I believe that School Board candidate Robert Zirgulis is spreading snake oil.
After reading Mr. Zirgulis’s recent correspondence (“Zirgulis Reveals to DeBenedittis His Plan for Bringing ‘Millions’ to Schools”) about his unrealistic and illegal thoughts to raise money for the School District, I felt the need to write.
He has made a lot of absurd assumptions about school funding:
1. If PXP (Plains, Exploration & Production Co.) drills under Culver City.
2. If the price of oil stays high.
3. If the wells produce an adequate amount of oil.
4. If there is any oil under any school.
5. If PXP, for some reason, decides to share revenue to the city for some unknown reason.
6. If the city of Culver City decides to give some revenue to the School District. (The city is now deeply in the red.)
7. Under long settled law (Serrano vs. Priest) in California, all school districts in the state must receive and spend basically the same dollars per pupil. Thus, if Culver City schools should receive any oil revenue, the funding from the state would be reduced, dollar for dollar. Under California law, additional local school funding is proper, legal and ethical through a parcel tax, as in Measure EE, which is on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Mr. Zirgulis says he is the self-proclaimed President of “Save Our Schools.” (It is not clear if there are any other members.) The name of the group is highly misleading. Any oil revenue would not bring additional revenue to our schools.
“Save Our Schools” will never save our schools.
PXP intends to increase oil production, with the potential to increase odor, air pollution, water pollution and emergency safety problems. The city is rightfully worried about serious weak regulation, inadequate emergency planning and feeble emergency communication to our residents.
It is always good during an election to bring about new ideas.
But they must be legal, reasonable, well thought out and balanced. Mr. Zirgulis’s ideas are certainly not.
He never has had any support from PXP, the city of Culver City or the School District.
If it is too good to be true…
You know the rest.
Mr. Ehrlich, a leader in the campaign of rival candidate Kathy Paspalis, may be contacted at PMSHA@aol.com
