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January 29, 2008

Long Beach Chamber Supports City College Bond Measure
 

The Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to support Measure E on the February 5th citywide ballot.
 

Click here for more on Measure E.

“The Chamber believes that Long Beach City College is one of the premier community colleges in our state and it deserves a continued investment by our community,” stated Randy Gordon, President and CEO of the Long Beach Chamber. “Measure E allows the college to make much needed building upgrades without subjecting taxpayers to another rate increase,” continued Gordon.

Measure E is a local facilities bond measure that is designed to repair and renovate deteriorated Long Beach Community College (LBCC) facilities. All money generated by Measure E will stay within the Long Beach Community College District and benefit its facilities and students.

Measure E will not raise tax rates. Instead taxpayers are asked to extend the length of a previous bond measure. Measure E would help generate an additional $440 million for capital expenditures and would also allow LBCC to qualify for $64 million in state matching funds that would otherwise go to other communities.
 

School Board Member Michael Ellis Served With A Notice Of Intention To Recall

Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education Member Michael Ellis was formally served this week with a notice of intention to circulate a recall petition.

Video of Community Member Dede Rossi's Statement at the Board Meeting

Video of Board Member Mary Stanton's Statement at the Board Meeting

Video of Board Member Jon Meyer's Statement at the Board Meeting

Video of Long Beach Chamber President and CEO Randy Gordon's Statement at the Board Meeting

The following is the text of the notice of intention to circulate recall petition:

NOTICE OF INTENTION TO CIRCULATE RECALL PETITION

TO THE HONORABLE Michael Ellis: Pursuant to Section 11020, California Elections Code, the undersigned registered qualified voters of the County of Los Angeles, in the state of California, hereby give notice that we are the proponents of a recall petition and that we intend to seek your recall and removal from the office of the Third District of the Board of Education of the Long Beach Unified School District, in California and to demand election of a successor in that office.

The grounds for the recall are as follows:
 

Long Beach School Board Member Michael Ellis should resign or be recalled from the school board for the following unethical and illegal activities:

- Ellis has missed five of the last six closed sessions of this board and been absent from the last two open session board meetings.

- August 2, 2007 Ellis pleaded guilty to Drunk Driving in Orange County with a blood alcohol level of .15, twice the state's legal limit.

- On February 18, 2007 Ellis arrested for drunk driving when Seal Beach police found him asleep at the wheel in his car in the middle of an intersection. Ellis first pleaded not guilty then later changed his plea to guilty.

- Just 9 days prior on February 9, Ellis was convicted in Los Angeles being an unlicensed driver.

- On December 21, 2006, Ellis pleaded no contest to driving with a suspended license after being involved in a hit and run accident at 12:45am. Witnesses reported seeing Ellis running away from the scene.

- On November 2, 1995, Ellis was convicted of driving with a suspended license.

The pattern is clear! Michael Ellis is not fit to decide how our children are educated – he must either resign or be recalled.

The following is a copy of the speech delivered by Randy Gordon during public comment at the Board of Education meeting last night:

My name is Randy Gordon and I am President and CEO of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber is here tonight to support the motion calling for Mr. Michael Ellis to resign.

Working with members of our community, our role in this effort is important and justified.

First, the business community plays an important role in our school district by supporting our young people and their transition into their careers.

Second, Long Beach businesses depend on the school district to train our youth so they are ready to participate in the Long Beach economy.

Third, when we believe change is needed we do not sit on the sidelines and just let the cards fall where they may. Instead, we serve our business community by playing an active role in shaping the future of our community.

The future of our school district and its role with our business community is dependent upon leaders such as all of you.

If we believe that future is at risk, we have the responsibility to take action.

Mr. Ellis is a risk to the future of this school district.

His repeated missteps is an indication that he does not take this role seriously and must step aside.

He is devastating the moral of school district staff, setting a horrific example for our young people and more importantly doing a disservice to the people that elected him a short time ago.

For the record, Mr. Ellis is, without a doubt, the worst school board member in the history of the Long Beach Unified School District.

Although some may attempt to excuse his deplorable record and continue to be in denial, the facts are overwhelming.

I urge this school board to send a message to our entire community that you have lost faith in Mr. Ellis’ ability to serve and urge him to resign effective immediately.

If he does not step down voluntarily, he leaves us no choice but to put the decision in the hands of the voters in a recall election.

After the meeting tonight, Mr. Ellis will be served with a Notice of Intention to circulate a recall petition. This notice begins the process of gathering signatures for the recall election.

It’s up to Mr. Ellis whether he will do the right thing and step down, or whether this district must face a divisive election for his seat.

Mr. President, thank you for your time and consideration.
 

Chamber Calls For Resignation of School Board Member Michael Ellis

The Chamber joins a large and growing group of people concerned about the unethical conduct of Michael Ellis outlining reasons for him to be disqualified to serve and the Chamber’s commitment to lead a recall effort, if needed.

The following is a copy of the speech to be delivered by Chairman Matt Kinley during public comment at the School Board meeting tonight:

Good evening.

My name is Matt Kinley and I am Chairman of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

The business community plays an important role in our school district by supporting our young people and their transition into their careers. Long Beach enterprises also depend on the school district to train our youth so they are ready to participate in the Long Beach economy.

As a parent with children in our school system, a taxpayer and as the managing partner of a local law firm I am proud of our school district and applaud you for your work.

As chairman of the Chamber and as a leader in our business community it is my responsibility to communicate a serious and dire concern.

The Chamber joins a large and growing group of people who are concerned about the unethical conduct of your colleague, Michael Ellis.

It is a shame, given the facts, that Mr. Ellis continues to serve as a member of this board.

Mr. Ellis is disqualified to serve on the school board for the following reasons:

- Mr. Ellis has missed five of the last six closed sessions of this board and been absent from the last two open session board meetings.

- On August 2, Mr. Ellis pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle in Orange County while having a blood alcohol level of .15, twice the state's legal limit.

- On July 6, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing suspended Mr. Ellis’s teaching credential in an effort to enforce his child support obligations.

- In April, Mr. Ellis pleaded not guilty to a drunk driving charge stemming from an incident where Seal Beach police on February 18 found him asleep at the wheel in his car while in the middle of an intersection. Mr. Ellis later changed his plea to guilty.

- On February 9, Mr. Ellis was convicted in the Los Angeles Superior Court for a misdemeanor for being an unlicensed driver.

- On December 21, 2006, in a Torrance Superior Court, Mr. Ellis pleaded no contest to driving with a suspended license after being involved in a hit and run. The hit and run happened on October 14, 2006 at 12:45am and Mr. Ellis was seen running away from the scene.

- On November 2, 1995, Mr. Ellis was convicted in Los Angeles Superior Court of a misdemeanor for driving with a suspended license.

The Chamber believes this record shows serious lapses of judgment.

Let me ask you an important question:

Would you trust Mr. Ellis with your children?

If not, how can we trust him with 88,000 of them?

Therefore, the Chamber respectfully requests the following:

- The Board of Education set for the agenda at its next meeting, a call for a vote asking Mr. Ellis to resign, effective immediately.

- Knowing that a vote of that kind is ceremonial and that you have no authority to remove Mr. Ellis, the chamber asks that you initiate the process of quo warranto to review the registration requirements and determine if Mr. Ellis was legally eligible to run for the School Board.

- Finally, Mr. President, if necessary, the Chamber will join community partners and immediately initiate the process to recall Mr. Ellis by a vote of the people.

Mr. President, thank you for your time and consideration.

Email us for more information.

Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce | One World Trade Center, Suite 206 | Long Beach, California 90831 | (562) 983-1241 | Contact