HOEDOWN AT THE HOFFMANS FUNDRAISING EVENT – Sat., July 20, 7 pm to 10 pm

Jun 132013
 

HOEDOWN AT THE HOFFMANS FUNDRAISING EVENT – Sat., July 20, 7 pm to 10 pm

We’re having a fundraiser for freedom the American Way and we want y’all to come on down for a fun-filled evening under the stars. Join us for a  hootin’ good time as we raise money needed to fight for your freedoms and to promote the Libertarian message locally.

The Libertarian Party of Ventura County has been hard at work wrangling a brand new action plan to grow our Party—in membership, influence, and candidate support. And now we’re ready to let the bronco loose!   

So round up yer posse and gather up yer kin, ’cause there’s gonna be something for everyone. Sing along to some homespun entertainment or just relax around the campfire for a spell. Nibbles, drinks, and down-home hospitality included!

R.S.V.P. by email to: lpventura.co@gmail.com    for address and directions.  See Y’ALL there!!

Attend the Common Core Community Forum in Thousand Oaks – 6 PM, Monday, June 10

Jun 082013
 

Monday, June 10, 2013 — 6 p.m.

Thousand Oaks High School Performing Arts Center

2323 N. Moorpark Rd., Thousand Oaks

Does ONE SIZE fit ALL?

The Community Forum on Common Core will present a compendium of ideas, facts and comparisons for parents and teachers who want to decide for themselves if the nationalized Common Core K-12 standards adopted by the state — but only minimally implemented — are a better alternative to the current California standards.

The public will be treated to competing analyses of Common Core — the good, the bad, and the alternatives. Panelists will take questions from the audience.

Kyle Jorrey, Editor of the Acorn, will moderate the panel discussion.

Common Core is a set of nationalized K-12 standards that states can adopt or withdraw from, but effectively can not change. The Common Core Standards do not belong to — and are not controlled by — the State of California or any state; instead, they are copyrighted by two non-publicly-elected trade associations in Washington D.C. The standards also serve as a gateway for the collection of personally identifiable data on students that is shared with other states, the federal government, and private companies — for the student’s lifetime.

Common Core was viewed favorably by the states who initially adopted it. But some states that accepted the standards are now pausing implementation as their state legislatures reconsider adopting Common Core. Adoption of Common Core was a condition of receiving “Race to the Top” funding from the Obama administration and waivers from some of the Bush administration’s “No Child Left Behind” program penalties.

Parents who homeschool their children or have them attend private schools think that they will escape Common Core and all of its ramifications. Sadly, this is not the case. Common Core’s reach extends to envelop every child. College entrance examinations, as well as SAT and ACT assessment exams, will be aligned with Common Core’s content and methodology. Despite many years of overwhelming evidence of private and homeschooled children’s superior proficiency and education, they will now be disadvantaged when applying to colleges.

On one panel, representing the official position of the Conejo Valley Unified School District will be:

1) Dr. Jeff Baarstad, Superintendent, CVUSD“

2) Mike Soules, President of Corwin Publishing and a parent of three CVUSD students“

3) Dr. Jon Sands, Director of Curriculum and Assessment, CVUSD

4) Peggy Walker, Teacher, Newbury Park High School, and the 2011 CVUSD and Ventura County Teacher of the Year

On the other panel, representing the views of Concerned Parents of Conejo Valley will be:

1) Tony Dolz, Founder of Concerned Parents of Conejo Valley and father of two students in the CVUSD

2) Bill Evers, Former U.S. Dept. of Education official and Fellow of the Hoover Institution “at Stanford University

3) Dr. Sandra Stotsky, Professor Emerita, Univ. of Arkansas; author and expert witness on Common Core before theU.S. Congress and numerous state legislatures

For more information visit www.Dolz.com or call 310-371-7500.

This press release expresses the views of the Concerned Parents of Conejo Valley, which is responsible for its content, and does not represent the views of the Conejo Valley Unified School District.

 

Parents, Students, Teachers Lose If Common Core Wins

Jun 082013
 

If not for the cloak of secrecy, by now you would have heard about the Common Core State Standards Initiative—the federal government’s drive to replace existing state education standards and to nationalize K-12 curriculum, testing and assessments across all 50 states and 55 million-plus students.

Republican and Democrat administrations are both responsible for Common Core, which grew out of George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation and Barack Obama’s Race to the Top, an expansion of NCLB. To date, 45 states have accepted most or all of the content standards in exchange for increased federal education funding to their cash-strapped budgets. But as the public has become aware of this federal takeover of education and are demanding more information, states are having to answer to growing concerns:

1.         The Common Core Initiative was developed by two tax-exempt private member organizations: the Council of Chief State School Offices (CCSSO) and the National Governor’s Association (NGA). While sounding official or credible, what this means is that local school districts, school teachers, parents and students are being handed a one-size-fits-all package of educational content and standards established by unknown, unelected, unaccountable private interests holding themselves up as experts.

2.         Curriculum publishers have been making changes to their materials at a rapid rate to prepare for Common Core’s upcoming implementation. The major international publisher Pearson is aggressively involved in a number of aspects of Common Core, including testing and assessments, and is reportedly buying out other publishers in large numbers.

3.         Student assessments are to involve the creation of data collection systems (data-mining), which will record personal information such as students’ health records, family income and other unique physical and behavioral characteristics, to be evaluated and shared with other federal and state agencies. Taxpayers will fund private organizations through grants and stimulus money to develop these database systems, such as CCSSO’s Education Data & Information Systems.

