Notations From the Grid (Special Edition): On this 18th Anniversary of #911

On this 9/11, we present this courtesy of 9/11Day.Org along with our local non profit, OneOC on opportunities to make a difference.

We salute all who fell on that day and all who took the fight to those who caused such havoc and all who are fighting today:

Volunteer projects start this week for OneOC's 9/11 Day of Service!

Click here to register

Get together with your family and friends to volunteer with our local nonprofit partners through county-wide service projects and toolkits that support our troops, veterans and disaster preparedness, benefiting all of our American heroes. Service projects take place THIS WEEK Wednesday, Sept. 11 thru Sunday, Sept. 15th.

Click here to register

Other Ways to Get Involved

Volunteer with your Family! Join YANA on 9/14 to make no-sew fleece blankets for cancer patients to keep them warm during treatment. Sign up HERE Join OneOC's Emergency Volunteer Center (EVC) on 9/12 from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm to learn how to safely deploy spontaneous volunteers to respond to critical needs during times of disaster. Sign Up HERE

To learn about volunteering, visit www.OneOC.org/volunteers

My County's Sheriff's Department

One of the privileges I have had is to get to know the men and women of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The commitment they have to the communities they serve and protect is self-evident every day. It has been extremely unfortunate that they were served very poorly by the former Sheriff who is now under indictment for corruption. Mr. Carona should be given his day in Court. But, the challenges faced by whomever takes over the Department will be immense. In addition, the fact that there is another election coming up in 2010 may present further issues for the top echelon of the Department. I trust that the Orange County Board of Supervisors will insure that they choose a strong leader to lead this world-class organization through a tough transition period.

Education in California

I ran across this interesting statistic in page 104 of the most recent edition of OC Family (http://www.ocfamily.com). It reports that "...According to the nonpartisna California Legistlative Analyst's Office (http://lao.ca.gov), the governor's proposed budget provides total K-12 per-pupil funding of $ 11,626 for 2008-2009. This is about $ 300, or 2.6% less than the total per-pupil funding for 2007-2008.

Education Week Magazine (http://www.edweek.org) says California spends about $ 2000 less per student than the national average and ranks 43rd among the states for per-pupil spending-and that's not counting the propsed reducation for next year...".

As I read this, I almost cried for my child and all the children in this state. It is sad that almost 2000 educators may lose their jobs. It is also insulting that the Governor talked about sacrifices and a "rainy day" fund during a recent visit to Orange County. The Governor and the entire leadership of the state did not see the tough times coming. Because of their incompetence, we have to pay the price. Education, just like anything, does start from the home. However, I am worried and frustruated by the absolute disregard for what is important. We have to invest in our future, now. Yet, we are losing that battle for potential short-term gains of the day. When will it end?