Petty Watch Triumphs
October 30, 2008
Will Carless
Voice of San Diego
It's taken two months of
almost constant hounding,
more than a dozen blog posts,
pressure from the mayor of San Diego
and dozens of phone calls, voicemails and
e-mails, but, this morning, the
Southeastern Economic Development
Corp. finally handed over virtually
un-redacted copies of Corporate Counsel
Regina Petty's legal bills.
Petty Watch, Update 13
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 12:00 am
The Mayor's Office will be calling the
Southeastern Economic Development
Corp. and asking officials at the agency to
abide by the California Public Records Act
when it comes to providing copies of
Regina Patty's legal bills, mayoral
spokeswoman Rachel Laing just told me.
Petty Watch, Update 12
Monday, October 27, 2008 12:00 am
Day 22 of Petty Watch and I still
haven't received the full legal bills I
requested from the Southeastern
Economic Development Corp. on Sept. 4.
Petty Watch, Update 11
Friday, October 24, 2008 12:00 am
Day 19 of Petty Watch and Brian
Trotier, interim president of the
Southeastern Economic Development
Corp., is defending the agency's decision
to redact most of the pertinent information
from Corporate Counsel Regina Petty's
legal bills.
Petty Watch, Update 10
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 12:00 am
It's Day 16 of Petty Watch and
we're still waiting to see Southeastern
Economic Development Corp. Corporate
Counsel Regina Petty's detailed legal bills.
article Petty Watch, Update 9
Friday, October 17, 2008 12:00 am
Last night, I had my first chance to speak
with Southeastern Economic Development
Corp. Corporate Counsel Regina Petty,
who has not provided complete records of
her billing for work she does for SEDC,
despite a California Public Records Act
Request which has been pending since
early September.
article Petty Watch, Update 8
Thursday, October 16, 2008 12:00 am
So, on Day 10 of Petty Watch, we
received legal bills from the Southeastern
Economic Development Corp. for work
done by its corporate counsel, Regina
Petty.
article Petty Watch, Update 7
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 12:00 am
Day 10 of Petty Watch and still nothing
from the Southeastern Economic
Development Corp.'s Corporate Counsel
Regina Petty, who is still stonewalling me.
But members of SEDC's Board of
Directors aren't happy that I haven't
received the records I asked for more
than a month ago.
article Petty Watch: Update 5
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 12:00 am
Day Nine of Petty Watch, which officially
began last Monday, and there's still no
response from Southeastern Economic
Development Corp. Corporate Counsel
Regina Petty about whether she will make
her legal bills available.
article Petty Watch: Update 6
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 12:00 am
Cory Briggs, a local activist attorney, just
wrote this letter to Southeastern Economic
Development Corp. Board Chairman Cruz
Gonzalez asking for copies of Regina
Petty's legal bills. Briggs states in the
letter that he's acting on behalf of his
client, community activist Ian Trowbridge.
article Petty Watch, Update 3
Monday, October 13, 2008 12:00 am
Still haven't heard anything from
Southeastern Economic Development
Corp. Corporate Counsel Regina Petty on
whether she's going to provide me with
her legal bills for SEDC.
article Petty Watch, Update 2
Friday, October 10, 2008 12:00 am
No word yet from Southeastern Economic
Development Corp. Corporate Counsel
Regina Petty on whether she's going to
produce her legal bills, documents that
must, by law, be made available for public
scrutiny.
article Petty Watch, Update 1
Friday, October 10, 2008 12:00 am
I just called Regina Petty, corporate
counsel for the Southeastern Economic
Development Corp., to see whether she
intends on providing me with
long-overdue public records I've
requested. She was on a conference call
and couldn't take my phone call, a
receptionist told me.
October 30, 2008
Will Carless
Voice of San Diego
It's taken two months of
almost constant hounding,
more than a dozen blog posts,
pressure from the mayor of San Diego
and dozens of phone calls, voicemails and
e-mails, but, this morning, the
Southeastern Economic Development
Corp. finally handed over virtually
un-redacted copies of Corporate Counsel
Regina Petty's legal bills.
Petty Watch, Update 13
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 12:00 am
The Mayor's Office will be calling the
Southeastern Economic Development
Corp. and asking officials at the agency to
abide by the California Public Records Act
when it comes to providing copies of
Regina Patty's legal bills, mayoral
spokeswoman Rachel Laing just told me.
Petty Watch, Update 12
Monday, October 27, 2008 12:00 am
Day 22 of Petty Watch and I still
haven't received the full legal bills I
requested from the Southeastern
Economic Development Corp. on Sept. 4.
