Flyers Disclose Court Records of District Trustees : Schools: Orange Unified’s Reissmueller and Jacobson call election opponents’ revelation of their misdemeanor convictions politically motivated.

ORANGE —  A group of parents distributed flyers at a crowded school board meeting Thursday evening that show two trustees have misdemeanor convictions--one for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and the other for trespassing during a protest at an abortion clinic.

Several of the parents said they thought it was important to bring to the public’s attention the backgrounds of the two board members, but the trustees blasted the flyers as being politically motivated.

According to court records, Trustee Max Reissmueller, 26, who campaigned for a board seat last November on promises to restore discipline and integrity to the district, pleaded guilty in 1987 to contributing to the delinquency of a minor. However, the original charge after his arrest in July, 1986, by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department was unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, court records show. The age of the minor at the time was not included in the court records.

Trustee Martin Jacobson, 41, who ran on a similar platform as Reissmueller, spent 30 days under house arrest in 1993 for his involvement with a protest at a Santa Ana abortion clinic, according to court records.

Because both their convictions were for misdemeanors, neither Reissmueller nor Jacobson were precluded from running for public office.

“I view (the flyers) as dirty politics,” Reissmueller said during a break in the school board meeting. “They are just trying to intimidate me into making certain decisions they want. It (could) have helped them during the campaign, but it won’t work now.”

Jacobson said his arrest was an important act of civil disobedience, one he would probably repeat if he were not holding public office. “It’s an issue I feel strongly about,” he said. “I’m not going to apologize for it and I’m not going to dodge it.”

The disclosures could further tarnish the image of the long-troubled Orange Unified School District, which is mired in a host of administrative problems.

For one thing, the district of 26,000 students has made little progress in resolving a 9-day-old strike by 400 non-teaching employees who are protesting a school board-imposed contract.

Officials with the California School Employees Assn., Chapter 67, which represents the striking workers, said Thursday they did not obtain any of the information about Reissmueller or Jacobson nor help distribute the flyers.

Two of a handful of parents passing out the flyers among an audience of about 300 people had run unsuccessfully for the school board in November.

Mara Brandman, who was defeated in a bitter campaign against Reissmueller, said she felt compelled to inform the public about the trustees’ backgrounds.

“We want the public, the taxpayer and the parents to know who is up there (on the board) and who is making the decisions,” she said. “We are convinced these two aren’t qualified to run the district.”

Marvella McAllister, who ran unsuccessfully against Trustee Rick Ledesma in the November election, said she feels it’s an issue of integrity.

“This shows the character of these individuals,” said McAllister, whose daughter will be attending the district’s El Modena High School next fall. “When they stand up there and preach family values and they have done something like this, it just doesn’t wash with me.”

Both Brandman and McAllister deny that bitterness over their defeats motivated the distribution of the flyers. “This is not sour grapes,” Brandman said. “It’s for the public to choose what to do with it.”

According to court records, Jacobson was one of 10 anti-abortion demonstrators arrested in October, 1992, for blocking the entrance to a family planning clinic in Santa Ana. Originally, Jacobson was sentenced to pay a small fine, perform community service and was placed on three years’ probation, according to court records. But at his request, he served 30 days under house arrest instead, court records show.

No police report was available Thursday regarding the circumstances of Reissmueller’s arrest in July, 1986, when he was 19. Reissmueller declined to discuss specifics of the case other than to say he did nothing wrong.

Court records show that Reissmueller initially was charged with unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. But that charge was later reduced to battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to court records. Eventually, the battery charge was dropped, and Reissmueller, on the advice of a public defender, pleaded guilty to the latter charge, court records show.

Reissmueller said that he now regrets taking the attorney’s advice and feels he would be vindicated in court if he could fight the charge today.

Reissmueller was ordered to serve 80 hours of community service, have no contact with the minor and was placed on three years’ probation, court records show.