4.         Some educators who have evaluated the English Language Arts and Mathematics standards have found them to be inadequate to prepare students for university-level studies. Absent trial implementation, no measurements of effectiveness are available.

5.         It is expected that the imposition of Common Core standards and associated curriculum would not be limited to public education, but to private school and homeschool students too. According to the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), “National standards lead to national curriculum and national tests, and subsequent pressure on homeschool students to be taught from the same curricula.” Further, if universities revised their admission criteria, basing it on one set of national education standards, versus the diverse standards of 50 states, private school and homeschool students would not be competitive applicants (if considered at all) if their high school transcripts were not aligned to Common Core State Standards.

The most troubling aspect of Common Core is its element of control. By bribing the states to accept a universal educational standard the federal government is effectively silencing the voices and eliminating the choices of local school districts, teachers, parents and even states—choices only they can make to meet the needs of their students. Fortunately, many of them are now speaking out, loudly. And it’s having an effect: states such as Texas, Utah, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Alaska and others are reevaluating their commitment to Common Core, some “pausing” implementation as they battle it out in their state legislatures, others writing opt-out legislation and some electing to withdraw.

The Libertarian Party of Ventura County calls for Choice in Education as a fundamental right.

We urge you to learn more by attending the Community Forum on Common Core in Thousand Oaks:

Monday, June 10, 2013 — 6 p.m.

Thousand Oaks High School Performing Arts Center

2323 N. Moorpark Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

Prop 65: pro-business, pro-consumer solutions

May 082013
 

As a Libertarian and an attorney practicing in Ventura County, David Laufer applies his pro-business, pro-consumer, sensible/limited-government principles to his work. California’s Proposition 65 law, The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act,  passed by voters in 1986 to protect customers, is the subject of Mr. Laufer’s solution-oriented article.

Prop 65 Enforcement

Every week we read about enforcement actions under Prop 65. This law requires businesses selling products to warn of chemicals that cause cancer and birth defects. The most recent targets of enforcement are Trader Joe’s, Target, Whole foods, 99 Ranch Market and others. They were sued by California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris for selling ginger and plum candy without posting a disclosure on the amount of lead in the products.

We are all familiar with the warnings Prop 65 requires. You read the warnings every time you pump gas, enter a hotel or parking lot or walk through any place of business. Toys, food, jewelry, furniture and everything that we touch, breathe and consume that exposes us to chemicals the State of California has identified that cause cancer and birth defects must have the warning.

Ironically, the vast majority of businesses being sued have not put the lead or other chemicals in the products. The industrial revolution was the cause of these chemicals in the  environment. Why has California placed the burden and cost of clean up on businesses?

Assemblyman Mike Gatto of  Silverlake introduced legislation to modify Prop 65. His bill would give businesses more time to remedy violations of Prop 65 and avoid penalties if they comply. The bill was watered down in committee. As changed, the bill only gives more time to restaurants, auto garages and bars. The change should apply to all businesses. Giving all businesses more time to correct deficiencies is good for the business, consumers and the environment. He points out that  looking for new suppliers, better ingredients and the testing takes time. The additional clean up time will in any event be less than the time spent in prosecuting and defending the lawsuit. Lawyers and environmental groups have been opposed to giving businesses more time to comply and avoid penalties and legal fees because they felt opposition would lead to more changes to Prop 65.

Many critics of  Prop 65 claim is it being abused by private bounty hunters. These groups have been created to enforce Prop 65 violations. The lawyers representing these private entities collected more than $9 million in legal fees and costs over the past 10 years. Prop 65 provides that the private enforcers are to receive only 25% of the fines and penalties, but that limit has been waived by the California Attorney General’s Office to encourage private settlements of the cases.

Prop 65 was a well intentioned law. Its goal of getting chemicals that cause cancer and birth defects identified and warning consumers how to avoid them is a good goal. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that even low amounts of lead in the blood may affect children’s brains. However, placing the cost of testing, warning and clean up on Trader Joe’s and others businesses is not fair. And more important, every time a case is filed under Prop 65, the legal fees paid to both sides, the penalties imposed and clean up costs incurred are passed on to consumers in higher prices for products.  A better approach would be to give businesses more time to comply with notices of a violation. Waive all penalties for voluntary compliance with notices of violations. Apply uniform product and chemical testing standards for products on the State and Federal level so that California does not impose its standards on out-of-state businesses. And, let’s have government work with businesses to help clean up the chemicals that the industrial revolution placed in the  environment. That is a win-win for consumers, businesses and the environment.

 

CITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN Pushed Back to Drawing Board

May 012013
 

We have somewhat of a local victory on the western end of Ventura. The city’s Westside  Community Plan and Development Code, which would have enforced micro-managed growth and new building codes more stringent than the rest of the city, has been pushed back to the drawing board according to a city council member. The poor economy did do its share in stalling the project, but the pushback from the community put the brakes on. A letter, finely crafted by one of our members (she knows who she is), was provided to this community council and contributed to the turn of events. We will continue to monitor Ventura’s city council agenda for the reappearance of this item. This is a reminder that even small efforts can make a big difference. Why not be the Libertarian “City Watch” volunteer for your city? Find out when your city council meets and, even if you cannot attend each time, be sure to check the agenda for freedom-threatening issues. If you would like to take on this role for your city, please contact us via this website or call 805-642-LPVC.

 

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