County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form title=
Christy Lozano (left) and Dr. Susan Salcido (right) [courtesy photos]
94 Comments
Reads 21663

By edhat staff

The League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara announced their hosted County Superintendent forum has been cancelled the day before it was scheduled to take place due to a candidate refusing to sign their release form.

On Wednesday afternoon, the League of Women Voters released a press statement explaining that candidate Christy Lozano would not agree to sign the required Release Form, which spells out the protocols to "ensure a fair and civil discussion." The forum for the office of the Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools was to include a conversation with incumbent Susan Salcido and Lozano.

"Unless both candidates agree to these terms, the League cannot hold the forum, according to the League’s policies. The Forum was to have been held on Thursday, May 12 at 6 pm on Zoom," the League stated.

According to the League, Lozano was told, “Our policies and procedures for our Candidate Forum, such as not providing the questions to be asked of each candidate in advance, and not allowing candidates to use excerpts of the recording of the Forum rather than using it in its entirety, are in accordance with national and state League of Women Voters policies and procedures.  Please be assured that all candidates who participate in our Forums are required to abide by the same policies and procedures.”

Susan Salcido, incumbent Superintendent of Schools and Lozano’s opponent, did sign the Release Forum and agreed to the League’s Forum rules.

In an updated report by journalist Jerry Roberts of Newsmakers, Lozano apparently is blaming the League for the cancellation. 

"I did not drop out of the...forum," she said to Newsmakers. "I was surprised that the (League) cancelled the event and was unwilling to address my concerns with any sort of healthy discussion."

According to Newsmakers, Lozano stated she was not provided with a copy of the release form "until after they publicized the event." She said she strongly objects to the League's prohibition on direct criticism and confrontations between the candidates, a long-standing rule for League events.

"They were requiring restrictions on my ability to fully explain the problems in our county board of education, and my solutions," Lozano stated to Newsmakers.

In a separate statement to edhat, Lozano said is disappointed by the cancellation of the event. “I believe that the voters of Santa Barbara deserve a free, fair and open discussion on all critical issues involving our county schools.  After 40 years without a choice of Superintendents of Schools, the voters deserve a fair and substantive debate, not just “happy talk” and artificial limitations regarding valid concerns and important issues. I hope another well-intentioned organization will fill the void created by the LWV’s unilateral cancellation and offer to host a fair, open and substantive debate or forum on the critical issues in our county education system,” said Lozano.

The League of Women Voters asserts their forum is not a debate to challenge an opponent's qualifications or experience, but rather a platform for each candidate to discuss their own qualifications and experience related to the position. (An updated statement from the League has been published here.)

Related Articles

 May 13, 2022: League of Women Voters Releases Statement on Superintendent Forum, Claims Lozano Didn't Sign Form

 May 2, 2022: WHY COUNTY SCHOOLS SUPE CHALLENGER LOZANO WANTS RACE, LGBTQ AND TRANSGENDER ISSUES OUT OF CLASSROOMS

 April 25, 2022: SEEKING NEW TERM, COUNTY SCHOOLS SUPE DECRIES "NATIONAL PLAYBOOK" FUELING "EDUCATIONAL DIVISIVENESS"


[Ed Note: This article has been edited to include an update from Lozano by Jerry Roberts of Newsmakers, to change the word "debate" to "forum," and a statement from Lozano to edhat.]

Login to add Comments

94 Comments

Show Comments
1MustangMom May 12, 2022 07:44 AM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

You need to go look through the Grand Jury Report for 12 November 2021 and you will probably Learn how salcido managed the social-emotional health of our children enrolled in K thru 5 fir remote learning for covid19 in all schools in the entire county failed and she did nothing to correct it. She has allowed corruption to remain in the system for decades without anyone running against her to. Fix the broken system.

a-1652387680 May 12, 2022 01:34 PM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

Interesting that you claim that Salcido has allowed corruption to "remain for decades", and the previous superintendent retired in 2017. As far as the emotional health of the kids go, I think the blame goes to the pandemic itself. At least she helped keep the death rate down. I think that would have had some sort of emotional toll, too. I think the real reason Lozano wouldn't sign the agreement is that she doesn't want to abide by rules and wants to launch personal attacks instead of dispensing facts.

PitLocal May 13, 2022 12:14 PM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

I had three kids in the local public school system until the pandemic. After the pandemic, I pulled them all out for my concerns for the curriculum, inefficient manner in which class time is spent, irrational covid policies, and first and foremost, the fact that they were not learning the things that they should have been learning at their respective grade levels. I'm not happy with the way Santa Barbara County schools are being run, and I'm voting for Lozano

Transparent May 13, 2022 01:19 PM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

Hmm. Feelings aside, the facts that the majority of our kids are way behind grade level standards, which are already an incredibly minimal "lowest bar"... certainly never meant to be a standard of excellence. So if you feel our kids are doing just fine, and in fact beyond where they should be for age-level-appropriateness, I think the facts say that you're just plain wrong.

1MustangMom May 11, 2022 10:31 PM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

Perhaps you have to questions the policies many agreements have terms that are known to be exculpatory clauses. When an organization has to use those in their terms no smart business woman would sign under such conditions it undermines their intregity, honesty, and transparency as an Organization.

