Bill Martin, the godfather of Save Sierra College advocates deficit spending and voted against a balanced budget resolution.

In addition – he advocates a $1/2 Billion dollar Bond! Apparently, $394 million was not enough in 2004 – Bill Martin’s hunger to spend money is insatiable.

Apparently – Candidate and Liberal Democrat Activist Elaine Rowen’s desire to spend money led her to a personal Bankruptcy worth some $1.1 Million. As it was presented to me, the $1.1 Million is the amount of debt that was written off as a result of the BK.

In addition – Elaine claims administrative experience and apparently served in a superintendent capacity in three districts over 12 years.

Why hasn’t Elaine specified which districts? Why the moving around so much? I am sure the explanations are simple – but if I was an administrator for districts in the past, I’d be out there bragging about it!

Why doesn’t Elaine have a credential? I can not find anyone named Elaine Rowen on the State Board’s website.

Emil John Vodonick is the gift that keeps on giving – he has a tax Lien in addition to the Suspension of his Law license and the civil judgement. Apparently, Vodonick can’t or won’t pay his bills – but he seems to have an affinity for getting in trouble over fiscal matters.

All this and we have chronicled the poor decisions before the current board came to power.

Save Sierra College has become an embarrassment. Vodonick and Rowen should suspend their campaigns and call it a day.

P.S. There’s more – hin’t, what is AJ Editor Deric Rothe’s connection to Sierra College? Did you know that there is another 1,000 pound gorilla in the living room?

Bill Martin posted a “memo” on the Save Sierra College Website. It is a thesis for how he thinks Sierra College should be run financially. Save Sierra College (From What!?) should do a double-take, unless they agree with Martin – in which case a padded cell with fingerpaints may be in order.

Four years ago, the college had just suffered through three straight budget deficits totaling $850,000. As a result, they had cut hundreds of course sections, and slashed library hours, student tutoring and labs. (By the way, that viewpoint was endorsed by former Auburn Mayor Cheryl Maki in 2004…but she disagreed with the leadership change at the college and has changed her opinion now.)

It appears that the desire to avenge Kevin Ramirez has caused lapses in judgement.

Bill Martin makes several assertions in his posting on the Save Sierra College Website that deserve a Kool-Aid award. Actually, he should receive 5 Kool-Aid awards for the five main points of his argument. This edition of the Kool-Aid award is called the Bill Martin Award for Lunacy in Government.

Martin Writes that “Trustees By Law can only approve balanced budgets and Sierra’s Board has always done so”. Apparently, Scott Leslie, Jerry Simmons and Aaron Klien were smoking some hippee lettuce out behind the auditorium before closed session – because from 2002-2004 the college spent $850,000 more than it took in. I guess Martin thinks that borrowing from the reserves to cover shortfalls balances the budget.

Martin Wrote that “To meet short term deficits, trustees may choose to use either reserve balances or make transfers from other funds to achieve balance with equal integrity.” This is called deficit spending – Michael Dukakis was the last to campign on such a platform! Again, I harken back to the 2002-2004 budgets of the College, apparently Massachusetts Econimics dictated that an $850,000 deficit was actually a balanced budget.

Martin Wrote that “Sierra College is presently using a definition of ‘balanced budget’ not evidently used by another California Community College.” GASP – using actual numbers!? The State of California is doing such a great job with its’ budget – I guess that is Martin’s vision!?

Martin Wrote that “Sierra College’s finances have been well managed at least since 1995… the financial condition of the school has in fact worsened since 2004.”

You have got to be kidding me! $2 Million in new surpluses are worse? Growning Reserves from $6 Million to $8.1 Million in anticipation of an economic slowdown and declining enrollment is excellent fiscal managment.

Add to this that Martin voted for the last three budgets and was the lone no vote against adopting a policy of no deficit spending – it suggests that his position paper was orwellian.

For the clincher – Martin Wrote “Placer County (is) virtually the only populous county in the state which has not supported its’ college with the passage of a Prop 39 bond issue.”

Measure E was $394 million and was stuffed with items that did not directly benefit the college and had it passed – the maintenance on those buildings would have broken the budget.

Martin thinks raising taxes in the face of an economic slowdown is good for the community – Jimmy Carter did that in the late 1970’s with disasterous results.

The irony here is that Martin voted for the budgets and fiscal policies he is now criticizing.

He is advocating spending like drunken sailors and wants a 1/2 Billion Dollar Bond now, irregardless of the economy.

This is why Bill Martin earns the King-Kong Kool Aid Award – the Bill Martin Award for Lunacy in Government.

Save Sierra College from Bill Martin.

As posted yesterday by Mike Spence – Emil John Vodonick was announced as an opponent for Aaron Klein.

