Mailbag: Confidence in Steve Frintner
I am writing in support of Steve Frintner for Burbank Unified School District School Board. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Steve and his family for over 10 years and believe he is an excellent choice to be a voice on our school board. He hit the ground running when he first stepped up at a PTA meeting years ago and volunteered to be treasurer at Edison Elementary, and he hasn’t stopped since. He has served on various board positions through the PTA including president of Luther Middle School and our Burbank Council of PTAs. He has always been an active part of his children’s activities in both school and outside sports. He serves on various committees and organizations throughout the Burbank community and as a result will bring a fresh perspective to our school board.
Join the conversation on Facebook >>
His vision is to drive change in several areas in the district, including developing more equity across our schools, expanding career technical and vocational classes and curriculum, continuing to provide safe, inclusive and welcoming academic environments for all students, fostering better communication between parents and teachers, principals and district personnel, providing more complete oversight and review of booster and fundraising entities, and working to stabilize the district budget.
I hope you will consider voting for Steve for as a school board member of the Burbank Unified School District. Steve Frintner is the perfect candidate to make our students and schools prosper.
Donna Cunningham
Burbank
..
Stance leads to mild mortification
While sipping my coffee and enjoying the last of the drizzle from the storm, I was mildly mortified Saturday morning to read Councilman Dave Gordon’s reason for not supporting the upcoming Measure H homelessness initiative. “Since we have a really small homeless population here, I think it’s short-sighted to support this” is an appalling mindset. It’s a bit like not supporting the temporary sales tax increase that helped reconstruct the region after the Northridge earthquake because his house wasn’t damaged enough. Shameful attitude.
This is a temporary L.A. County sales tax increase, not a Burbank parcel tax or something that impacts you whether you like it or not. Arguing that “We have to utilize the full benefit of any taxation of Burbank residents for the benefit of Burbank citizens” is disgraceful in this case. If you don’t want to help with a solution to combat homelessness, which is an enormous issue that impacts all of us, go to Orange County or Ventura County to shop, then you won’t be impacted adversely by the inconvenience of one-quarter of one percent sales tax that would help support services countywide and ease the burden of our society’s most vulnerable. Criminy! Dave Gordon’s disappointing attitude is what is short-sighted, not Measure H.
Kudos to Mayor Jess Talamantes and Councilman Bob Frutos for having the more inclusive, socially responsible moral compass our society needs now more than ever.
Jennifer Hughes
Burbank
..
Cracking closed Facebook sites
Why are there three identically named “City of Burbank” Facebook sites? One is clearly official. The other two are “closed” groups, with thousands of approved members. As stated on one “closed” group:
“This group has been created to bring together the Facebook community that calls the wonderful city of Burbank, home! The brainchild of Burbank City Councilman Jess Talamantes, this group should serve as a virtual community forum that promotes open communication between residents, provides community news/updates and ultimately establishes one more avenue of bringing our community closer! This modern tool of communication enables everyone from BUSD students and faculty, to Burbank residents and even city officials to exchange ideas, and information in real time.”
My efforts to join this group have failed, repeatedly. I have posed the following questions to City Council and city staff, but received only pat answers or diversionary suggestions:
If the city endorses it, and our mayor is the administrator, then why is membership elusive?
I ask that City Council or staff officially advise the group administrator to rename the group to clarify whether or not it is city-controlled or a personal group, and to state the membership approval policies. If a group is not city-controlled, will the council formally request that the admin rename it something less “official” sounding, such as “Residents of Burbank, CA” or “Burbank, CA Neighbors”? As a resident, parent, community volunteer, local business employee and voter, I’m sure we would all appreciate this small gesture of transparency and fairness.
David Hunter
Burbank
..
Obama cleaned up a mess
In response to the letter to the editor that ran in the Feb. 18 edition, “The nation was already split,” the writer states President Trump was left with a mess from President Obama.
I would like to know the facts of the mess. Could it be as drastic as the mess left to President Obama and to the people of our country by the Bush/Cheney administration, leaving us the worst recession since the Great Depression with millions losing their homes and employment? The unemployment rate was above 10% and major industries were on the verge of collapse.
President Obama left office with unemployment down to 4.7%, banks were rescued and the auto industry was saved, all without inflation.
And by the way, Donald Trump bought homes that had been lost and turned them into a big profit because, as he said, “I am smart.”
President Obama could have achieved more but let’s not forget his agenda and policies were obstructed by the “do-nothing Republican Congress.”
And never will I forget Sen. Mitch McConnell’s vow to make sure President Obama would be a one-term president and that McConnell said he would oppose all of Obama’s agenda. Never mind the will of the people that voted for President Obama, never mind that we were in a horrible recession and should work together getting our country out of the mess we were left with.
Nina Trotta-Sutton
Simi Valley