A ‘Christmas Carol’ came early to Woodland

You may be still decorating for Halloween, but a “Christmas Carol” came early to Woodland. We have our very own town Scrooge — a multi-millionaire who made his fortune in oil and mining. Not only has he plundered our children’s future climate, he apparently wants them to also spend their formative years in crumbling schools.

Although Woodland’s Jeffenezer Scrooge is himself is a graduate of Woodland High, he has joined forces with private Christian school administrators to defeat a badly needed bond to repair our public schools. As reported by Jennah Pendleton in the Sacramento Bee on October 22, he donated $200,000 to a political action committee (PAC) to defeat Measure P.

Through the Woodland Coalition for Green Schools, I’ve been deeply involved in making Woodland Joint Unified School District schools environmentally safer places for children to learn. I participated in the committee that held a long consultative process (with parents, teachers, PTAs and school site councils, and many other parties) to make a long-term master facilities plan. I can personally vouch that WJUSD listened deeply to all stakeholders. Measure P is a modest bond that would cover a quarter of the renovations needed.

Our local Scrooge has erected gigantic signs outside the elegant buildings he owns throughout the city. That should be a clue to everyone that he’s simply trying to avoid his fair share of property taxes.

I’m a single mother and it was not easy to hold onto my house after my divorce. I definitely could not afford private schools. Nevertheless, I know that I am fortunate to own a home and I am always happen to pay a bit more local property taxes (roughly $300 a year). I know that good schools and safe streets will only increase my property value in the long term.

Please join me in voting “yes” on Measure P for a Merry Christmas for all the tiny Tims in our community. And God bless us, everyone!

— By Liza Grandia, Woodland