Donate Life 5K Run/Walk 2015

Donate Life 5k Run/Walk

What:
A non-competitive 5K/1K Run/Walk to educate and inspire the community about organ and tissue donation while benefiting the OneLegacy Foundation.

Who:
All runners and walkers, dialysis patients, transplant recipients, organ donors, donors families, allied health professionals and students are invited to come out and participate! Donor families are invited to make their own patch for the OneLegacy Bridging Lives Quilt

When:
Saturday April 25, 2015. The race celebrates the last days of National Donate Life Month.

Where:
California State University, Fullerton campus, around Intramural Field.
800 State College Boulevard
Fullerton, CA.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO!

CalSTRS Fails

Press Release from State Controller John Chiang

SACRAMENTO – State Controller John Chiang today released his review of the California State Teachers' Retirement System's (CalSTRS) ability to detect and prevent pension spiking. The review found CalSTRS does not adequately audit more than 1,900 reporting entities (including school districts), has missed opportunities to reduce instances of suspicious or unjustified salary increases and also failed to adequately use existing electronic systems designed to identify cases of pension spiking. It also includes recommendations to address each of those shortcomings.

"Starting with more rigorous auditing and better use of existing technology, CalSTRS must fortify its ability and resolve to crack down on those seeking unjust enrichment at the expense of their fellow educators and taxpayers," said Chiang. "These recommendations aimed at strengthening CalSTRS' anti-spiking efforts will complement the recently-enacted pension reform package and shut down this form of public theft." 

The review specifically examined the electronic methods that CalSTRS uses to detect and prevent pension payments based on unusually large or excessive final compensation amounts, the auditing processes the system uses to oversee the state's school districts, and the efforts conducted by its newly-formed Comprehensive Review Unit during the review period of July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2011. The scope of the review was expanded to include records from three school districts, one community college district and one county office of education.

The review found that the CalSTRS audit program did not adequately detect or deter pension spiking. Although more than 1,900 agencies are a part of CalSTRS, the pension plan averages only 40 audits a year. During the review, CalSTRS was implementing a new stand-alone Compensation Review Unit charged with specifically detecting pension-spiking activity, which should result in more audits. However, the Controller said more auditors are needed to provide adequate oversight of the reporting by districts to CalSTRS.

The review evaluated pay increases granted prior to retirement to determine whether they were adequately approved, justified and documented. A geographically diverse sample of five local education reporting agencies was chosen: Pajaro Valley Unified School District in Santa Cruz County, the San Francisco and San Diego unified school districts, Foothill-De Anza Community College District in Santa Clara County, and the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Two of the five, or 40 percent, lacked documentation to justify pay increases granted to their employees immediately prior to retirement, such as board or executive approval or written performance evaluations. 

For example, at the San Francisco Unified School District, one executive received a 26% pay increase six months prior to retirement, and another executive received a 20% increase one year prior to retirement. The district was unable to provide any documentation supporting those raises.

After similar and repeated requests were made to the San Diego Unified School District, officials ultimately responded that documentation supporting raises was missing from their files.

CalSTRS uses a system that electronically identifies instances in which an employee's monthly pay increase exceeds a certain percentage, or in which an employee's "special compensation" exceeds a specific dollar amount in one year. However, the review found that during the period evaluated, CalSTRS did not review, verify or follow up on pay increases that were flagged by the system. The Controller urges CalSTRS to review all of the cases that were flagged by the system, require the agencies to provide adequate documentation supporting those increases and better determine if the pay increase thresholds are appropriate to detect pension spiking. 

The findings and recommendations from this review will be presented at the September meeting of the CalSTRS Audit and Risk Management Committee. The Controller also plans to perform a similar review of pension-spiking prevention measures at the state's largest pension system, the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS).

FERPing - It's as bad as it sounds

Back in April 2010 I brought you FERPing. 

The Faculty Early Retirement Program, as the name implies, allows faculty to retire early and then come right back to work. On the surface it creates a lower fiscal burden on local university funding which looks like a cost savings for guys like Milton A. Gordon, who gets $302,042 per year while living rent-free at the El Dorado Ranch. The reality is that it costs tax payers and students statewide more than utilizing the lower paid part-time faculty who, under FERP, are forced out.

Even the Fullerton Observer could see the problem with FERPing.

Now FERPing is back but this time the Orange County Register picked up the story.  As the Register's Timothy Sandoval surmises about one professor, "Kreiner benefits from an obscure California State University program that allows professors and librarians to retire and continue to work part time, collecting both a pension and a paycheck."