Petty Watch, Update 11
Friday, October 24, 2008 12:00 am
Day 19 of Petty Watch and Brian
Trotier, interim president of the
Southeastern Economic Development
Corp., is defending the agency's decision
to redact most of the pertinent information
from Corporate Counsel Regina Petty's
legal bills.
Petty Watch, Update 10
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 12:00 am
It's Day 16 of Petty Watch and
we're still waiting to see Southeastern
Economic Development Corp. Corporate
Counsel Regina Petty's detailed legal bills.
article Petty Watch, Update 9
Friday, October 17, 2008 12:00 am
Last night, I had my first chance to speak
with Southeastern Economic Development
Corp. Corporate Counsel Regina Petty,
who has not provided complete records of
her billing for work she does for SEDC,
despite a California Public Records Act
Request which has been pending since
early September.
article Petty Watch, Update 8
Thursday, October 16, 2008 12:00 am
So, on Day 10 of Petty Watch, we
received legal bills from the Southeastern
Economic Development Corp. for work
done by its corporate counsel, Regina
Petty.
article Petty Watch, Update 7
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 12:00 am
Day 10 of Petty Watch and still nothing
from the Southeastern Economic
Development Corp.'s Corporate Counsel
Regina Petty, who is still stonewalling me.
But members of SEDC's Board of
Directors aren't happy that I haven't
received the records I asked for more
than a month ago.
article Petty Watch: Update 5
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 12:00 am
Day Nine of Petty Watch, which officially
began last Monday, and there's still no
response from Southeastern Economic
Development Corp. Corporate Counsel
Regina Petty about whether she will make
her legal bills available.
article Petty Watch: Update 6
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 12:00 am
Cory Briggs, a local activist attorney, just
wrote this letter to Southeastern Economic
Development Corp. Board Chairman Cruz
Gonzalez asking for copies of Regina
Petty's legal bills. Briggs states in the
letter that he's acting on behalf of his
client, community activist Ian Trowbridge.
article Petty Watch, Update 3
Monday, October 13, 2008 12:00 am
Still haven't heard anything from
Southeastern Economic Development
Corp. Corporate Counsel Regina Petty on
whether she's going to provide me with
her legal bills for SEDC.
article Petty Watch, Update 2
Friday, October 10, 2008 12:00 am
No word yet from Southeastern Economic
Development Corp. Corporate Counsel
Regina Petty on whether she's going to
produce her legal bills, documents that
must, by law, be made available for public
scrutiny.
article Petty Watch, Update 1
Friday, October 10, 2008 12:00 am
I just called Regina Petty, corporate
counsel for the Southeastern Economic
Development Corp., to see whether she
intends on providing me with
long-overdue public records I've
requested. She was on a conference call
and couldn't take my phone call, a
receptionist told me.
Anatomy of a success and a failure by Voice of San Diego
(VOSD) in obtaining public records
Here's a comparison of Voice of San Diego's public records pursuit of attorney Regina Petty at
the SEDC versus its non-pursuit of attorney Diane Crosier at San Diego County Office of
Education. Perhaps Buzz Woolley, the main bankroller of VOSD, protects SDCOE lawyers
because of friendships he forged as top dog at the Girard Foundation. Editor Andrew
O'Donohue and CEO Scott Lewis seem to be compromising journalistic ethics to please Woolley.
(VOSD) in obtaining public records
Here's a comparison of Voice of San Diego's public records pursuit of attorney Regina Petty at
the SEDC versus its non-pursuit of attorney Diane Crosier at San Diego County Office of
Education. Perhaps Buzz Woolley, the main bankroller of VOSD, protects SDCOE lawyers
because of friendships he forged as top dog at the Girard Foundation. Editor Andrew
O'Donohue and CEO Scott Lewis seem to be compromising journalistic ethics to please Woolley.
VOSD fails to get the full story
"But when VOSD asked for records that
would show if the trips were given to the
agency rather than the employee, it didn't
provide any.
Hotel Stays, Flights and a $400
Bottle of Wine
December 26, 2010
Updated: Feb 21, 2011
by Emily Alpert
Voice of San Diego
...In response to questions from
voiceofsandiego.org, the County Office
wrote in an email that it believed Crosier
had followed the gift rules. But despite
repeated questions, it would not
specifically explain why the trips could be
legally left off the forms. In an email,
Crosier said only that the trips were not
included "due to discussion with legal
counsel."..