RHS May 11, 2022 05:58 PM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

The GOP has set the pattern. They have announced that they will not participate in the Presidential Debates in 2024 already. They are banking on being able to appeal to the already indoctrinated and not to those who want to know. We are living in dangerous times, our democracy is in peril.

RHS May 12, 2022 09:55 AM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

8:43, the GOP says they are not participating because they don't like the moderators and they don't like the press that participates. This is classic Trump stuff. Anyone who offers facts against his position or disagrees with his "politics" is the Fake News. So having this exposed on national stage is embarrassing to him. In fact it is the GOP and Trump in particular who wants sound bites and short social media postings and the distribution of videos and such that are not challenged, not the opposition. So in the end it is the MAGA crowd that is protecting itself from rational comment and objective exposure and they just get people like you to twist that as comfort to their "low information" supporters.

a-1652375102 May 12, 2022 10:05 AM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

My comment on low information and easily swayed voters is absouteltly bipartisan, to deny it would show your bias and go against reality. You're description of "Trump stuff" by calling anyone who disagrees is "Fake News" is exactly the same as the other sides claims of "misinformation" and biased "fact checks" whenever anyone who offers facts against their position or disagrees with their politics. With all the inflammatory and divisive "sound bites" and tweets put out the past few weeks alone, to say anything than they're both equally guilty would disengeious and ignore reality. Seriously, everything you just said about the MAGA crowd applies equally to the MSM progressive sheep.

Golffoxtrotyankee May 11, 2022 06:15 PM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

While often categorized as a democracy, the United States is more accurately defined as a constitutional federal republic. What does this mean? “Constitutional” refers to the fact that government in the United States is based on a Constitution which is the supreme law of the United States. Just saying;)

blazer May 11, 2022 07:42 PM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

I think viewing her interview with Jerry Roberts is all that is necessary to determine her abilities. She wasn't able to answer some very easy questions, relied on rudimentary talking points and said "you know" over 100 times. I don't think she would hold up well in a debate setting.

Transparent May 12, 2022 07:46 AM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

@10:14. Yes, reach out for a statement, comment, or information from the person you are writing a story about. I would say it's Journalism 101, but it wouldn't be in 101. It's before that. You'd expect a third grader to know.

On the other hand, you can already assume that you know everything, the person is bad and dumb and whatever, and then no journalism is needed. I think you just described how you are creating your own little bubble.

ChillinGrillin May 11, 2022 10:04 PM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

It's an interesting social experiment to ask a Trumpy what CRT even is. Invariably, they don't know and just get worked up and give you their odd collection of PC woke stuff they hate. Agreed, sure extremes can shut down open discourse. But when the school board comment warriors need to pull out a relatively obscure graduate school-level "theory" and make it a strawman for everything they hate about inclusion and public education, it strays into fantasy. Running for office takes two steps: stand against your opponent's views and present an alternative. Now, the Trumpies are just screeching logical fallacies and hatred without presenting any sort of alternative.

Lorax May 12, 2022 12:09 AM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

Well said A-1652334304 "Do you always believe a story with only one side?"
I am so disapointed that Edhat staff didn't reach out to candidate Lozano for her side of the story.
If they had it may have been titled Lozano never "backed out of LWV forum, and yes, it was a forum not a " debate" . In fact it should have been titled Lozano booted from LWV Forum. There are email exchanges between the candidate and LWV that show she never refused to sign the last minute form that they sent her, she had questions about the form and requested answers before signing it.
She missed the LWV's short deadline they left in a voice mail stating the 10am deadline they gave her which would generate cancelation the forum, their call, not hers that conflicted with a meeting Lozano was having with supporters. Lozano absouletly never backed out of the " forum, not debate, she was not given an opportunity to have clarification on her answers in a timely way with the heavy handed short deadline after the zoom forum had been advertized over a week with people starting to email questions for both candidates . While the LWV's Guidelines are standard, The lack of respect however to candidate Lozano in addressing her questions and going as far as to say she" backed out" is unpresedented by this group that prides itself in ethics and non-partisan operations. Ed hat should have used their " lozano backs out of County Superintendent debate as an Op Ed piece because the other side of the story including internal emails was never invetigated. Weak biased article. This all may have helped Lozano more than hurt her, its a a shame voters were denied the forum for all the "miscommunication" to give the benefit of the doubt. Both candidates Salcedo and Lozano lost opportunity not to mention colateral damage to "democracy" here!

yacht rocked May 12, 2022 06:22 AM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

Edhat is reporting the League's press release, and was careful to use language like "according to the League". Of course the press release is "biased" towards the League - it's their press release. It's not up to Edhat to "investigate" "the other side" or internal emails. Lorenzo is free to write an Op-Ed or press release and send it to Edhat. Please reset your understanding.

a-1652371368 May 12, 2022 09:02 AM
County Superintendent Forum Cancelled After Lozano Refuses to Sign Release Form

Edhat is a community journalism website. They post what is sent to them. The forum had their rules and Lozano chose not to follow them, forum cancelled. That is all and very telling of Lozano, especially how she will choose to spin this in her favor. No need to bash edhat for publishing a press release. Lozano should send out her own to update the article.

Pages

Please Login or Register to comment on this.