The bottom line is simple:  WE PAY MORE.  We get nothing in return.  Students have to pay higher fees and tuition while full-time faculty cash in.

CSU faculty apparently aren't afraid to strut their sense of entitlement either:

"I think it's fair," Kreiner said. "If you work for a place for 40 years and contribute to its growth, you have earned it."
Kreiner said in addition to classes, he advises graduate students and continues to conduct research papers, which adds to the university's reputation. He also notes that he is one of the "founding fathers" of the mechanical engineering department at the school.

FERP is by far the clearest form of pension abuse.  As Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer's Association said to the OC Register, "When someone retires one week and shows up for work on Monday – even if it is part-time work – it is a reflection of a system with a low retirement age."

Many government workers retire from government job "A" and go to work at government job "B".  Then they retire AGAIN and go to work for government job "C".  They do this while collecting multiple pensions.  The double and triple dipping, as it is often referred to, is indicative of a broken retirement system.

People used to retire because they could no longer work productively at a given age, such as 65 or 70.  Now public employees retire simply because they can, some as early as age 38.  Then they skip off to the next public trough until they hit 50 or 55.  Many head to yet the third trough.  And who can blame them for gaming the system...

Cal State Fullerton Proves Once Again They Know How to Waste Millions!



 FULLERTON - The Orange County Register is reporting that Cal State Fullerton has spent $143-million to add student housing and a cafeteria for 1064 additional students.  That figure does not include the cost to float the initial $143-million bond which could cost students and taxpayers $250-million.  That works out to about $235,000 for each bed or $470,000 for a small bedroom with no kitchen.   Students need the housing but the cost seems too high. 

This is the epitome of big government waste but its nothing new to CSUF who pays their president, Milton A. Gordon, $294,615 (not including benefits and perks).  Gordon lives in a donated mansion on a sprawling estate in the Fullerton hills.  Living rent free, he still commands a massive salary while students and taxpayers get stuck with the bill. 

CSUF, like other universities, allows faculty top enter an early retirement program.  The program allows full-time faculty to retire early and continue to work part-time.  It sounds good on paper but the practice means we, the taxpayers, are paying extra for less.  The retiree also immediately qualifies for FREE parking while other part-time employees must pay to park their car at their work. 

The long list of CSUF wasteful spending continues to grow as does the cost of tuition.  If CSUF students and their families want to lower tuition, they need to hold the CSUF administration responsible. 

Cal State Fullerton Out of Touch with Reality?

Once again CSUF is in the news because of budget cuts. And once again students are stuck holding the bill.

For those who might be new to my blog or have a short memory, here are a few posts about CSUF and the strange way the Administration operates:
Cal State Fullerton President - Lifestyles of Our Rich Public Employees at the El Dorado Ranch

Cal State Fullerton’s Pension Tsunami Shell Game and Our Kid’s Future

The El Dorado Ranch - Is it Public or Private

Cal State Fullerton Reporter Slammed for Speaking Truth


In the most recent OC Register story, several students and professors, none in economics though, spoke out against the cuts and are urging for HIGHER taxes! The students need not worry about higher taxes since it is assumed they would fall into the lowest tax bracket. The professors need not worry either since paying 5%-10% more in taxes is better than taking a 20%-30% cut in pay!

Unfortunately, unless meaningful cuts are made and Sacramento reallocates funding, students and taxpayers are both hurt by the poor financial management of the CSU system.Even the Fullerton Observer Can See the Problems at Cal State Fullerton

University Double Standard

You might recall my series of posts regarding Cal State Fullerton President Milton A. Gordon and the Cal State Fullerton student-reporter Ally Bordas who was slammed and censored by CSUF Media Relations Director Christopher Bugbee.

Recently in the news was another story that points to the blatant hypocrisy that exists within the wall of California's universities.  CNN, Fox, MSNBC, CBS, and others have all covered the story of the UC San Diego student-run newspaper, the Koala, Volume 6, Issue 1, wherein an editor calls a student-body VP a "Fat Whore" with a picture of a penis and scrotum in her face.  (--GRAPHIC WARNING - view The Koala here GRAPHIC WARNING--)

Unlike UCSD, where administrators have said the editor has the right to free speech and artistic expression, CSUF's administration doesn't want anyone to speak ill of their over-paid president, Milton A. Gordon.   

I suppose if CSUF student-reporters would like to speak the truth and point out facts about the university's over-paid administration, they need only to use graphic profanity.  I, on the other hand, do not need to resort to such tactics.

