Fourth of July Photos - Live from Imperial Beach!

I'm going to try to keep this under fifty words. These were all shot from the north end of Imperial Beach, looking south toward the pier. I needed light and stability, so I shot pretty much from beach level. There are more, but they're not as good...

Big Bay Boom 2011 - The view from Imperial Beach

There were hundreds on the beach where we were.

Some were bright enough to light up the entire beach.

Some of the explosions were even heart-shaped.



Fireworks were going off in San Diego too, but no one here seemed to notice.



The morning after, the beach was quiet and nearly empty. Only a slight scent of fireworks hung in the air.



 More photos are online at Imperial Beach Patch.

After some delays, I finally decided to start blogging for the Patch network. Patch is an online newspaper located in smaller towns than the also-online Examiner covers. But whereas Examiner is all about "experts" putting their spin on things, Patch keeps it objective. It tells you the facts in true news fashion, and lets you decide for yourself, instead of being told what to think about a situation and why.

So is there much in common between them? Not a whole lot, except for the whole "online" thing. And like many of the other online news organizations, Patch offers a platform for blogging. After being invited to participate by Khari Johnson, Imperial Beach Patch's editor-in-chief, I decided I wanted to be onboard.

I'll probably post more links here to Patch articles, then I do posting links from Patch to the Washroom. For now, this is my first blog post for them. Check out a link or two. It's worth reading.

Perspectives, Neighbors, and Walking the Dog at 1 a.m.

"As far as I can tell, there are three types of folks in Imperial Beach: those who have been here for years, those whose military service brings them here, and those who simply arrived and don't want to leave. I'm in the third group.

Fact is: I'm relatively new to California, only having been here a few years. I'm originally from parts south - Mississippi, Arkansas, those kinds of places.

When I was much younger, still in high school, my family visited San Diego as part of a vacation. I discovered that I had a warm spot in my heart for this part of Southern California that never quite went away. But it was decades before I returned.

My girlfriend accepted a job out here about five years ago. I helped her drive across the country to move and settle in. Her new job was in Chula Vista, and she got an apartment in Otay Ranch. Two years later, when I finally decided to make the move myself, we got a different, larger apartment, still in that part of town.

If I was to say it didn't do much for me, I'd be minimizing it. In actuality, I found it a soul-numbing, mind-draining sort of place - not at all the California I wanted to live in."

Click to keep reading at Imperial Beach Patch...

Non-Traditional (Part 6) - A Bit About the Students

The end of my first semester back at school was a busy time, what with all the running around, studying, writing, reading, staying up late, waking up early, and ignoring this blog… and that’s nothing on what most of the students I know do.

I was so frazzled that when I woke up, I’d have a mug of coffee with breakfast, or for it. I’d stop at a 7-11 about two hundred feet away, fill up my mug, and stop again at the one across the street from SWC. Then and only then did I feel fortified to start thinking.

Don’t get me wrong. I had a lot to do outside of school, but I saw a lot of students working their tails off to ace those finals and get those grades up. I am impressed. They impressed me, and by and large, they were those students who were here for an education, not a degree.

I say again – I was impressed.

I did well. I pulled some high grades on some finals, turned in some tremendous work, and now have a GPA floating at about 4.0. I’ll be honest. There’s some strutting involved. (But only because this is the first time in recorded history that I’ve rocked a 4.0. In fact, I’ve got some teachers back in the days of yore who would have laughed their rumps off had I told them I’d ever do that well.)

I’m going to show restraint. I’m going to keep my strutting to a minimum. Because I’ve seen students do a lot more, a lot better, and with a lot more obstacles. I know students who have kids and families, are carrying an insane number of classes, who have to travel from campus to campus, who are holding down overtime jobs while they go to school, and who are taking classes and writing essays that make me say, “whut?”

That’s impressive.

Now that I find myself jumping through the same ridiculous hoops that they jump, and digging out exactly what forms the admissions and financial aid people want, and dealing with SWC’s insanely rude and backwards computer systems, and trying to do everything the administration demands, I realize…

It’s really damn impressive. Not me. Them.

I’ve got some things to say about things, believe me. But it only took me a moment to realize that I didn’t want to use this space talking about them. I wanted to use this space for something better.

There are students that still drive me crazy with their laziness, their inability to arrive on time, their dishonest, and their willingness to cheat their ways to that degree.



