Editorial:

The campaign by Pearl Quinones, the incumbent, for Sweetwater Union High School Board – Seat 2 can draw parallels between her race and that of Steve Castañeda when he was erroneously charged by the District Attorney during his campaign for mayor of Chula Vista.

It would have been easy and convenient to abandon Steve, and many of his “friends” did leave Steve. They were willing to stand on the sidelines where it was safe. We stood by Steve and supported him in his campaign for mayor through thick and thin, because we believed in Steve.

Pearl Quinones has been charged with accepting gifts such as meals and not reporting them, but nothing has been proven. She is running for re-election. It would be easy for us to take a wait and see attitude, but then it would be too late. The court date has been set for after the election.

We have known Pearl Quinones for a long time now. We have seen her service on the board and we have seen her demeanor as a person. We know Pearl would not sell her vote for gifts or money. This is something that we believe. We feel that the charges against Pearl are, at best, a minor reporting error. The sort of error that occurs often, and usually requires only an amendment to a filing. At worst, this kind of reporting error charges the offender with a small fine by the Fair Political Practices Commission. We don’t recall the DA ever filing charges against any other politician for similar errors.

The electoral process at Sweetwater needs an overhaul. There should be term limits, there should be district elections, and there should be campaign contribution limits. None of this exist at Sweetwater which in turn fosters an attitude of distrust and an opportunity for contractors to influence with campaign contributions. This atmosphere will continue as long as the rules of election stay as they are.

To run for a Sweetwater School Board seat takes a lot of money, you have to campaign from National City, south to Imperial Beach and east to include all of Chula Vista. This is a very large area and it takes a lot of money for a successful campaign. You can ask any of the candidates running today, corporate and business donors write large checks to fill this void, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Take away the trumped up charges and look at the record of Pearl Quinones. You will see a person who has stood up and fought for the students and parents of the district.

The school board has gone through volatile times and has made many decisions that upset different groups.

Unfortunately, board decisions are based on majority vote and the minority vote gets lost in the discussion. Individual board members who vote against the majority are often painted with the same brush as the majority.

A good example of board majority rule is the recent decision to retain Ed Brand as Superintendent. On a 3-2 vote, Brand was hired. Quinones voted against this hire. There is also the example of the board cutting back on school bussing. Pearl fought alone to retain the bussing routes, but the board majority voted to cut the routes.

Pearl has fought long and hard for the school re-design program where the district educates students for college, but also offers courses for those students who want to go to work after high school. Pearl has devised a program that prepares these students with the skills and the tools to get a job and in some cases become successful small business-people.

There is also success with test score improvement programs and the Compact for Success program which helps students gain admission to San Diego State University.

Pearl has a track record of success at the district and of representing students and parents. During the economic crises, while we have watched the San Diego Unified District crumble under the weight of an unsustainable budget, the Sweetwater District has maintained a balanced budget, avoiding layoffs over the years until only very recently. Because of Pearl’s sound fiscal judgement and sensitivity to district employees, she has the support of the Classified Union, Congressman Bob Filner, National City Mayor, Ron Morrison and many others who have not abandoned her.

We continue to believe in Pearl Quinones and we support her re-election to the Sweetwater Unified High School District – Seat 2.