PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com SERVING NORTH COUNTY SINCE 1987
VOL. 32, N0. 35
AUG. 31, 2018
Caltrans under fire
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
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Gas tax repeal supporters file ethics complaint against agency
THE VISTA NEWS
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SAN DIEGUITO UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT originally withdrew from MiraCosta’s Adult Transition Program due to changes in the college’s aide policy. Photo by Shana Thompson
By City News Service
REGION — Supporters of an initiative backed by former City Councilman Carl DeMaio to repeal California’s gas tax increase on Aug. 29 called for an investigation into alleged campaigning by Caltrans contract workers in San Diego County. The Yes on 6 campaign announced the filing of an ethics complaint with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, the California Highway Patrol and the California Fair Political Practices Commission involving workers in Caltrans uniforms who DeMaio said were documented handing out “No on 6” flyers to drivers along State Highway 78. “In my 25 years of political involvement I never thought I would have to do a press conference like the one I just did showing evidence of a state government agency wantonly using taxpayer funds to advance a position on a ballot measure,” DeMaio said. Caltrans Director Laurie Berman said the agency is looking into the workers’ actions. “It is our understanding that these individuals were private contractors, not Caltrans employees,” Berman said in a statement.
San Dieguito, MiraCosta agree on special-ed program By Carey Blakely
OCEANSIDE — After being in each other’s crosshairs, MiraCosta College and San Dieguito Union High School District appear to have reached a short-term agreement about the Adult Transition Program. At the time of this writing, neither organization had returned calls or emails from The Coast News requesting information about what had been San Dieguito’s withdrawal from the program over issues with scheduling, aides and transportation. Adult Transition is one component of San Dieguito’s special-education program. The district’s website states that the Adult Transition Program provides educational services to youth considered to be of transitional age (18 to 22 years old) who have completed four years of high school but have not received a high school diploma. The curriculum focuses on independent living, vocational skills and other areas based on individual
CARL DEMAIO, former San Diego City Councilman, has been a vocal supporter of the Yes on 6 campaign, which will allow California voters to decide the fate of Senate Bill 1. Known as the Road Repair and Acountability Act of 2017, it increased the sales tax on a gallon of gas by 12 cents to fund road improvements. Photo by Shana Thompson
“Regardless, the department does not condone political advocacy or the distribution of campaign information on work project sites and is contacting its contractors to remind them of this.” The No on 6 campaign issued a statement denying any knowledge of the flyer distribution and denouncing “any inappropriate use of public resources or venues for campaign purposes.” Caltrans contracted Manhole Adjusting Inc.
for state-funded work on Route 78 between Julian and Ramona, according to both the agency and the Yes on 6 campaign. From 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, the workers, supervised by a Caltrans employee, slowed traffic to a stop, according to the campaign and an eyewitness account, to distribute flyers that read “Stop the Attack on Bridge & Road Safety.” The Yes on 6 campaign alleges the distribution broke a state law prohibiting state and local
RANCHO
employees from using public resources for campaign activity and that stopping traffic broke a state law prohibiting the impediment of “normal and reasonable movement” unless it is necessary to do so. Yes on 6 also alleges the No on 6 campaign violated the state Political Reform Act by providing campaign materials to publicly funded workers and by failing to disclose the value of the “contribution” made by campaigning.
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needs. OnSFNEWS Aug. 28, an email from San Dieguito to parents of students in the Adult Transition Program stated that a “one-semester solution” had been forged by both organizations for students to access the Basic Academic Skills courses at MiraCosta, which are part of the college’s noncredit Adults with Disabilities Program. The decision came five days after parents were “regretfully” notified by San Dieguito’s Director of School and Student Services Tiffany Hazlewood that “SDUHSD will not be able to directly support our ATP student’s (sic) access to any of the Mira Costa courses this coming Fall.” Many parents were upset by San Dieguito’s initial decision, as revealed in correspondence released to The Coast News. The negative feedback could explain why both institutions forged an agreement to save the program after scrapping it at the start of TURN TO AGREEMENT ON A7
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