In response to Michelle Monda’s letter, “Me, a racist?” I suggest that readers and residents of Laguna Beach decide for themselves what Mrs. Monda was saying at the July 16 school board meeting. The exact presentation was at 7:58 p.m. and can be accessed at the school board website. You need to watch the presentation to get the full effect.
“How many, I’d like to know how many Spanish speakers we actually have here? And oh, by the way, this is America, we should be teaching them to speak English if we want them to be successful here but, oh no, you guys need to be politically correct and include a couple of articles translated into Spanish. How clever, how inclusive, how diverse.”
It was painful to hear these words as I was sitting next to the talented staff member who put together the annual report and translated the stories. At the least, I feel Mrs. Monda should apologize to her.
When I was employed in the California State University system for a quarter of a century and represented by counsel, the office of the Attorney General of the state, I never settled a lawsuit. As president of a small college, I preferred to stop the costly litigation by settling a personnel matter, instead of spending scarce dollars on litigation. Anyone who has run a small business knows this dilemma.
James Kelly, LBUSD Board Member
Seriously? The school board has proven itself to not be fair, to malign a lovely person who was voted in by the residents and you are calling a concerned resident a racist over a concern that we now have to have Spanish literature. She is correct, This is America, as a requirement to be a citizen here, there is a test you take and classes which would take knowledge of English to participate. These are the laws of our country. It is the responsibility of the person living here to be able to interpret and understand the community they live in. This progressive and forced thinking on the electorate is outrageous. Represent the people that pay you ! Calling a person racist in a public forum is ugly and says a lot about the school board.
Generational Amnesia erases history in folks minds. Ever wonder Why so many Ca. cities have Spanish names?
CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN SPANISH SPEAKING FOR FAR LONGER THAN ANY OTHER LANGUAGE, SAVE INDIGENOUS NATIVE DIALECTS.
While the Eastern colonies were fighting for independence in 1776,
California had already had 200 years of Spanish settlements, Missions, and Rancheros. On September 28, 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and his crew entered San Diego Bay–the first Europeans to visit California. After Spanish explorers and Missions, the Spanish colonial period in California was 1769 to 1821; the Mexican ruled period, 1821 to 1848. It wasn’t until 1848 that California was ceded to the United States under the terms of the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo following the defeat of Mexico in the Mexican–American War. Spanish speaking Californians we’re absorbed into the USA under the doctrine of Manifest Destiny. And, to this day, there is no official language for the USA. We had more original colonies speaking German in 1770’s. LOOK IT UP! And, English is not “required” for citizenship. Exemptions are made for folks over 50, that have lived in the USA for 15 years. Anyone that opposes Spanish speaking and Latino culture, better give up all that delicious Mexican food too. California is multi-cultural, and has been for centuries. Deal with it!
Barbara Rathburn,
You and your tiny, but vocal band of Right Wing Trumpers: Perry, Mondo, India, Chris K. and others – may not believe you’re racist. But, your ‘English Only’, Anti Immigrant’ rhetoric is the same language used by White Nationalists. The same group of white trailer trash that has been responsible for more US mass shootings than any other group, including your feared Muslims.
More people have been killed this year by anti-immigrant white supremicists & nationalists than US troops lost in Afghanistan! You’re in a minuscule minority in Laguna Beach. And, now even Orange County has turned Blue. If you can’t support cultural diversity, then at least stay silent and swallow your pinche judgements against anyone non-white or Spanish speaking. There’s No place for your bigotry and divisiveness in Laguna Beach – except in history books. California is, and always will be, a melting pot of language, culture, and customs. Maybe you’d all be happier in a Red State somewhere. Adios Amigos!