But when VOSD asked for records that
would show if the trips were given to the
agency rather than the employee, it didn't
provide any.
Instead, the County Office argued that in
the past, it just wasn't required to report
gifts given to the agency. Despite
repeated questions, the agency gave no
further explanation of why it wouldn't
have to report those gifts...
"But when VOSD asked for records that
would show if the trips were given to the
agency rather than the employee, it didn't
provide any.
Hotel Stays, Flights and a $400
Bottle of Wine
December 26, 2010
Updated: Feb 21, 2011
by Emily Alpert
Voice of San Diego
...In response to questions from
voiceofsandiego.org, the County Office
wrote in an email that it believed Crosier
had followed the gift rules. But despite
repeated questions, it would not
specifically explain why the trips could be
legally left off the forms. In an email,
Crosier said only that the trips were not
included "due to discussion with legal
counsel."..
But when VOSD asked for records that
would show if the trips were given to the
agency rather than the employee, it didn't
provide any.
Instead, the County Office argued that in
the past, it just wasn't required to report
gifts given to the agency. Despite
repeated questions, the agency gave no
further explanation of why it wouldn't
have to report those gifts...
San Diego
Education Report
Education Report
Why This Website
Stutz Artiano Shinoff
& Holtz v. Maura
Larkins defamation
SDCOE
CVESD
Castle Park
Elementary School
Law Enforcement
CTA
CVE
Stutz Artiano Shinoff
& Holtz
Silence is Golden
Schools and Violence
Office Admin Hearings
Larkins OAH Hearing
Stutz Artiano Shinoff
& Holtz v. Maura
Larkins defamation
SDCOE
CVESD
Castle Park
Elementary School
Law Enforcement
CTA
CVE
Stutz Artiano Shinoff
& Holtz
Silence is Golden
Schools and Violence
Office Admin Hearings
Larkins OAH Hearing
San Diego
Union-Tribune expose
of Dan Puplava
Dan Puplava,
self-admitted annuity
gamer (related site)
Indemnifying SDCOE
lawyers
SDCOE
Union-Tribune expose
of Dan Puplava
Dan Puplava,
self-admitted annuity
gamer (related site)
Indemnifying SDCOE
lawyers
SDCOE
Will Carless was allowed to
aggressively follow through on his
public records requests to SEDC.
aggressively follow through on his
public records requests to SEDC.
Emily Alpert did not aggressively pursue
public records requests to San Diego
County Office of Education. Was it her
choice, or her editor's--or Buzz Woolley's?
public records requests to San Diego
County Office of Education. Was it her
choice, or her editor's--or Buzz Woolley's?
A huge difference between two stories that should be very similar:
Voice story #2:
Failure with Diane Crosier at SDCOE
(San Diego County Office of Education)
Failure with Diane Crosier at SDCOE
(San Diego County Office of Education)
2011 VOSD board
Reid Carr--elected to the
Board of Directors on
September 8, 2010. He
is President and CEO of
Red Door Interactive
which helps clients like
Cricket Wireless, Rubio’s
Fresh Mexican Grill,
Shea Homes and Petco
Neil Morgan--longtime
writer and editor at San
Diego Union-Tribune
Bob Page
Bob owns a media
management company
which is actively
engaged in newspaper
and magazine
consulting. Prior to
forming his own
company, he owned
three community
newspapers in suburban
San Diego. He is a
former publisher of the
Chicago Sun-Times and
the Boston Herald. In 20
years with United Press
International, he rose
through the ranks to
become executive vice
president and general
manager.
Bill Stensrud is
Chairman of
InstantEncore.com, a
private investor and
mentor to
entrepreneurs. He has
served on the boards of
Scripps Health, the
Neurosciences Institute,
the San Diego Telecom
Council, the University of
California at San Diego
Foundation, the National
Venture Capital
Association.
Gail Stoorza-Gill
Gail is chairman and
CEO of The Right
Question LLC, a
marketing and
consulting firm
specializing in solving
marketing problems
through qualitative
research.
Buzz Woolley
Buzz is a 40-year San
Diego resident, a retired
venture capitalist and
entrepreneur. He is the
president of the Girard
Foundation which has
provided millions of
dollars for K-12
programs in San Diego
County over the past 18
years.
Development Committee
Gail Stoorza-Gill
Reid Carr
Ashley Pingree Lewis
Ashley is a graphic
designer who offers
creative services
through her company,
Dog Beach Design.
