HBCSD Corruption

Proof of the lie:

According to California Education Code: Article 2 - Political Activities of School Officers and Employees [7050-7058]: School districts are supposed to provide information that "constitutes a fair and impartial presentation of the relevant facts to aid the electorate in reaching an informed judgement regarding the bond issue or ballot measure."

According to 7054(c):

"A violation of this section shall be a misdemeanor or felony punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both, or imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16 months or two or three years."

The HBCSD website is paid for by taxpayers and therefore should contain truthful information, epecially where the District's taxable bond offerings are concerned. Below is a list of incorrect and misleading information that was conveyed to taxpayers on the District's website before the District's $59M Measure S bond offering. We content that HBCSD PURPOSELY presented misinformation to voters in order to pass the District's overly expensive and needless $59M bond in 2016.

(1) HBCSD Superintendent Pat Escalante, write up: History of the sale of Pier Avenue School to the City of Hermosa Beach, dated 11/08/13, posted to the HBCSD website:

See Lie #39: Misinformation and misleading statements contained in

History of the Sale of Pier Avenue School to the City of Hermosa Beach by Superintendent Pat Escalante.

(2)      HBCSD “What is Measure S?” write-up posted to the HBCSD website in the fall/winter of 2015 or winter/spring 2016.

Misinformation and misleading information contained in What is Measure S write-up posted to the HBCSD website.

(3)      HBCSD ONLY listed the ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF MEASURES S (26.7 KB) on their website and left off the ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE S.

NOTE: Please see Howard Longacre's comments sent to the Hermosa Beach City Clerk's office on 5/22/2016.

"I never dreamed that the School District would stoop so low as to only place those legal ballot documents on their website for their own Measure-S which they felt like placing there, and deny the voters visiting the page, ... I thus stupidly assumed that the no "Argument Against" the measure had been submitted and also that the two usual Pro and Con rebuttal arguments were also never submitted."

..."these documents [Rebuttal to Argument in Favor of Measure S and Argument Against Measure S] are missing from the Measure S page on their own District website, obviously to deceive the voters visiting the page."

NOTE: Here are the Argument Against Measure S and Rebuttal to Argument in Favor of Measure S that were NOT displayed on the HBCSD website before or after the District's bond vote in June 2016.

(4)      HBCSD imbedded the video to Terry Tao’s misinformation from the May 31, 2016 Joint City and School District meeting on their website.  The district had NOT previously embedded videos of any kind on their website.  This was a special addition made to ensure the passage of Measure S. The video was titled "Measure S Information".

See Lie #16: Rampant misinformation and misleading information told by HBCSD Attorney Terry Tao in a videotaped and televised presentation one week before the District's $59M bond vote. 

(5)      HBCSD imbedded the video to Superintendent Pat Escalante’s misinformation from the May 25, 2016 Measure S Informational Meeting.  The district had NOT previously embedded videos of any kind on their website.  This was a special addition made to ensure the passage of Measure S. The videos were titled "Measure S Information".

See Lie #37: Misinformation told by HBCSD Superintendent Pat Escalante in a video taped and televised presentation regarding North School only two weeks before the district's $59M bond vote.  

(6)      HBCSD did NOT provide a download of the important Memorandum of Understanding from Exhibit G when listing information on district leasing documents from the Agreement for the Sale and Purchase of Pier Avenue School on their website.  HBCSD ONLY listed Exhibit K, the lease agreement for the use of the auditorium, gymnasium, changing rooms and tennis courts for a 50-year term.