Like this guy.

 But this isn’t about those people. This is just my way of saying how good it is to know students who do care, who strive to succeed, who work hard, who are never late and never miss a class, are honest and honorable.

This is my way of saying, “Wow, you folks really and truly impress me.” You are the reason that professors like doing what they do. You set an example for your classmates and your colleagues. You make coming into class a joy. You are helping to make the world a better place.

Keep it up.

And speaking as that non-traditional guy who’s gone back to school to improve himself, and who probably watches you and what you do more than you realize… thank you.

Why We Cheered: Death of Osama bin Laden, Part 1

On May 1, every news broadcast outlet in the free world announced the news that Osama bin Laden was dead, and that a joint United States venture of the Navy SEALS and the CIA were responsible for his death. After the initial shock, reports continued to come in: some true, some false, and many contradicting the others – Osama was killed a week ago! He shot back at the SEALS! We lost soldiers in Abbottabad! He was buried at sea!

And of course… He wasn’t killed at all!, but that greasy shtick is for a later post.

I cheered. Actually, at home I smiled smugly and made happy comments. On Twitter and Facebook, I cheered. I’m not afraid to say it, and frankly I don’t care if you don’t like it. I cheered.

I watched our Commander-in-Chief explain it to us, in a concise, classic fashion. And I cheered again.



This is the guy in charge, not W.



I don’t recall many people upset that Americans cheered. It would be a ridiculous argument to say that any nationality was happy to hear of his death more than those of us in the States. The Architect of 9/11 had been killed, and by our own goddamned Navy SEALS.

I cheered. I’m still cheering.

I would venture a guess that to most of America, I’m doing nothing more than you are. But to a surprising number of sensitive liberal types, I have suddenly become a tragic monster, an evil, misguided individual who wallows in the death and suffering of others.



No.

I remain a staunch lefty, an American progressive, and a proud liberal. I didn’t lose anyone in the Twin Towers or on 9/11. I knew no one on Flight 93. No one in my family has died in Baghdad or Kandahar. In some of your eyes, I have no justification for it, but still…

I cheered.

I’ve heard your arguments. I’ve seen you misquote Martin Luther King Jr. as you try to convince us of your virtue. I acknowledge your questions, your concerns, and your worries. I respect your right to respect life.

But none of that changes the fact that Osama bin Laden, a monster, is dead. As the head of al-Qaeda, and the man responsible for the deaths of thousands in New York, Washington DC, and Ohio, he is the single worst mass murderer in American history. A murdering sociopath wrapped in faux-Muslim garb, he has directly ordered the deaths of many thousand more Muslims around the world – anyone who disagreed with his fundamental – and fundamentally wrong version of Islam.

I cheered that the monster is dead. No, I didn’t dance in the street in New York or DC, but I share the sentiment. And I’ll admit: I’m confused as to why you don’t.

You argue that President Barack Obama stated that this made the world safer. You say it’s not true. You point out that aside from one terrorist operation of the past decade bin Laden has basically had no impact on world terrorism.

That’s true. So is the fact that just because he’s dead doesn’t mean that terrorism will suddenly disappear, and we have won.

But I find this particular belief system to be disheartening. It supposes a world where this is a black-and-white issue, where terrorism is either on or off, and where we have won or not. I find this binary representation of terrorism and global political situations to be… well… brain-dead.



Yeah... not so much anymore.



President Obama stated it correctly: the world is safer that bin Laden is dead. In addition to planning 9/11, bin Laden planned a series of attacks on Germany, France, and the UK that never happened. But if he is not around to plan these attacks, are we safer? Damn right we are. Are we safe? No, we are not.

Furthermore, you claim that this action will mean that Al-Qaeda will retaliate. I suspect that they will. Here’s the ugly little truth you don’t want to admit you know – al-Qaeda is always looking to retaliate. They are a terrorist group; this is what they do. They need no inciting event to cause them to say, “Gosh, Muammar! With Osama turned into a tub toy, perhaps now would be a good time to attack the United States again!”

They don’t need that. Al-Qaeda has scattered and spun out into various corners of the Middle East, and has become less effective without a figurehead at the top. In the past decade since 9/11, the terrorist icon bin Laden became a shadowy figure, then a spectre. Without that grip that he provided, this may be al-Qaeda’s one last chance to make a splash.