Ashley specializes in
branding, print design,
web design and
illustration; she also
contributes editorial
cartoons to
voiceofsandiego.org.
David Lynn is an
entrepreneur and
consultant with Ayamba,
Inc., focused on finance
and database
applications for business
and nonprofits, and
serves on the board of
San Diego Social
Venture Partners.
Bob Page
Geoff Patnoe is the
Director of the Office of
Strategy &
Intergovernmental
Affairs for the county of
San Diego.
Reid Carr--elected to the
Board of Directors on
September 8, 2010. He
is President and CEO of
Red Door Interactive
which helps clients like
Cricket Wireless, Rubio’s
Fresh Mexican Grill,
Shea Homes and Petco
Neil Morgan--longtime
writer and editor at San
Diego Union-Tribune
Bob Page
Bob owns a media
management company
which is actively
engaged in newspaper
and magazine
consulting. Prior to
forming his own
company, he owned
three community
newspapers in suburban
San Diego. He is a
former publisher of the
Chicago Sun-Times and
the Boston Herald. In 20
years with United Press
International, he rose
through the ranks to
become executive vice
president and general
manager.
Bill Stensrud is
Chairman of
InstantEncore.com, a
private investor and
mentor to
entrepreneurs. He has
served on the boards of
Scripps Health, the
Neurosciences Institute,
the San Diego Telecom
Council, the University of
California at San Diego
Foundation, the National
Venture Capital
Association.
Gail Stoorza-Gill
Gail is chairman and
CEO of The Right
Question LLC, a
marketing and
consulting firm
specializing in solving
marketing problems
through qualitative
research.
Buzz Woolley
Buzz is a 40-year San
Diego resident, a retired
venture capitalist and
entrepreneur. He is the
president of the Girard
Foundation which has
provided millions of
dollars for K-12
programs in San Diego
County over the past 18
years.
Development Committee
Gail Stoorza-Gill
Reid Carr
Ashley Pingree Lewis
Ashley is a graphic
designer who offers
creative services
through her company,
Dog Beach Design.
Ashley specializes in
branding, print design,
web design and
illustration; she also
contributes editorial
cartoons to
voiceofsandiego.org.
David Lynn is an
entrepreneur and
consultant with Ayamba,
Inc., focused on finance
and database
applications for business
and nonprofits, and
serves on the board of
San Diego Social
Venture Partners.
Bob Page
Geoff Patnoe is the
Director of the Office of
Strategy &
Intergovernmental
Affairs for the county of
San Diego.
Media hogs
By Matt Potter
Dec. 16, 2004
Inside of inside Look out, Union-
Tribune, here comes Neil
Morgan, who was fired by the
paper this spring, and his old
sidekick Bob Witty, who used to
help Morgan run the Copley-
owned, now-defunct San Diego
Tribune. The pair, along with
Barbara Bry, an ex-L.A. Times
reporter and Harvard business
school grad who married and
later divorced millionaire
Democratic La Jolla developer
Pat Kruer, are part of the
nonprofit "Voice of San Diego,"
a new website that sources say
intends to take direct aim at the
U-T's SignOnSanDiego.com
Internet operation. Bankrolling
the venture is said to be a
foundation run by La Jolla
fatcat venture-capital investor
Ralph B. "Buzz" Woolley, owner
of Coronado's Glorietta Bay
Inn, among other concerns.
Woolley last popped onto the
public stage in March, when he
was identified in a San
Francisco Chronicle article
along with Wal-Mart heir John
Walton as financial backers of
Bay Area Democrat Ted
Lempert's 11th district state
senate primary campaign. Both
Woolley and Walton were
reported by the paper to be big
fans of using taxpayer-funded
vouchers to pay for private-
school tuition. Lempert lost his
legislative bid badly. Key
participants in the new website
have close ties to
UCSD,
including Morgan, whose wife
Judith, a freelance travel writer,
is a longtime member of the
institution's PR advisory board;
Woolley, whose wife,
lawyer Ann Parode,
is university counsel;
and Bry, who once
worked for Connect, UCSD's so-
called tech transfer arm
founded by the late Bill
Otterson and overseen by
UCSD extension dean Mary
Walshok.
--2004
Robert C. Dynes
Robert C. Dynes was the 18th
president of the University of
California, from 2003 to 2008. A
first-generation college
graduate and a distinguished
physicist, Dynes served as the
sixth chancellor of the UC’s San
Diego campus from 1996 to
2003. He came to UC San Diego
in 1990 after a 22-year career at
AT&T Bell Laboratories...
