Tyler Holcomb

IVC and Saddleback receive accreditation

By Tyler Holcomb | 02/04/09

Re-accreditation letters are normally a complete non-story.  However, IVC and Saddleback have had their accreditation called into question by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC/WASC).  I predicted last fall that both colleges would have their accreditation renewed. Today IVC got a clean bill of health (pdf) and Saddleback got re-accredited with one... read more »

Another problem for Taxpayers: Calpers has lost $80 Billion

By Tyler Holcomb | 01/29/09

Calpers, the pension fund  for state employees, has lost a huge bet on real estate.  By federal law, tax payers get to make up the losses to the fund.  Huffington Post has a good summary :Calpers, the giant pension fund of the California Public Employees' Retirement System, which heavily invested in the same sort of "real assets" as Harvard. Leveraging its own funds, It bought so much undeveloped real acreage, that by 2008 it... read more »

Irvine Schools are $10 million short

By Tyler Holcomb | 01/23/09

IUSD sent this missive to parents yesterday:Dear IUSD parent, With California's tax revenues continuing to plummet, the Golden State now faces an unprecedented shortfall of more than $40 billion over the next 18 months. Legislative leaders are being urged to take swift action to staunch the bleeding of red ink, even as they simultaneously develop a spending plan for 2009-10. So what does this mean for the Irvine Unified School... read more »

"Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) treats their joint ventures exactly like a Ponzi scheme"

By Tyler Holcomb | 01/09/09

A for-profit outfit called the Fraud Discovery Institute  is currently making waves on Wall Street with a report (pdf) claiming that Lennar is engaged in some rather creative accounting.  Lennar's Central Park West here in Irvine is specifically mentioned.Lennar matters politically in Irvine.  Lennar's Great Park Neighborhoods is the financial cornerstone for current Great Park Development, while Lennar's Central... read more »

Irvine to Get New High School

By Tyler Holcomb | 12/24/08

Irvine Unified School Board's new president Gavin Huntley-Fenner sent along this update:Irvine Unified is planning for a fifth high school (pdf) .  The current expectation is for a $200+ million facility to open in the 2018 timeframe.  Sources of funding and a site for the school have not yet been identified.  Initially, the new school will have 1,400 students (a similar threshold was used to trigger Northwood High's  opening... read more »

Hit Mailer whodunit: Adam's divided loyalties?

By Tyler Holcomb | 12/19/08

Wednesday I posted about an Adam Probolksy hit mailer that angered many Irvine Republicans and that is widely viewed as the reason Council Member Stephen Choi removed Adam Probolksy from the Irvine Planning Commission.   Stephen has publicly declined to give a reason for Adam's removal beyond stating "it is not directly related to his political activities," but two well-informed Irvine political veterans not associated with the... read more »

Adam Probolksy and the hit mailer whodunit

By Tyler Holcomb | 12/17/08

Today and Friday we are going to explore an election day mystery:  who was behind an odd and apparently counter-productive hit mailer.  I don't have the answer, but the rumors are juicy.  So put on your Sherlock Holmes tweed hat, grab your magnifying glass, and help me figure out "whodunit."Last Election Day Adam Probolsky sent out a hit mailer that generated attention in Irvine political circles because the funding source was,... read more »

How Prop 8 Won

By Tyler Holcomb | 11/12/08

Dan Walters writes in today's Sacramento Bee "a mathematical analysis of voting and exit poll data indicates very strongly that it was exactly that pro-Obama surge that spelled victory for Proposition 8."This is probably true, but a more careful mathematical analysis shows that Dan's summary misses the key political point going forward.  As Nate Silver writes at fivethirtyeight.com,  "At the end of the day, Prop 8's passage was more a... read more »

Congratulations to Larry Agran and the KeepIrvineGreat2008 team

By Tyler Holcomb | 11/05/08

A quick glance at the Irvine city councils results might suggest a status quo election because all five incumbents won.It was not.  Larry Agran and his slate won a major victory.  I will be analyzing this victory in the coming weeks, but today I congratulate Sukhee Kang, Larry Agran, and Beth Krom on maintaining their councils seats with impressive vote totals while getting both of their initiatives passed by solid margins. Larry and... read more »

Adam Probolsky, American Prankster?

By Tyler Holcomb | 11/04/08

Amongst my Monday political junkmail was a funny half-sheet that looked a like a cheesy Halloween promo for a strip mall.  Amused, I wondered which merchant had mis-timed their mailing and discovered it was actually a hit piece against Margie Wakeham, with Halloween cauldrons of money and a grainy, witch-like depiction of Margie.  The shocking revelation?  Margie helped raise money for the charity she leads.  OOOOH--... read more »