I’d be worried about it, were our intelligence agencies not working with the agencies of the west to stop whatever actions al-Qaeda was planning, regardless of what act has motivated them.

I refuse to live under fear. Those liberals out there who fear a terroristic retaliation are no better than those conservatives who would throw away any civil rights for a chance to feel a little more secure. Your irrational worry is no reason for the rest of this country to feel shame. It is, however, an excellent reason for you to be ashamed.

I suspect that this will have offended many of you. I can’t say I care. I’ve heard you and read your posts where you complain that people like me have attacked you for your beliefs. I’m sorry, but I don’t buy it. I’ve read, and heard, attacks by people like you against people like me – repeatedly. You say that I’m a “savage” or “jingoistic” or “wallowing in the deaths of others.” You’re entirely wrong, but you’re entitled to your opinion.

Which is why I don’t really care if I offend you. I’m also entitled to my opinion, which is: Osama bin Laden is dead, and the world is a better place because of it. We’re not safe, we know we’re not safe, but we are safer. Al-Qaeda will continue to try to retaliate against the United States, as they always do. They don’t need bin Laden’s death to justify it.

Feel free to live in fear of that attack. I’m not. I continue to expect that they’ll plan it and we’ll interfere with it. In the meantime, I’m going to be cheering.

Spring Break: A Time for Writing

For those of you who have not been forced to participate in Spring Break at this late time - all of the free world, most of the second and third world, and the personnel of a few space stations - you may not understand what it is to suddenly have time to do nothing.

I'm not a fan of doing nothing, and I'd prefer to do something. One of the things that I did manage to do in the lead-up to this dreary week off* was spend a full week writing something new for the Washroom each day. None of it was groundbreaking, but all of it was original. By doing that, I did find myself feeling the urge to write more and more.

I finished the last major edit of "Melbourn's Storm" and submitted that for peer review. I completely restructured and restarted Chapter 4 of "The Wyrd Magnet" novel, and I added 14 pages (so far) to the novella, "Omega Man's Day Off."

I find myself quite pleased with how things are going. Even with a fairly full week of nothing ahead of me, I plan to keep writing. By the end of the month, I'd like to have the final draft of "Melbourn's Storm" ready to go. I am awaiting a chance to submit "A Chilling Wind," but the window for that doesn't open again until May 1.

So let me ask your indulgence. For the first time in several months, I'm feeling that urge to write. As has been noted, it's starting to pay off. If I seem a little more focused on writing and publishing, and a little less on reporting, scholarship, and politics, let it seem that way.

It's not that I've actually changed. The Sun, attending school, financial aid, and Democratic Party interests still captivate me. But for the moment at least, I want the world to see a little more of Nick the Writer, and not Nick the Journalist, Student, or Activist.

Feel free to fling a little feedback my way. I'm always happy to hear what y'all have to say.

----------

*"And there was much rejoicing." /  "Yaaay." - M. Python

And On the Seventh Day, He Chilled

My little experiment seems to have worked. I’ve posted on the blog once a day for a week. It may not seem like much, but I have to count time as a premium. It was actually difficult in a couple of places to know what to write, but I remembered that not everything had to be earth-shattering, and put down something to say.


It’s been good. I have to say it’s good to try to put thoughts out for others to read on a daily basis. It’s also a pain in the butt, and not something I would ever want to do. On the flip side, it’s increased traffic here about tenfold, and that’s always good.

If ever I bothered to monetize this site, that would really be something, huh?

In the past week, I’ve blogged about politics and the Sun, published fiction, fiction I’m in the process of writing, and even a charity anthology I’m going to be part of. None of these are the most important things in the world, but they sure make my life a little more interesting. If they’ve made yours a little more entertaining, then I call it a win.

I also have to say I think that this has helped “prime the pump” – in an entirely writerly sort of way. Since I’ve started this, I’ve also added some new pages to both “Omega Man’s Day Off” and “The Wyrd Magnet: Chapter Four.”

This is a side benefit I wasn’t expecting. I’m probably going to try to keep up the blogging for a while, if only to help keep up the writing.

Thanks for sticking around here.

