A board of ed that ignores the advice of its own attorneys about a major conflict of interest, is either corrupt or just to lazy to find a replacement for the tainted member. the latter appears to be the situation here.

He was the lead endorser on the Measure OO ballot item (http://smartvoter.org/2008/11/04/ca/alm/pdf/OKOO-4.pdf); and an endorser of the Measure D ballot item also. (http://www.smartvoter.org/2009/07/21/ca/alm/meas/D/) where he lists himself as a member of the Kids First Coalition.

“Kakishiba remains confident it will meet the 50 percent threshold required for passage, though he acknowledged that the city’s $42 million budget deficit — and national and international financial crises — will be weighing in voters’ minds when they are asked to approve the increase in funding.

He still sees no reason why officials can’t accept an increase in youth-program funding.

“Is 2.5 percent an extraordinary amount?Absolutely not,” he said, adding, “If our elected leaders can’t figure out how to increase support to young people, to kids, I just find that mind-boggling.”

In a more recent situation a couple of months ago, the ousd’s in house attorney and an independent outside law firm concluded he had a “potential” conflict of interest because of ” David Kakishiba’s dual roles as Oakland school board member and executive director of the East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC)”

(http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2009/11/13/conflict-of-interest-a-big-can-of-worms/)

His ngo received millions in contracts from OUSD.

He did the honorable thing by resigning but the ousd board begged him to withdraw his resignation. He graciously acceded to their wishes.

In the accounting world i come from, there is no distinction between a “potential” and an “actual” conflict of interest if you are in a position to make decisions and recommendations that affect others

So yes, I would say that at least the president of the OUSD board would have a conflict of interest in any OUSD discussion as to whether it would be in the best interest of OUSD is to seek modification of Measure D so that all of its funds go to ousd and public charter schools; or whether it should propose a new parcel tax for public education.

-len raphael

But as far as ties to Kids First the non-profit org, I’ll need your help on that.

I’ll look around also.

-len

OUSD board should steal a page from the Kid’s First playbook and sponsor a ballot measure that revises Kids First so that all of its funding goes to OUSD and the publicly charter schools.

How could any voter resist a plea to help k-12 education without paying higher taxes?

How many OUSD board members would have to recuse themselves to even discuss that because of their ties to Kids FIrst?

Don’t know how much of it now goes to such, but any increase to ousd would be better than it going to programming monitored by teenagers.

Since that won’t be enough money, continue on to revising Measure Y so that the 40% going to “anti-violence” programs also gos to OUSD and the public charter schools. (risk is that cc members would hijack any Measure Y revision into allowing them to spend the other 60% on anything)

For the rest of OUSD’s deficit, all the usual cost cutting has to be performed. Though people interested in fixing oakland schools seem even more polarized, more ideological than people trying to fix city hall.

-len raphael

So the manager is Antoinette Renwick/Toni Helloway? and property 7900 Phaeton?

Did Michelle give other examples of CEDA staff acquiring CEDA liened property?

Were any of them examples where a particular inspector who made the citation also acquired the property? or where there was a pattern of an inspector on one property becoming the buyer of another liened property?

LG, if you can help me read her offputting documentation, I’ll follow up with the city. (I’m through with my construction projects so I don’t mind annoying people there. But I also don’t want good ceda inspectors blamed for doing their job properly.)

-len

But why would the ousd pick this same time to request a possible $200 parcel tax to boost teacher compensation?

Aren’t real estate values continuing to drop in much of Oakland? So ad valorem prop taxes will go up, again.

Strange times.