Spence’s Post was replete with just a few of the interesting snippets from Mr. Vodonick’s record:

“Turns out that a simple Google search shows that Emil John Vodonick was suspended and placed on five years of probation for taking $53,000 of his client’s money out of a trust account, and spending it on himself. He was caught in 1997, and ordered to make restitution by February 1999. When the deadline arrived, he had made no payments, set aside no money to make payments, and hadn’t even bothered to ask for a time extension.

He was placed on probation on September 7, 2000, and after more deadlines came and went with no payments, and no attempt to make restitution, the probation was reinstated on December 17, 2004, and he was ordered to take ethics classes to learn how not to steal money from his clients.”

Spence goes on to ask the leaders of the Save Sierra College movement why they are trying to reverse the balanced budgets of the current board.

On the website they officially announced their endorsement of Vodonick. Given the fact that Kevin Ramirez (whose involuntary retirement they formed to avenge), had an incredible history – Vodonick looks like he fits the mold.

I will defer to Spence to ask the final question: “If this is the kind of judgment that Bill Martin, Cheryl Maki, George Magnuson (Todd Lowell) and the “Save Sierra College” crowd use in selecting John and Elaine to carry their banner, how can we trust ANY of their candidates to manage an $80 million college budget and protect the taxpayers?”

“What kind of judgment does Elaine Rowen have in choosing to run with a guy with a background as “probationary” as John Vodonick?”

Wow – revenge does some strange things to people.

Earlier, I blogged about Taumas Colliver – he of the Placer County is Ruled by White, Male Republicans and the crazy anon blogger talking about Occupied Placer County. Well, the all-star team just added another to their roster.

Who is Joanne Neft?

Joanne Neft purports to be a lifelong Republican. She is purported to be a close associate of Liberal Republican Supervisor Robert Weygant.

Joanne Neft has never given a dime to the Placer County Republican Party in the entire time I have been involved with it.

Neft wrote Liberal Democrat Jennifer Montgomery a $1500 check, as reported on Montgomery’s 6/30 form 460.

Neft wrote Charlie Brown a check for $1,627 in 2006.

Now Republican Joanne Neft is up to her old tricks. After supporting and lending her name to the attempted recall of two Republican members of Sierra College’s Board of Trustees – she is a “leader” in the Save Sierra College effort to elect Liberal Democrat activists to that board.

In 2002, Neft was part of the Placer County Republican Congress slate of Liberal Republicans that formed to attempt the takeover of the Central Committee. They were also active in supporting John Doolittle’s primary opponent, Bill Kirby. This was pre-Abramoff – Doolittle won with 78% of the vote.

Neft is involved with the Sierra Club and like organizations.

In 2002, Neft authored the John Doolittle coloring book – that may have been a violation of Campaign Finance Laws, but nevertheless was replete with attacks against John for supporting Hunters, Gun Rights, Development and Tax Cuts.

In 2006, Neft was part of Now-Democrat former Congressman Pete McCloskey’s effort to weaken John Doolittle in the primary called “Revolt of the Elders”. Again, their mailer was replete with Environmentalist attacks.

Neft has never endorsed or supported Bruce Kranz, she supported Liberal Democrat Rex Bloomfield.

Neft has never endorsed or supported Ted Gaines in the time I have been active.

Neft has never endorsed or supported John Doolittle – and I won’t hold my breath waiting for her to support McClintock either.

Now – Save Sierra College is bragging about Bi-partisan support of “Community Activists”…

Neft has a right to her opinions. As a Republican activist, I have a right to call her a fraud. She certainly fits the mold of the OBM Machine.

Save Sierra College (From What!?) Update – how Sierra College turned 50 Acres into a $100,000 per year obligation.

Enter Roger Yohe – disgraced former WPUSD School District superintendent and his colleague / long time friend Kevin Ramirez.

Save Sierra College was formed to avenge the “retirement” of Kevin Ramirez – the former President of Sierra College.

As posted a couple of weeks ago – the WPUSD is embroiled in a financial mess because they followed Yohe’s vision into the Abyss. The Sierra College Board “retired” Ramirez before his megalomania could wreck the same havoc on Sierra College.

As Detailed Earlier – Yohe’s WPUSD Maladies and Kevin Ramirez’s vision of creating the same mess have startling parallels.

Apparently, those seeking to avenge Ramirez want to return to those days again.

In the 2003-2004 time period, a deal was struck between Kevin Ramirez, Roger Yohe and the City of Lincoln for a Lincoln Library.

