June 26, 2018

Ms. Deena Blevins

Anaheim Elementary School District
1001 S East St.
Anaheim, CA  92805

Re: Public Records Request - Name of Thomas Jefferson School

The Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction is monitoring board meeting agendas and minutes and district contract records of the Anaheim Elementary School District to evaluate the performance of the union Project Labor Agreement (aka Community Benefits Agreement) imposed by the board at its April 11, 2018 meeting for contracts funded by Measure J. During this process, our researchers noticed a cryptic item on the district’s Future Agenda Items chart entitled “Name of Thomas Jefferson School.” This appears on the June 13, 2018 and June 27, 2018 board meeting agendas.

Researchers for the Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction have failed to find any references in past board agendas or minutes indicating why this item will be considered at a future board meeting of the Anaheim Elementary School District. The item itself could refer to any number of possible proposals, including a modern rebranding as “The Jeff School” to market it to millennial parents.

However, we do recognize a frequent correlation between elected officials' proclivity for government-mandated union agreements for contractors and contempt for the principles of constitutional republicanism espoused and practiced (albeit imperfectly) by Thomas Jefferson. Therefore, we suspect the future agenda item is founded on the same philosophical principles of government that undergird the Project Labor Agreement mandate.

Revealing those principles and the identity of the individuals holding them would potentially inform and enlighten the people of the Anaheim Elementary School District as they prepare to see their elected officials take action on the "Name of Thomas Jefferson School.” So under the authority of California Government Code Section 6250 et al., please provide the following records:

All emails, letters, faxes, electronic texts, memos, reports, handwritten notes, or other documentation to, from, and among district elected officials and administrators related to deliberation and indication of a future board agenda item concerning the “Name of Thomas Jefferson School.” This would include public documents transmitted via private email accounts or addresses to, from, and among district elected officials and administrators.

Thank you for your commitment to openness and transparency about the origins and intentions of this future board meeting agenda item entitled “Name of Thomas Jefferson School.” 

Sincerely,
 
Eric Christen, Executive Director
Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction