November 27, 2012 
ISSUE 34
Greetings! 
 
Contra Costa County CaLBOC Meeting
Saturday Dec. 1, 2012 - 10 am - 12 noon, Martinez
1. The Contra Costa County Grand Jury Report #1208 
 "School Bond Oversight Committees - Raising the Bar" Present and discuss the responses from the nine school districts required to formally respond.
2.  School Finance Handbook, issued by the California Treasurers and Tax Collectors: Our County Treasurer will briefly explain this important handbook containing requirements and best practices for prudent school financing.  
3.  How to Interpret the Financial Audit and Performance Audits for School Bonds: Learn to interpret and be able to discern the difference of a properly performed audit vs. a substandard audit. 
CCCCC Chapter web page: www.calboc.org/ccccc.html
San Diego County - San Ysidro School District
Schools Chief took $2,500 in Parking Lot

Nov. 17, 2012 | By Jeff McDonald| www.utsandiego.com

Link to Video of Manuel Paul's Deposition  

EXCERPT from article:  The cash was handed over in the front seat of the superintendent's Mercedes-Benz, a black sedan parked outside a South Bay steakhouse in the weeks before the 2010 election.

     By his own account in a sworn deposition, San Ysidro schools Superintendent Manuel Paul took the money, about $2,500, from a local builder who was on the hunt for a seven- or eight-figure construction contract.    Paul maintains the money was a campaign contribution and says he drove straight to a Tijuana print shop to buy signs to help a school board member get re-elected.

      "It was cash given to me by Mr. Loreto Romero," Paul said in a June deposition obtained by The Watchdog. "He gave me cash for campaign posters for Mrs. Yolanda Hernandez."

     The FBI has been asking questions about the transaction, three sources told The Watchdog. And a federal grand jury is now hearing testimony from witnesses.

      The handoff could be problematic in many ways. State law does not permit campaign contributions of $100 or more to be given in cash. And Paul acknowledged in the deposition that he got no receipt when he purchased the signs.

      Weeks after Paul's sworn testimony on June 20, Hernandez and two other candidates amended their campaign filings to reflect $1,897 in previously unreported donations from Romero. ...  

To read the complete article visit: www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/nov/17/superintendent-took-2500-cash/  

San Diego County - San Ysidro School District
Lawsuit alleging school trustee's husband demanded a house from contractor - Excerpt, page 7:

     36.    Plaintiffs are informed and believe, and based thereon allege, that 

Defendants Gareth Maden and Manuel Paul raised money and contributed money and services to the election campaigns of the five members of the District Governing Board, thereby gaining control of, and substantial influence over, the decisions rendered by the Governing Board. 

     37.    Plaintiffs are informed and believe, and based thereon allege, that 

Defendants Gareth Maden, Raquel Marquez Maden, and Manuel Paul enjoy a close personal relationship, and that the three concocted a scheme, demanding that Plaintiffs purchase a house for Gareth Maden and Raquel Marquez Maden because Plaintiffs had been awarded the Contract.  

     38.    At the time of her re-election in 2008, Raquel Marquez Maden resided in downtown San Diego, not within the boundaries of the District, in violation of the California Education Code, and therefore she was improperly seated as a member of the Governing Board. 

     39.    On a date certain, not yet ascertained but known to be after October 8, 2008, Gareth Maden demanded that Arturo Castanares, the Managing Partner of EcoBusiness Alliance, LLC, purchase a house for his wife and him within the boundaries of the District as a "reward" for having been awarded the Contract. When Mr. Castanares refused, Gareth Maden threatened Mr. Castanares that he would regret refusing to participate in the illegal scheme involving the purchase of a house. ...  To read the lawsuit:  https://media.utsandiego.com/news/documents/2012/11/16/Manzana_lawsuit.pdf

In This Issue
Contra Costa County Chapter Meeting Dec. 1st
Schools Chief took $2,500
Lawsuit alleging demands from contractor
Contra Costa County CaLBOC Chapter Meeting:  Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012
10am to noon in Martinez
ccccc2.eventbrite.com 
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To promote school district accountability by improving the training and resources available to California's Proposition 39 School Bond Oversight Committees and educating the state legislature, local school boards and the public about the oversight and reporting powers these Citizens' Bond Oversight Committees (CBOCs) have, and to advocate on a state level, where appropriate, on issues of common concern to all CBOCs.

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