He is married to Ann
Parode Dynes, the
former campus
counsel of UC San
Diego.
By Matt Potter
Dec. 16, 2004
Inside of inside Look out, Union-
Tribune, here comes Neil
Morgan, who was fired by the
paper this spring, and his old
sidekick Bob Witty, who used to
help Morgan run the Copley-
owned, now-defunct San Diego
Tribune. The pair, along with
Barbara Bry, an ex-L.A. Times
reporter and Harvard business
school grad who married and
later divorced millionaire
Democratic La Jolla developer
Pat Kruer, are part of the
nonprofit "Voice of San Diego,"
a new website that sources say
intends to take direct aim at the
U-T's SignOnSanDiego.com
Internet operation. Bankrolling
the venture is said to be a
foundation run by La Jolla
fatcat venture-capital investor
Ralph B. "Buzz" Woolley, owner
of Coronado's Glorietta Bay
Inn, among other concerns.
Woolley last popped onto the
public stage in March, when he
was identified in a San
Francisco Chronicle article
along with Wal-Mart heir John
Walton as financial backers of
Bay Area Democrat Ted
Lempert's 11th district state
senate primary campaign. Both
Woolley and Walton were
reported by the paper to be big
fans of using taxpayer-funded
vouchers to pay for private-
school tuition. Lempert lost his
legislative bid badly. Key
participants in the new website
have close ties to
UCSD,
including Morgan, whose wife
Judith, a freelance travel writer,
is a longtime member of the
institution's PR advisory board;
Woolley, whose wife,
lawyer Ann Parode,
is university counsel;
and Bry, who once
worked for Connect, UCSD's so-
called tech transfer arm
founded by the late Bill
Otterson and overseen by
UCSD extension dean Mary
Walshok.
--2004
Robert C. Dynes
Robert C. Dynes was the 18th
president of the University of
California, from 2003 to 2008. A
first-generation college
graduate and a distinguished
physicist, Dynes served as the
sixth chancellor of the UC’s San
Diego campus from 1996 to
2003. He came to UC San Diego
in 1990 after a 22-year career at
AT&T Bell Laboratories...
He is married to Ann
Parode Dynes, the
former campus
counsel of UC San
Diego.
Ann Parode and Bob Dynes
Annual Hearts and Scholars
Dinner Brings Together UC
San Diego Students and
Donors
February 9, 2010
By Kristin Luciani and Jade Griffin
UCSD announces
appointment to new campus
counsel position
January 17, 1997
Ann Parode, formerly executive vice
president, general counsel and
corporate secretary of San Diego
Financial Corporation, has been
appointed to the newly created
position of campus counsel at the
University of California, San Diego.
"UCSD has grown as an institution
to a point that our need for legal
guidance requires that we have
someone on site," said Richard
Attiyeh, interim senior vice
chancellor for academic affairs. "We
are fortunate to have an individual
with Ann Parode's knowledge and
experience to provide general legal
advice on a variety of matters that
arise daily, including new policy
development, academic
employment issues and corporate
relationships."
The University of California Office of
the General Counsel of The
Regents, based in Oakland,
provides legal counsel for the UC
system. Many of the campuses have
locally based counsel as well,
according to Attiyeh, since the
growth of campuses has outpaced
the growth of the General Counsel's
office. As senior legal advisor to the
campus on a wide range of campus
issues, Parode will report jointly to
the UCSD vice chancellor for
academic affairs and the UC
General Counsel.
Prior to accepting the new position
at UCSD, Parode's career included
a number of other firsts, including
appointment as the first female
attorney at the law firm of Luce,
Forward, Hamilton and Scripps and
as the first general counsel for the
former San Diego Trust & Savings
Bank. She remained with the bank
until its sale in 1994, developing the
institution's legal department.
In addition to her professional
achievements, Parode has
extensive community service
experience in San Diego. From
1994 to 1996, she served as
chairman of the board of the San
Diego Community Foundation, and
is currently a member of the board
of directors of the Girard
Foundation, the Burnham Institute,
and the City of San Diego
Employees Retirement System. She
was founder of the San Diego
County Bar Foundation and served
as its president from 1980 to 1983,
and is a former president of The
Lawyers Club of San Diego.
Among the honors she has received
are the San Diego County Bar
Association's Community Service
Award, and the Woman of
Dedication award from the Salvation
Army Auxiliary.
Parode holds a Bachelor of Arts
from Pomona College and earned
her J.D., Order of the Coif, from the
UCLA School of Law.