According to the Sacramento Bee, Gordon took a couple of pay cuts from $311,944 in 2008 and $302,042 in 2009 to $294,615.  The cut amounts to a whopping 5.5% which doesn't mean much considering he lives, rent-free, at the publicly-owned El Dorado Ranch mansion in Fullerton.  I haven't looked into it but I'm guessing he has a state-owned car and maybe even a driver.  Regardless of the latter, Gordon enjoys the sweet life that the rest of us pay for through taxes and students through ever-increasing fees and tuition.   

Wallpaper: Those degrees may not mean as much as you might think

A recently published book blows the mystique off all of those fancy degrees on your wall. 

"Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses" by sociologists Richard Arum of New York University and Josipa Roksa of the University of Virginia reports that few students show any measurable growth in their learning.  The study of more than 2,300 undergraduates found 45% of students demonstrated no significant improvement in the areas of critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing by the end of their sophomore years.

At a time when many in the United States are calling for more college graduates, one must ask the hard question: At what cost do we produce more graduates?  Do universities need to dumb-down their standards or lower tuition in order to issue more degrees?  Probably both.

On average, students only learned about 7% more from the beginning of their freshman year to the end of their sophomore year.

The study found that those students who study alone and have more reading and writing assignments do the best.  The study also found that students' social life had no place in their academic success. 

By the students' fourth year, 35% demonstrated no significant improvement. 

We all know someone with a 4-year degree, perhaps even multiple advanced degrees, and still they seem as dumb as a brick.  Now we know why. 

It begs the question, why pay big bucks for a degree?

(Read more about the study at CBSNews.com)

Even the Fullerton Observer Can See the Problems at Cal State Fullerton

I've been writing about CSUF for about a year after discovering how much of our taxes are, in my opinion, squandered and completely mismanaged.  I brought you CSUF Milton Gordon's mansion which is owned by the taxpayers and the problem with FERPing (it really is as bad as it sounds).  You can read the posts HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.  And now the Fullerton Observer, a local publication, has caught the bug.  Below is the entirety of an article by Mark Shapiro, available HERE.  Enjoy!

============================================================

Half-time Interim Director at CSUF Paid $165,104
by Mark H. Shapiro

Although the California State University system is in the midst of a major budget crisis, a retired Cal State Fullerton administrator who was hired back as the Interim Director of University Planning received a salary of $165,104 this past fiscal year (according to the Sacramento Bee database of state salaries).

Because Michael C. Parker retired from Cal State Fullerton in 2005 where he worked as Chief Information Technology Officer and Professor of Counseling, he must, as a retired annuitant, work less than half-time in order to keep his pension income.

In 2009 his CalPERS retirement income was $105,129 according to information available from Californiapensionreform.com.

On a full-time basis, Parker’s salary would be equivalent to $330,208, which would exceed that of CSU Fullerton’s President, Milton A. Gordon, by some $28,166.

Even Parker’s part-time salary of $165,104, when combined with his CSU retirement income of $105,129 amounts to $270,233.

This would make him the second-highest paid administrator at Cal State Fullerton, just behind Gordon who received $302,042 in 2009, and well ahead of the next-highest paid administrator, head basketball coach Bob Burton, who received $213,007 in 2009.

The position of Interim Director of Strategic Planning probably is an important one. 

Previous efforts at strategic planning at Cal State Fullerton have yielded little in the way of tangible results, in the opinion of many campus employees.

But given the seriousness of the current budget crisis, the current effort at planning may be more successful.

Nevertheless, it seems very unusual that a half-time Interim Director of Strategic Planning would be paid more (not including his retirement pay) than a host of full-time academic deans and other top-level administrators on the campus.

In fact, none of the academic college deans at Fullerton earned more than $160,223 in 2009, even though they work on a full-time basis.

The author has known Mike Parker professionally for many years, and considers him to be a decent and hard-working administrator.

But it still seems strange that he would be paid so much money for a half-time job that is important, but no more important than those of, say, the academic deans.

This is particularly true at a time when the University is working under extreme budget constraints.

One wonders if the taxpayers are being wellserved in these circumstances.

(The author worked for many years as a Professor of Physics at Cal State Fullerton. He also publishes The Irascible Professor, an online journal that covers issues in education. It is available on the Internet at http://irascibleprofessor.com/)

Cal State Fullerton Reporter Slammed for Speaking Truth



CSUF Daily Titan scared by the truth

 Fullerton - A California State University of Fullerton student reporter has come under attack for quoting me in the Daily Titan. 

Ally Bordas wrote a brief article for the Daily Titan on the financial mess at CSUF and pointed out the irresponsibility, waste, and hypocrisy within the universities management.  In her article, she quotes my blog post Cal State Fullerton President - Lifestyles of Our Rich Public Employees at the El Dorado Ranch, which was cross-posted on the Friends for Fullerton's Future blog. 

