Palmdale District expresses November ballot measure support
PALMDALE — Palmdale School District’s Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday in support of a November ballot initiative that seeks to reclaim an estimated $12 billion for schools and communities by closing a loophole in the state’s property tax system.
The California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act would close a loophole in the 42-year-old Proposition 13 by requiring all commercial and industrial properties to be assessed at fair market value. The initiative exempts all residential property.
The initiative, which qualified for the Nov. 3 ballot, is supported by Schools and Communities First, a statewide coalition of approximately 300 organizations that include education and small business groups.
The California Teachers Association was part of the initial Schools and Communities First coalition, but it pulled out because it did not like the initial initiative. The CTA has since returned to the coalition.
“We have been pretty vocal that the initiative that is on the ballot in November needs to be changed,” Kathy Vanderzee, a former Palmdale School District teacher who now works with the California Teachers Association, said at the Jan. 28 meeting of the Antelope Valley School Boards Association.
Vanderzee added the changes that need to be made have to include greater protections for small business owners, a clear exemption for agricultural properties, and a clear understanding that it will not impact residential properties.
As such, the CTA Is collecting signatures to clarify the language. About 40% of the estimated $12
interrupting all the candidates,” Al-Khatib said. “They also would not let the forum go through.”
They had to call law enforcement as a result of the disruption.
Al-Khatib thanked the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station for its response. He added they chose to stop the forum rather continue to avoid any risk of injury or a fight.
“We do not accept any hate. We denounce any hate,” Al-Khatib said.
Al-Khatib also apologized to the candidates who were not able to present themselves to the public.
Al-Khatib said they filed an official complaint with the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station.
“I’m sure that they will be investigating it to the fullest,” Al-Khatib said.
Shaffer said the station got a call for service about 5:50 p.m. Feb. 1 in regard to a unruly crowd of about 100 people being violent at the mosque. Eight deputies responded to the call to quell the disruption.
“At the time there was no allegation of crimes occurring during the event,” Shaffer said.
Deputies advised the organizers they could either continue the event or shut it down. After organizers decided to stop the forum, deputies stood by until the room cleared.
“Several people were contacted and no alleged crimes occurred,” Shaffer said. “No alleged crimes were relayed at the moment of responding to this call.”
A complaint was lodged with the station in regard to the department’s response to the incident believing a hate crime occurred and law enforcement’s action not taken, in particular arrests of audience members.
“The complaint review is still under way,” Shaffer said. “The initial findings after talking with numerous witnesses that there was no hate crime. There’s a difference between a hate crime and an incident.”
Shaffer added a report was written on a hate incident, where offensive language is used but does not rise to the level of a crime.
Fayaz Nawabi, policy and advocacy manager for CAIR Los Angeles office, moderated the forum.
“There were some very nasty things that were being said by these individuals,” Nawabi said.
Nawabi added the individuals who disrupted the event told one of the women attendees to remove her hijab.
“What we are trying to emphasize here is that our community can organize non-partisan political forums,” Nawabi said. “We can organize this. You see this happening in churches, at synagogues. But what we had witnessed was individuals coming to our forum, yelling at our community members, being very disrespectful (and) being very disrespectful to women that were wearing the hijab.”
Nawabi added they organized the candidate forum to encourage community members to get involved.
Sanchez said the group that disrupted the forum has taken similar action elsewhere.
“We’re not going to stand for this type of racism here in our own city,” Sanchez said, adding she is grateful to the community for its support of the Muslim community.
Retired Pastor Jim Fuller wasn’t present for the forum but said he was deeply disturbed when he heard about it.
“Disagreeing is great. But disagreeing is different from intimidating people, and that’s what it seems to me took place last week,” Fuller said. “That people who were exercising their freedom of speech were being intimidated by those who did not want them to have that freedom.”
Rabbi Alan Henkin of Congregation Beth Knesset Bamidbar expressed support for Al-Khatib.
“I am very disappointed and sad that a few people were able to prevent the Islamic community on that night from being fully educated on the issues in the 25th Congressional District,” Henkin said.
Senior Pastor Jim White of Palmdale United Methodist Church also expressed his support for Al-Khatib and the Muslim community.
Palmdale Mayor Steve Hofbauer, who did not attend the press conference, released a statement in response to a video that showed members of the group disrupting the forum.
“The video circulating on social media from a candidate event at local house of worship demonstrated the need for improved civility and tolerance in our politics,” Hofbauer said. “We can all have strong feelings, and disagree on issues. The public is better served and informed through a civil dialogue. We should never condone intolerance, baiting, hateful or insensitive speech.”