Santa Ana Parents Want Lopez Recalled

Re “Just What’s Behind the Santa Ana Recall?” Jan. 26:

The dishonesty of the recall worker who telephoned Bonnie Compton Hanson is deplorable and inexcusable. However, after speaking with Santa Ana residents, I believe the driving reason and strength behind the Nativo V. Lopez recall election is not his political history but the zero pace of school construction in the Santa Ana Unified School District, and the resultant loss of state building funds. This is Lopez’s failure.

In 2000, Santa Ana passed Measure C, allocating $145 million for new school construction. School board members Lopez and John Palacio subsequently sent campaign literature to firms bidding for construction contracts. Not only were these contacts improper, but they caused a delay to the bidding process. This, in turn, resulted in the loss of matching state funds, and to this date, no new construction under Measure C has broken ground.

Santa Ana parents want an excellent education for their children. We want a school board that allows construction and development to proceed as mandated. It is parents and families who are behind the recall drive of Nativo Lopez.

Patricia Rivard

Santa Ana

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Re “Is Lopez a Protector of Latinos or an Exploiter?” Jan. 26:

The sordid history of Nativo Lopez and his activist Hermandad Mexicana Nacional organization is a missing chapter in The Times article. He is not only an “exploiter” but a divisive, self-serving activist.

Hermandad’s technical management of the Adult Education Program was a near total failure with missing achievement records of the very people they were supposed to aid.

Bob Ball

Anaheim