More Financial Shenanigans at SWC: Forensic Accountants to Investigate Alioto and the Contractors

Whoa. I need practice keeping these short. I had hoped to put this one up two or three days ago when the link to our stories on the Southwestern College Sun website. But it only came up sometime tonight. So with little adieu, allow me to present:

“Board Orders New Audit on Contracts, SWC Foundation” (on the SWC Sun website)

Allow me a minute to crow and say this is my third front-page article in a row. This makes me unusually happy. But more importantly, this is another financial story that grew and grew as I looked into it. I started this by going to an oversight committee meeting to hear a short positive audit report. But when I was there, I heard something disturbing. The next day, I spoke with Bob Temple, the new interim vice president of business and financial affairs at SWC. He gave me more still more disturbing information.

It grew like that. As it did, other reporters and other writers started finding more information that started to overlap what I had. And as we started looking into it, several things became clear.

The first is that Nick Alioto, the now-ex-vice president of business, was involved in many different questionable – possibly illegal – actions. We always knew that, but it was good to have it confirmed. Secondly, it also became clear that Henry Amigable, the project manager for Seville Construction who worked hand-in-hand with Alioto to oversee construction on campus, was almost as dirty as the vice-president. The third thing is that the entire construction situation is dirty and possibly corrupt.

We have one more issue coming out this semester. I hope to have a piece written with another couple of editors and reporters about the construction situation. And if I don’t get everything I want, I’ll try to follow up either this summer on the blog, or next fall at the paper.

So if that seems like I’m saying that I’ll likely be back in school next fall… yeah, that’s what I’m saying. Provided they’ll take me – and you can take that to mean either SWC or the Sun – I’ll be back.

I kind of like the place, you know?

"Melbourn's Storm" - Looks Like the Rainbow is in Sight

It is with great pleasure that I report that I've gotten back most of the feedback and criticism I requested for this fourth version of my short story, "Melbourn's Storm." I'm pleased to say that I am happy.

With only a trio of critiques still out - and one of those about half-reported - it's clear that, this time, there are no over-arching problems, no structural defects, no big "what?" questions that plagued the other versions. I have increased its length, as many thought that the third version was too truncated and it ruined the tale's atmosphere. After many re-readings, I was forced to agree.

I have back only half a page or so of notes. Most of those are one of two styles. The first is: "Would he or she say/do/think this at that time?" The second is: "Is that clear enough?"

I will definitely consider both. In most cases, I think that he or she said/did/or thought the right thing at the right time, but I'll consider some changes. I'm a little more worried about the clarity, so I'll probably be tweaking a line or two here and there.

I've still got two-and-a-half critiques back, so I can't consider my work done. But I am happy to say that with these little tweaks, I'm going to consider "Melbourn's Storm" done. It'll be nice to have a new piece to try to get published, though I'll probably be quite annoyed if it doesn't happen the very first time.

I say that with some sarcasm, of course. If I couldn't get it right the first time, I wouldn't expect someone to want to print it the first time either.

My last thought is that it was suggested to me to set this up as an online short story. That might be nice, but it's not my style. I am a big fan of ink-and-paper, and I'd prefer to see it in print - meaning print.

It always seems to me to mean just a little bit more when someone says, "That's great. I'd love to publish it for you."

I'll let you know how it goes.

Kizuna: Fiction for Japan - A Charity Anthology... And I'll Be In It

I have a bit more good news from the publishing world! I am pleased to announce that I will be providing a short story to the charity anthology, Kizuna: Fiction for Japan.

Created by Brent Millis - also known as Made in DNA - Kizuna will be used to produce donations to help the earthquake and tsunami-ravaged country. Millis, who I've known online for a couple years now, is a resident of Japan who has seen the damage done to the country and decided to help.

Having only one piece ready to go, I was delighted to include "Ploughman" in the anthology. Kizuna is a melange of different genres - fantasy, cyberpunk, erotica, science fiction, horror, Bizarro fiction, and so on - written by vastly different writers from several different countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, Germany, Italy, Spain...

Like me, many of the authors are unknown, or are only well-known within their niche. But not all of them. Included in Kizuna: Fiction for Japan are:

Michael Moorcock - The creator of anti-hero Elric of Melnibone, the "Eternal Champion," the "Multiverse," and the theory of the "Balance of Law and Chaos," he has put his stamp on more modern fiction than just about any other author of the last 40 years or so. And as the banner-waver of the entire Dark Fantasy genre, being in an anthology with him is like most fantasy writers being included in a book with JRR Tolkein. He is the creator not only of Elric, but also Corum, Jerry Cornelius, and Dorian Hawkmoon. He is responsible for writing lyrics and working with the bands Blue Oyster Cult and Hawkwind, and for inspiring about 36% of everything Deep Purple ever recorded. He is a metric ton of awesome.

