Last Tuesday night, out of pure spite and shallowness, the School Board essentially voted against money for our schools from an oil extraction tax.
Why would the School Board be against getting money for our schools? It is not as if they weren’t properly given enough information about the “Tax on California Oil Revenues to Education Initiative Statute.”
In July, I had given each Board member a copy of the initiative that would raise $3 billion annually for California education by placing a 15 percent tax on crude oil drilled in California. Each member had a summary sheet and the web address of Rescue Education California www.rescueeducationcalifornia.org.
No, it is spite and shallowness on the part of Board members Scott Zeidman and Steve Gourley. They have stated they would not endorse an initiative that I supported because of their hatred toward me.
Now why do you suppose Mr. Zeidman and Mr. Gourley hate me so much? Is it because I have the guts to call them out when they do something wrong?
Mr. Zeidman doesn’t like the fact that I’m like the kid who pointed out that “the emperor has no clothes.” Just because Mr. Zeidman is a lawyer and he talks so authoritatively doesn’t mean that he is infallible.
Mr. Zeidman was incensed that I spoke out for the First Amendment rights of a woman after he cut off her mike.
Mr. Gourley’s admitted hatred toward me is a result of my calling him out for insulting David Mielke, the President of the Teachers Union, and for calling him a liar.
I’m not going to mention the motives of the other Board members other than that they did not want to offend Mr. Zeidman by voting for this initiative. It was strange how Karlo Silbiger is the Board member who introduced me to this initiative and voted with the Culver City Democratic Club to endorse the initiative. (Where is your courage, Karlo, to stand behind something you supported?) This issue is not going to go away. I will be pointing out the hypocrisy of Mr. Zeidman and Mr. Gourley for the rest of this campaign.
It is ironic that two years ago I was in Mr. Zeidman’s house and I supported Measure EE, the parcel Tax, despite personal differences I had with him. I had the guts to do the right thing.
I will hope Mr. Zeidman and Mr. Gourley will see the light of their stupid act and be above their personal differences and do the right thing by endorsing an oil extraction tax that could bring $3 billion to our schools.
Mr. Zirgulis, a School Board candidate, may be contacted at zirgulisr@yahoo.com