UC system president
announces resignation
By Eleanor Yang Su
SDUT
August 14, 2007
UC President Robert C. Dynes, who
announced he will step down in
June, plans to return to San Diego,
spend time with his wife and
possibly resume teaching.
Robert C. Dynes, the president of
the 10-campus University of
California system, announced
yesterday his intention to step down
in June, after a rocky tenure
involving a controversy over
undisclosed executive
compensation and struggles over
lean state funding.
Dynes, 64, who previously served
as chancellor at UC San Diego,
said he plans to return to San
Diego, focus on his new wife and
possibly teach.
“It's all bittersweet,” Dynes said. “I
fell in love with this university. In so
far as I'm committed, I will not let it
go. But on the other hand, I have a
wife I want to spend some time
with.”
Dynes, a noted physicist, raised
eyebrows by continuing to run a lab
and apply for research grants, even
while leading one of the top public
university systems in the country.
Some have questioned whether
Dynes was the best fit for the job.
Though he has won numerous
teaching and research awards, and
is well-liked among lawmakers and
members of the university's
governing board for his humility and
down-to-earth nature, Dynes has
been criticized for his lack of interest
in the day-to-day management of
the UC system.
“I have mixed feelings about (his
stepping down),” said Jack Scott, D-
Pasadena, chairman of the Senate
Education Committee. “I've
personally liked him and had
respect for some of the things he
did. But he made some serious
mistakes in failing to make all
compensation practices
transparent.”
Timeline: The career
of Robert C. Dynes
1968-1990: Robert C. Dynes works
at AT&T Bell Laboratories,
eventually directing its chemical
physics research division.
1991-1995: Works at the University
of California San Diego as a
physics professor, department
chairman and senior vice chancellor
for academic affairs.
Oct. 25, 1996: Becomes the sixth
chancellor in UCSD's 36-year
history.
1999: Despite faculty opposition,
Dynes creates The Preuss School,
a charter school on the UCSD
campus for low-income students.
Oct. 2, 2003: Succeeds Richard
Atkinson as UC president.
May 2004: Signs a controversial
agreement with the governor, which
calls for hundreds of millions in cuts
for UC. One week later, regents
approve a 14 percent fee increase
for undergraduates.
2005: Newspapers report that UC
spent millions in bonuses and other
cash compensation while raising
student fees five straight years.
February 2006: State senators grill
Dynes in the first of several
hearings on undisclosed executive
compensation packages.
March 2006: UC regents outline
plans for improved oversight,
including overhauling the
president's office.
April 2006: Independent audit finds
that UC violated its compensation
practices hundreds of times.
May 2006: The UC board of regents
reaffirms its support for Dynes.
Yesterday: Dynes announces he will
step down as UC president in June.
Compiled by Union-Tribune library
researcher Merrie Monteagudo
Dynes weathered several storms
since taking the reins of the public
university system in October 2003.
Criticism peaked after newspapers
reported in 2005 that UC had
disbursed millions in pay and perks
to faculty and administrators, often
without public disclosure.
The revelations triggered legislative
hearings last year and three audits,
each of which documented
widespread examples of policy
violations and exceptions.
Annual Hearts and Scholars
Dinner Brings Together UC
San Diego Students and
Donors
February 9, 2010
By Kristin Luciani and Jade Griffin
UCSD announces
appointment to new campus
counsel position
January 17, 1997
Ann Parode, formerly executive vice
president, general counsel and
corporate secretary of San Diego
Financial Corporation, has been
appointed to the newly created
position of campus counsel at the
University of California, San Diego.
"UCSD has grown as an institution
to a point that our need for legal
guidance requires that we have
someone on site," said Richard
Attiyeh, interim senior vice
chancellor for academic affairs. "We
are fortunate to have an individual
with Ann Parode's knowledge and
experience to provide general legal
advice on a variety of matters that
arise daily, including new policy
development, academic
employment issues and corporate
relationships."
The University of California Office of
the General Counsel of The
Regents, based in Oakland,
provides legal counsel for the UC
system. Many of the campuses have
locally based counsel as well,
according to Attiyeh, since the
growth of campuses has outpaced
the growth of the General Counsel's
office. As senior legal advisor to the
campus on a wide range of campus
issues, Parode will report jointly to
the UCSD vice chancellor for
academic affairs and the UC
General Counsel.