Sierra College owned 72 acres in Lincoln – (Where Barbara Vineyard’s Taj Mahal Campus was to have been built if Measure E had passed) they sold 45 acres and ceded a few more acres to facilitate the development of a library. In sum, 50 acres were sold and the entire proceeds of the sale were poured into the construction of the library.

What did Sierra College get? A bill in perpetuity for $100,000 a year for the operation of the library.

Now the College has 20 useless acres, a satellite campus will need three times that. Ramirez must have envisioned a 24 story skyscraper like the Auburn “Tribe” is going to build on Industrial Blvd.

With current “Save Sierra College” boosters on his rubber-stamp board Ramirez got this plan adopted. Barbara Vineyard and Bill Martin associate Dave Creek sat on that board, now they are advocating that saving Sierra College is returning to the Ramirez era of fiscal mismanagement.

Bill Martin for that matter is advocating a ½ Billion Dollar Bond (I guess a 32-40 Story building in Lincoln?) and Barbara Vineyard is fond of saying that Scott Leslie and Aaron Klein are the reason why Sierra College will never get a bond passed again.

Roger Yohe – he led Western Placer into the Abyss, in 2005 he said, “Kevin Ramirez is the best superintendent I have ever worked with!”

Save Sierra College. Re-Elect Scott Leslie and Aaron Klein.

File this under the category of Why? Second, file this as the latest installment of the Auburn Journal Rampage update…

(Note – the campaign release from Save Sierra College was sent to me Via Rob Haswell, Democrat Consultant / Activist / Dem Central Committee Member / Opponent to Ted Gaines for Assembly / Jennifer Montgomery’s Campaign Manager)

First off, one of Aaron Klein’s staunchest critics and advocates of the recall – Lincoln Councilmember Tom Cosgrove has Endorsed Aaron Klein for re-election.

Now why would Tom Cosgrove reverse course and support Klein after participating in a failed attempt to recall him? Why have Democrat, Independent and Republican electeds flocked to Klein’s endorsement list as fast as they did to Doug Ose?

Led by former Grand Jury Member Bill Martin – the Save Sierra College (from What!?) group has announced that Sierra College is still reeling from wounds inflicted by the termination of Kevin Ramirez.

They cite a campaign against Liberal Supervisor Robert Weygant as another such wound.

Please tell me that Save Sierra College (from what!?) is about more than revenge…

What the Auburn Journal ignored when they became the lightening rod for the recall is that Bill Martin – then of the Grand Jury, who wrote the report trashing Aaron Klein, is a long time friend of Dave Creek.

Creek was a Sierra College Trustee before giving way to Bill Martin. Creek was also responsible for the sweetheart deals that Kevin Ramirez received.

Creek and Barbara Vineyard – both part of the Save Sierra College (from what!?) group led the recall effort and are both endorsing the candidacy of Liberal Democrat Activist Elaine Rowen. (Rowen is past President of Placer County Democrat Women…)

I guess Rowen can help heal the wounds by voting to put another, this time 1/2 Billion dollar bond like Measure “E” on the ballot? (That’s what Bill Martin wants)Leave us not forget that Vineyard’s Taj Mahal Campus would have been built by the same contractor now being sued for two school disasters in Lincoln.

Also, had measure “E” passed, Sierra College would be broken under the weight of paying for maintenance of those facilites – especially in light of declining enrollment.

Bill Martin’s Solution? He was the one vote against adopting a balanced budget policy on the Board. This is in stark contrast to the multiple years of effective fiscal management leading to a $2 Million surplus the current budget enjoys.

Of final note, and the most concerning item are the Republicans on the list of supporters of this Save Sierra College (from what!?) effort. I don’t get it – budget surpluses are a Republican value.

I don’t get it – one of the primary complaints is a ratio of part-time-staff to full-time-staff being number 62 out of 62… even as Bill Martin votes against adding new part time staff consistently.

So, what do we need to Save Sierra College from again?

Meanwhile – the Auburn Journal was slient while Bill Martin issued his kangaroo Grand Jury report aided and abetted by another Grand Juror who ultimately became his campaign manager. Again, the AJ said nothing about the connections between Creek, Ramirez and Martin.

Both had Grand Jury Reports rendered. Both have attempted huge bond measures…

One is in dire financial trouble, replete with unnecessary facilities that were constructed with play-dough and finger-paints.

The Lincoln News-Messenger covered the Grand Jury report about Western Placer Unified School District.

It is ugly. WPUSD has been run as poorly as the state government – only they don’t have the same accounting gimmicks that the legislators in safely-drawn districts have.

Let’s start here: “A report released June 27 by the Placer County grand jury, which was critical of Western Placer Unified, laid much of the blame for the school district’s financial woes on former superintendent Roger Yohe.”