Jon Courtenay Grimwood - He is the author of End of the World Blues, 9tail Fox, Stamping Butterflies, and the "Arabesk" trilogy. He is a two-time British Science Fiction award winner and five-time nominee, a two-time Arthur C. Clark award nominee, and a John W. Campbell award nominee.

Steven Savile - He has written Primeval novels, Torchwood audiobooks, Doctor Who short stories, Warhammer novels, and edited a collection of Fritz Leiber horror short stories. He was nominated for a British Fantasy Award and a Scribe award and won announced a winner of the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Award in 2002.

Alvin Pang - He is the Singaporean poet, author, and editor. He is the co-editor of the essential No Other City: The Ethos Anthology of Urban Poetry and the founder of the internet's The Poetry Billboard.

Bradley Sands - Icon of the Bizarro fiction movement, author of It Came From Below the Belt, and editor-in-chief of Bizarro literary journal Bust Down the Door and Eat All the Chickens.

Sam Stone - Horror writer nominated for awards in both the US and UK.  Richard Salter - Doctor Who: Short Trips author.  Richard M. Price - Theologian and Chthulu scholar.  Kevin D. Anderson - Author of Night of the Living Trekkies.  Mie Takase - Japanese manga artist, writer, and designer.  Joji Hayashi - Gundam author.  Fumihiko Iino - Award-winning scriptwriter and novelist.  Yasumi Kobayashi - Three-time award nominee and writer of short horror and science fiction tales.

In addition, two more big names are tentatively scheduled to be included:

John Shirley is the cyberpunk and horror author who wrote City Come A-Walkin', the Eclipse trilogy, and the short story collection, Black Butterflies. I'll add that Black Butterflies is the only book I've ever read, by anyone, written at any time, that ever scared the crap out of me. I still have it and I reread it once every couple of years if I feel strong enough. He also apparently writes more books, more short stories, some graphic novels, and a few scripts when he's feeling it.

Ellen Kushner of NPR's Sound and Spirit is also tentatively scheduled to be involved. Having heard her many, many times, and being in awe of her mind, I'd love to know what she has to say.

You can see the list of authors here.

There is not a publication date yet, but when there is I'll let you know.

Are You Going to the Governing Board Meeting? I Can Give You 22.5 Million Reasons To Go

This Wednesday, I’ll make another public appearance at the Southwestern College Governing Board meeting. Yes, I’ll be speaking, and yes, I’d like to invite any and all of you to come with me and make them hear what you have to say.


Why am I going? What on Earth could get me back in front of the board to ask just exactly what the hell is going on?

It appears that the SWC district might be expected to pay for more of Nick Alioto’s shenanigans again. To the tune of $22.5 million.

Alioto? Shure.

Alioto, as you know, is the former VP of Business and Financial Affairs at SWC and one of my personal targets. Given that he was heard referring to me as “an archenemy” – and yes, that’s in quotes, I am delighted with my role versus his Lex Luthorness.

So it should go as no surprise that I’m doing this as an activist, not a journalist.

The money is question arises from construction taking place at SWC. The plans and budgets were developed by Alioto, former superintendent Raj K. Chopra, Seville Construction’s former project manager Henry Amigable, and former SWC consultant John Wilson.

See a pattern?

The board will be discussing paying contracts to several different companies. Some of these contracts are appearing for the first time, but some are contracts that have grown larger since Alioto and Amigable signed them.

Apparently, Alioto – known as a financial wizard – didn’t realize that the construction contracts signed by he and Seville Construction didn’t include funding for the various subcontractors that Seville would be hiring, including the huge Echo Pacific Construction.

Now I’ll grant this is all back-of-the-envelope math, but it’s taken from the agenda of Wednesday’s coming board meeting. It appears that $4,338,077 in contracts needs to be replaced by $26,799,522 in contracts.

In other words, the district is being told that they need to pay an extra $22,461,445 to pay for the mistakes made by Alioto, Amigable, Wilson, and Chopra.


