: For the Board of Supervisors and County Counsel Claude Biddle who are working to rein in the county’s outrageous spending on outside attorneys. The supes fired one law firm that was charging the county $400 an hour, and now want county department heads to use the law firm that handles its insurance issues and charges only $160 per hour. In addition, the county has implemented a policy that requires Biddle’s authorization before any department head hires a lawyer. These are common sense measures for a county that has seen its legal bills for outside attorney’s soar past the $3 million mark in five years. That’s an obscene amount of money to spend on outside attorneys in a small county that has full-time lawyers on staff.
THUMBS DOWN: For District Attorney John Sarsfield, who keeps running into problems prosecuting his pet cases. This time, a judge said that the district attorney’s practicing law without a license case against Amanda Hernandez – a legal aide for Los Valientes attorney Michael Pekin – is “extremely weak” and “an attempt to stifle” the allegations of corruption against former Supervisor Richard Scagliotti. While the outcome of the case against Scagliotti is anyone’s guess, Sarsfield has established a pattern of abusing the authority of his office to pursue personal vendettas. Let’s not forget that his voter fraud case against Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz was plea bargained down to a minor slap on the wrist, all the perjury charges his grand jury brought against Pekin were tossed out, as were the charges against the local mother he tried to convict of voting twice. Enough already.