Prior to accepting the new position
at UCSD, Parode's career included
a number of other firsts, including
appointment as the first female
attorney at the law firm of Luce,
Forward, Hamilton and Scripps and
as the first general counsel for the
former San Diego Trust & Savings
Bank. She remained with the bank
until its sale in 1994, developing the
institution's legal department.
In addition to her professional
achievements, Parode has
extensive community service
experience in San Diego. From
1994 to 1996, she served as
chairman of the board of the San
Diego Community Foundation, and
is currently a member of the board
of directors of the Girard
Foundation, the Burnham Institute,
and the City of San Diego
Employees Retirement System. She
was founder of the San Diego
County Bar Foundation and served
as its president from 1980 to 1983,
and is a former president of The
Lawyers Club of San Diego.
Among the honors she has received
are the San Diego County Bar
Association's Community Service
Award, and the Woman of
Dedication award from the Salvation
Army Auxiliary.
Parode holds a Bachelor of Arts
from Pomona College and earned
her J.D., Order of the Coif, from the
UCLA School of Law.
UC system president
announces resignation
By Eleanor Yang Su
SDUT
August 14, 2007
UC President Robert C. Dynes, who
announced he will step down in
June, plans to return to San Diego,
spend time with his wife and
possibly resume teaching.
Robert C. Dynes, the president of
the 10-campus University of
California system, announced
yesterday his intention to step down
in June, after a rocky tenure
involving a controversy over
undisclosed executive
compensation and struggles over
lean state funding.
Dynes, 64, who previously served
as chancellor at UC San Diego,
said he plans to return to San
Diego, focus on his new wife and
possibly teach.
“It's all bittersweet,” Dynes said. “I
fell in love with this university. In so
far as I'm committed, I will not let it
go. But on the other hand, I have a
wife I want to spend some time
with.”
Dynes, a noted physicist, raised
eyebrows by continuing to run a lab
and apply for research grants, even
while leading one of the top public
university systems in the country.
Some have questioned whether
Dynes was the best fit for the job.
Though he has won numerous
teaching and research awards, and
is well-liked among lawmakers and
members of the university's
governing board for his humility and
down-to-earth nature, Dynes has
been criticized for his lack of interest
in the day-to-day management of
the UC system.
“I have mixed feelings about (his
stepping down),” said Jack Scott, D-
Pasadena, chairman of the Senate
Education Committee. “I've
personally liked him and had
respect for some of the things he
did. But he made some serious
mistakes in failing to make all
compensation practices
transparent.”
Timeline: The career
of Robert C. Dynes
1968-1990: Robert C. Dynes works
at AT&T Bell Laboratories,
eventually directing its chemical
physics research division.
1991-1995: Works at the University
of California San Diego as a
physics professor, department
chairman and senior vice chancellor
for academic affairs.
Oct. 25, 1996: Becomes the sixth
chancellor in UCSD's 36-year
history.
1999: Despite faculty opposition,
Dynes creates The Preuss School,
a charter school on the UCSD
campus for low-income students.
Oct. 2, 2003: Succeeds Richard
Atkinson as UC president.
May 2004: Signs a controversial
agreement with the governor, which
calls for hundreds of millions in cuts
for UC. One week later, regents
approve a 14 percent fee increase
for undergraduates.
2005: Newspapers report that UC
spent millions in bonuses and other
cash compensation while raising
student fees five straight years.
February 2006: State senators grill
Dynes in the first of several
hearings on undisclosed executive
compensation packages.
March 2006: UC regents outline
plans for improved oversight,
including overhauling the
president's office.
April 2006: Independent audit finds
that UC violated its compensation
practices hundreds of times.
May 2006: The UC board of regents
reaffirms its support for Dynes.
Yesterday: Dynes announces he will
step down as UC president in June.
Compiled by Union-Tribune library
researcher Merrie Monteagudo
Dynes weathered several storms
since taking the reins of the public
university system in October 2003.
Criticism peaked after newspapers
reported in 2005 that UC had
disbursed millions in pay and perks
to faculty and administrators, often
without public disclosure.
The revelations triggered legislative
hearings last year and three audits,
each of which documented
widespread examples of policy
violations and exceptions.