The CSU media specialist didn't like the fact that Ms. Bordas used my post and even less that it was pulled from the 4F blog.  Unfortunately, the story was pulled from the Daily Titan and Ms. Bordas has had to endure a lot of questions on her fact checking. 

The fact remains that the words she quoted from me are based on the official legal agreement between the State of California and the Chapman family who donated the El Dorado Ranch.  You can find the document at the Orange County Recorder's Office by asking for Instrument No. 1989-334761 of Official Records.  You can also email me at GregSebourn@yahoo.com and I will email the 28-page PDF to you. 

Here are a few facts to consider that the agreement spells out:

1. Donated in 1989 by the Chapman Family.
2. CSU Fullerton President Milton Gordon takes office in August 1990, almost exactly 1 year after the donation.
3. No property taxes are paid on the compound because it is owned by the State of California.  However, the Orange County Assessor still keeps track of how much the 4 acre property would be taxed if anyone else owned it.  That figure puts it at $3,351,724 in 2009! 
4. The property was donated and all parties agreed that the mansion would be the "official residence" of the president.  This is mentioned multiple times throughout the agreement.
5. The agreement stipulates that the property shall not be converted into student housing.  However, there is one MAJOR and MASSIVE exception.  The "apartment adjacent to the house [which] may be used for support staff for the President of the University and/or El Dorado Ranch.  In my initial post I said his assistant had a home on the sprawling estate but I was wrong.  He could actually have as many assistants (a.k.a. "support staff") as he feels he needs to have on hand and all of them are welcome to live at the El Dorado Ranch.
6. At the time of the initial donation, there were numerous antiques on loan to the State that remained in the home.  Some items dating from the early 19th century.
7. The Chapman family still retains mineral rights to the El Dorado Ranch.  That means they have a right to pump oil from underneath the State's property. 
8. Item 11 of Exhibit "B" of the agreement requires that any garden developed on the property shall be named the "Alice Wilber Chapman Garden".  Alice Chapman was the mother of the donors. 
9. The property is owned by the taxpayers of the State of California yet the sign at the entrance reads "PRIVATE PROPERTY".  Surely it was an error on the part of some underpaid state employee who didn't know that public property can't also be private property.
10. Not in the agreement but worth noting is that we all need to do our part to conserve energy because energy conservation is clearly not high on the President's list of priorities.  Of course when someone else is paying the bill, who cares...  Thanks for leaving the light on!

At the end of the day, Ms. Ally Bordas was correct to point up the chain of command within the CSU system and call out the hypocrisy that exists.  The leadership insists on burdening the students with higher tuition and "fees" but they are not willing to look within their own ranks.  The CSU system has many great minds but where they are being used remains a mystery.  In my opinion, the media specialist should do a little fact checking of their own.

For Milton Gordon, its still good to be king!



Why the look of surprise?



The El Dorado Ranch - Is it Public or Private

Here is an update to a story I brought you on April 6, 2010.

Clearly this sign warns potential visitors to the El Dorado Ranch that it is "PRIVATE PROPERTY". However, the sign lies! Or rather the person who placed the sign there is either a liar or is misinformed. The Grant Deed below makes it clear that the property has been granted to a public agency which places the property in the hands of California residents.

So, despite the very official albeit old and faded sign, you and I own the temporary residence of Milton A. Gordon, President of Cal State Fullerton whose salary exceeds $300,000 per year. With all that money he saves living rent free it's no wonder he left the light on for us.

Here is a nice view of what Mr. Gordon enjoys...


I spy a tall tower...

The Impact of a Life

I started off yesterday trying to be uplifting. I remarked on a few birthdays and how a few folks, some of which you may have never heard of, have changed our lives. The fun came to a screeching halt when I received word that James Wernke's lifeless body was found in Brea Creek behind St. Jude Medical Center. I didn't know much about James except what was being reported on television and on the internet. My lack of insight didn't matter when my wife walked across the street to tell our neighbors the sad news. My neighbor's daughter, a young nursing student at Cal State Fullerton, knew James. Needless to say, she and her mother broke down in tears. Every member of the household was disturbed by the sudden and untimely death. Last night they participated in a rosary vigil at St. Juliana with friends and family.


Although I did not know James, I know that the impact he made on the lives of those grieving was substantial. James wasn't just liked by many, he was LOVED by all.

May the Peace of The Lord give comfort to all who who feel the loss of James Wernke, and especially his family.