Nick Alioto


Yes, that’s nearly 22.5 million dollars paid out to the following companies: Echo Pacific Construction, Fordyce Construction, Arthur Gensler and Associates, NTD Architecture, Act Inc, Countrywide Mechanical Systems, Southern California Soils and Testing, Tel Tech Plus, The Casper Company, Rocky Coast Framers, RL Electric, Chambers Inc, Winzler and Kelly, Consulting and Inspection Services, Willock Contracting, GA Abell Inc, Barnhart Balfour Beatty, BCA Architects, BRG Consulting, Bytesolutions Inc, and Union Bank.

This would seem questionable at the best of times. But these aren’t the best of times. In early November, the voters threw Salcido off the governing board, leaving Chopra and Alioto unsupported. Late in November, Chopra resigned. That December, Wilson “retired” from his consultant position and Seville Construction fired Amigable. Alioto clung on until February, when he also resigned. With the possibly-guilty parties all scuttling away like cockroaches from a light bulb, it’s clear that these are the bad times. And during the bad times, one must question these facts even more diligently.

These decision-makers weren’t strangers. They were connected in many ways. Working together with Focuscom’s Dan Hom, who attempted to provide rah-rah spin about the project, the men were the architects of the college’s construction future.


It's a little like Caligula, but in English.


Wilson was the live-in boyfriend of Yolanda Salcido, the former GB president. Several other news outlets have already covered their conflicts of interest, so I won’t bother. Salcido hand-picked Chopra as her superintendent, and Chopra and Salcido hand-picked Alioto as his vice president.

In return, Chopra and Alioto hosted fundraisers for Salcido’s reelection campaign – which failed. But they coerced many, many contractors into donating, which included Seville and Echo Pacific.

Somehow these men “forgot” that the contracts they signed didn’t cover sub-contractors.

Though it’s not an exact parallel, it reminds me quite strongly of the story in the Los Angeles Times, which detailed the process of creating and using “body shops” in Los Angeles County.

With this process, the L.A. Community College District (we are also a CCD) used district bonds (which we are using) to hire numerous contractors (which we have) and select a project manager (we have Seville) to oversee the whole thing (which we are doing).

In return for this largesse, the contractors sub-contract the hiring of workers into smaller companies, and then everyone above them charges a cut for their pay. One contractor, Patricia Torres, earned $210 thousand, but the county was charged $563 thousand for her work.

URS Corp is allegedly the mastermind of all this. But also named several times for adding tax and pay markups – Seville Construction. In fact, URS Corp attempted to shuffle Torres from her position at URS to Seville, a common practice to move them away from their job, but keep them in the payroll mix.

With Alioto out at SWC and replaced by apparent straight-shooter Bob Temple, even in an intermittent role, Seville should be putting their best face forward.

They’re not.

In December, Seville removed Henry Amigable from his project manager position, later replacing him with Bob DeLiso. Amigable left Seville in February.



Bob DeLiso

 From 2006-2010, DeLiso worked at Harris & Associates, which was the “point company” for many of the construction projects paid for by the LA Community College District. The LA Times did not list them by name, but did say around “two dozen” other contractors were involved. I’d wager that Harris & Associates was one of them.

Before Harris & Associates, DeLiso worked for URS Corp for 32 years, from 1974 until 2006. This is the guy who is now the project manager for construction at SWC.

Amigable, who was fired from Seville, has also shuffled to a new position and is now working for Echo Pacific Construction, as their SWC project manager.

Remember that $22.5 million in question? Echo Pacific is the largest beneficiary of this “mistake.” With contracts of $4,024,977 outstanding, they are claiming they deserve $10,614,180.

That means they expect the governing board to vote to increase their coffers by $6,589,203.

And the guy in charge of it is Henry Amigable, who was part of this “mistake” happening in the first place.

Alioto, long believed to have hidden and spent down millions of dollars – and recently confirmed by the Southwestern College Sun, and written by Yours Truly -- somehow managed to sign these contracts and Amigable never said “boo.”

So, yeah, I’ll be at the governing board meeting on Wednesday. Unless DeLiso, Amigable, Seville, and Echo Pacific are strenuously investigated, the district must not pay for these decisions. At these times of brutal budget cuts and soaring property taxes, expecting the people of the district to cough up an additional $22.5 million is not just ludicrous.

It’s criminal.