Buzz Woolley
wants more
control
Buzz Woolley, a
financial backer of the
recently failed SD4 (see
story below) initiative to
pack the San Diego
Unified board with
unelected members,
seems to believe that
the best way to
improve schools is to
give administrators
and their lawyers
more arbitrary
control. Of course,
this might be true to a
point, but it would
probably be just as true
that schools would get
better if teachers had
more control--especially
if the individual
teacher had more
control. In my
experience,
administrators are
statistically more likely
to sabotage the
success of teachers
than to support it. They
don't do this on
purpose. They simply
don't understand how to
bring about
improvements. What
we have is something
like gridlock, with
power-hungry control
freaks on both sides
doing more harm than
good.
wants more
control
Buzz Woolley, a
financial backer of the
recently failed SD4 (see
story below) initiative to
pack the San Diego
Unified board with
unelected members,
seems to believe that
the best way to
improve schools is to
give administrators
and their lawyers
more arbitrary
control. Of course,
this might be true to a
point, but it would
probably be just as true
that schools would get
better if teachers had
more control--especially
if the individual
teacher had more
control. In my
experience,
administrators are
statistically more likely
to sabotage the
success of teachers
than to support it. They
don't do this on
purpose. They simply
don't understand how to
bring about
improvements. What
we have is something
like gridlock, with
power-hungry control
freaks on both sides
doing more harm than
good.
Voice story #1:
Success with Regina Petty at
SEDC (South East Development Council)
Success with Regina Petty at
SEDC (South East Development Council)
Fake San Diego
Education
Reform Initiative
Fails Due to
Insufficient Valid
Signatures
OB Rag
Signatures fall short
in bid to shake up
SDUSD
July 11, 2011
By Karen Kurcher
SignOnSanDiego
July 11, 2011
An initiative that would
have asked voters to
approve adding four
appointed members to
the five-member San
Diego school board
failed to gather enough
valid signatures to put
the measure on the
ballot, San Diego
officials said Monday.
San Diegans 4 Great
Schools, a group
supporting the
proposed ballot
measure, had submitted
more than 133,000
signatures in April as
they sought to qualify
the measure for a
future election.
However, the county
Registrar of Voters
found an insufficient
number of valid
signatures had been
collected. The measure
needed 93,085
signatures and county
officials found that
90,027 were valid, said
Denise Jenkins, an
elections analyst in the
City Clerk’s Office.
“It pretty much just ends
because it was
insufficient,” Jenkins
said.
The initiative would
have imposed term
limits on trustees and
require that they were
voted into office in
geographic regions of
San Diego rather than
from the district at large.
Proponents had said
they believed the
initiative would help
depoliticize the San
Diego Unified School
District, increase
accountability and
improve public
education in the state’s
second-largest district.
Backers included
Qualcomm co-founder
Irwin Jacobs and real
estate mogul Malin
Burnham.
Critics had argued that
the movement would
erode the democratic
process, bust unions
and possibly lead to a
new education system
that could include
privatization.
Scott Himelstein,
president of San
Diegans 4 Great
Schools and director of
the University of San
Diego’s Center for
Educational Policy and
Law, reached in
Sacramento late
Monday, said he had
not yet heard of the
decision...
Education
Reform Initiative
Fails Due to
Insufficient Valid
Signatures
OB Rag
Signatures fall short
in bid to shake up
SDUSD
July 11, 2011
By Karen Kurcher
SignOnSanDiego
July 11, 2011
An initiative that would
have asked voters to
approve adding four
appointed members to
the five-member San
Diego school board
failed to gather enough
valid signatures to put
the measure on the
ballot, San Diego
officials said Monday.
San Diegans 4 Great
Schools, a group
supporting the
proposed ballot
measure, had submitted
more than 133,000
signatures in April as
they sought to qualify
the measure for a
future election.
However, the county
Registrar of Voters
found an insufficient
number of valid
signatures had been
collected. The measure
needed 93,085
signatures and county
officials found that
90,027 were valid, said
Denise Jenkins, an
elections analyst in the
City Clerk’s Office.
“It pretty much just ends
because it was
insufficient,” Jenkins
said.
The initiative would
have imposed term
limits on trustees and
require that they were
voted into office in
geographic regions of
San Diego rather than
from the district at large.
Proponents had said
they believed the
initiative would help
depoliticize the San
Diego Unified School
District, increase
accountability and
improve public
education in the state’s
second-largest district.
Backers included
Qualcomm co-founder
Irwin Jacobs and real
estate mogul Malin
Burnham.
Critics had argued that
the movement would
erode the democratic
process, bust unions
and possibly lead to a
new education system
that could include
privatization.
Scott Himelstein,
president of San
Diegans 4 Great
Schools and director of
the University of San
Diego’s Center for
Educational Policy and
Law, reached in
Sacramento late
Monday, said he had
not yet heard of the
decision...