Editorial:
The South Bay corruption scandal came to a close this past week with a whimper when Bertha Lopez and Jim Cartmill both plead guilty to accepting gifts over the limit mandated by the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
This brought to a conclusion a corruption case that was once billed by the DA, Bonnie Dumanis as “the largest public corruption case our office has ever prosecuted…”
The only question left is why are both Bertha Lopez and Jim Cartmill still allowed to serve on a board and to serve a community whose trust they betrayed?
Both the Sweetwater Unified High School District bylaws (Section 9223(a) 8) and the California Gov. Code support the immediate removal of anyone who has entered a plea of guilty in the performance of their duties as a school board member:
We quote the Gov. Code: “Section 1021, subdivision (h) of Section 1770, or Section 3000, the person found guilty shall not assume the office for which the person is otherwise qualified or shall be suspended immediately from the office the person then holds. During the time of inability to assume an office or of suspension from office, the person shall not be entitled to receive the emoluments of the office, including, but not limited to, the exercise of the powers of the office, the rights to be seated in the office, and the compensation, including benefits, prescribed for the office.”
The legal code appears to be pretty cut-and-dry, not much room to wiggle around, but for some reason the judge in the case has allowed for the two board members, Cartmill and Lopez, to continue serving, until sentencing. All other board members have been forced to vacate their seat, so why are these guilty board members allowed to continue serving?
The school district, the parents, and the children deserve and demand that their school board members should represent the highest moral and ethical standards. This board needs to be swept clean of the corruption scandal and given the opportunity to get a fresh start with honest representation. These board members have abused the trust of the community. They have lost the respect of the community and the right to continue serving as elected officials!
The County Board of Education has the authority to fill the vacancies on the board until the November elections when South Bay residents can start fresh by electing honest government representation. Instead of saddling the community with the remnants of a corruption case that has enveloped the community for the past two years, County Ed needs to step up and serve the best interests of the community and hasten the removal of both Lopez and Cartmill – do the right thing!
We urge County Board Superintendent Dr. Randy Ward and the South Bay District Representative Dr. Lyn Neylon, in particular, to inform South Bay residents, educators, and students of their intentions and opinions about the predicament of the Sweetwater School Board.
We believe that the community deserves a chance to close this ugly chapter of school board corruption and to start fresh with a new board that is not tainted by scandals and crimes against the public good.