Roger Yohe was the Superintendent of the WPUSD, Kevin Ramirez was the President of Sierra College. Yohe and Ramirez have been friends for years.

Continued:” Many of the district’s problems came to light in 2006 when it was faced with an unexpected budget shortfall, including approximately $189 million in facilities-related debt.”

“Yohe, who was removed from that position that same year, now lives in Georgetown.” (SNIP)

Yohe said he did take exception to the charge laid out in the report that he “influenced the board to follow a fiscally irresponsible path toward his overly ambitious vision” and that he “initiated and approved design and construction of high-end,state-of-the-art facilities with no sound, achievable financing plan in place.”

When the Sierra College Board experienced a seed change in 2004 – the President, Kevin Ramirez started trying his case in the media before the newly elected Sierra College Board could act. The same grand jury sided with Ramirez against the Sierra College Board in a report requested by the board. (AJ Editor Deric Rothe is long-time friends with Ramirez as well)

The Sierra College Board had a vision – in spite of the Grand Jury Report… they negotiated an end to Ramirez’ tenure.

The similarities don’t stop there – Measure “E” a bloated $400 million monstrosity of a bond failed miserably at the ballot box. Measure “E” was Kevin Ramirez’ vision for a massive expansion of Sierra College Facilities – while the College was cutting course offerings and giving out administrative pay raises like Gray Davis did to the unions.

Unlike in 2005, when the Grand Jury made a politically motivated report… in 2008, with the damage done by Ramirez associate Yohe – they rendered a damming report against the district.

Yohe goes on to start spreading the blame: “In hindsight, there are some things I would do differently,” Yohe said. “Absolutely. With Ken, I knew I was taking a chance, but he was diligent … He made a grievous error and I had to terminate him. I probably should have hired someone with more experience – but I didn’t have a Cathy Allen back then.”

Yohe seemed to lay some of the blame on Jay Stewart, the assistant superintendent of business services, who currently works for the Loomis school district.

“I endorsed everything Jay Stewart presented to me,” Yohe said. “He sold me on the projects and the funding mechanisms. In retrospect, it was too much for him.”

So the WPUSD had incompetent people running the show – I wonder what would have happened if the WPUSD board had been something other than Union Moonbats and fired the guy or put the brakes on. I remember Melanie Eustice (that the PCRA helped elect) was the only good vote on that board before she moved.

The Sierra College Board majority canned Ramirez. The Auburn Journal was in the middle of whipping up a frenzy that culminated in the failed recall of two board members. No one seemed to care that Deric “Rampage” Rothe was a long-time associate of Ramirez.

Yohe said he did not believe the allegations of fraud surrounding the district’s architect, NTD (-Edge).

“If the architect allegations are true, I will be shocked,” he said. “Shocked.”

According to Yohe, Jordan Knighton, the principal architect on the projects, spent an inordinate amount of unpaid time working with the district on the District Build process in 1994.

Guess who the Architect would have been if Sierra College Measure E passed? NTD-Edge.

Almost $200 Million of Measure “E” would have gone to Barbara Vineyard’s Taj Majal campus in Lincoln. That campus in retrospect, with declining enrollment everywhere in School Districts would have been a crushing albatross around Sierra College.

When she spoke at the first rally for the Recall of two her fellow Sierra College Board members – Vineyard said, “We’ll never get a bond passed as long as they are there!” Those are words I will never forget…

“Another interested party who did not receive a copy of the grand jury report was Mike Thornbrough, the district’s assistant director of maintenance and facilities. Thornbrough and co-worker Frank Nichols had compiled the initial set of allegations last year that prompted the grand jury investigations.”

Thornbrough recently was terminated by the district and currently is appealing his dismissal. At least WPUSD didn’t have to try and recall him, they just axed the whistle-blower.

Thornbrough went on to say, however, that the grand jury report did not go far enough in investigating allegations about the district’s relationship with its architect and builder, NTD-Edge, contractual irregularities and poor-quality construction. According to the report, those allegations were not investigated because the district had hired a consultant to investigate. That consultant, Bob Aaronson, did not complete his investigation because the district has taken over a lawsuit against NTD and Edge.

The lawsuit is over shoddy construction at Foskett Ranch and Twelve Bridges Elementary Schools.

Leaders take risks, leaders take action… while the new Sierra College Board stumbled out of the blocks in 2005, the insanity that is plaguing other districts here in Placer County is certain vindication of their decisions on the Sierra College Board.

Aaron Klein deserves re-election, Scott Leslie deserves Re-Election, Jerry Simmons should not have retired. They did their job.

So I ask the same question as I did over Rocklin’s City Council… why do we need to Save Sierra College? It seems that we need to save the WPUSD and clean that board out.