Second time’s the charm

Mike Sciacca

The mood Tuesday night at Fred’s Mexican Cafe & Cantina was upbeat and

lively. The buzz generated by some 40 or so supporters of Measure DD

continually worked its way through the banquet room and seemed indicative

of what Huntington Beach City School District Supt. Gary Rutherford was

about to say to the gathered well-wishers.

“I tried to figure out what the DD meant in Measure DD and now I know

-- dedication and diligence -- and we’re definitely done,” he said to a

round of hearty applause. “I feel very confident that this measure will

pass. We have had great support for this worthy effort.”

Rutherford’s early summation, which came just one-half hour after the

polls closed, was right on target.

Measure DD, a $30 million general obligation bond for improvements to

Huntington Beach City School District elementary and middle schools

passed with 60.3% approval, 10,389 out of 17,243 were cast in its favor.

The school district needed to gain only a 55% majority vote.

In last June’s election, a similar bond, Measure S, failed by a slim

margin.

But the vibe felt Tuesday was uplifting from the start.

Rutherford said the first signs of encouragement came when the initial

election update reported that out of 3,484 absentee votes, 57.8% -- or

2,014 votes -- were cast in favor of the measure.

It was a waiting game until the final results began to roll in early

Wednesday morning.

Official numbers did not come until after 2 a.m.

“This is a very important night for us,” said Shirley Carey,

Huntington Beach City School District board of trustee. “Our schools need

some major upgrading and we are in great hope of getting this measure

passed.”

The passage of Measure DD means repairs and improvements can be made

at schools -- the replacement of roofs that are more than 30 years old,

replacement of classroom heating and ventilation systems, upgrades to

classroom electrical and fire alarm systems, the replacement of

deteriorating water and sewer systems and access to modern technology for

students.

It will mean the district will be eligible for $16.7 million in

state-matching funds.

Campaign central on Tuesday for Measure DD supporters was the Newland

barn, located behind the historic Newland House. Rutherford said poll

watching began at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning and continued until 3 p.m. From

there, supporters went out to door-to-door, in neighborhoods within the

school district, handing out flyers and urging citizens to get to the

polls.

Rutherford said that he personally visited close to 70 homes in the

Seacliff area Tuesday afternoon.

There was also a high profile phone drive that carried on until the

polls closed.

“We had more than 300 volunteers at one time or another putting forth

a tremendous effort to get word out on the school bond issue,” said Bill

Wallace who helped head up the campaign steering committee. “There were

neighborhood walks, phone banks, and such.”

The Measure DD steering committee was comprised of Rutherford, Duane

Dishno, retired Huntington Beach City School District superintendent, and

Bill Wallace.

“Duane and Bill provided outstanding leadership in directing this

campaign,” Rutherford said. “In fact, we’ve had phenomenal support from

city officials to youth organizations and parent organizations at our

schools, all the way down to the grass-roots level.”

The very next step the district will take, Rutherford said, will be at

its March 19 board meeting. There, the board of trustees will work on

developing an individual citizen’s over site committee, which will

monitor the expenditures from Measure DD, a required provision of

Proposition 39. Citizens, he said, will then be invited to apply to be

part of the committee.

“We want a group that truly is representative of our community,” he

said.

District officials already have been meeting with various

architectures to discuss site work. He said that high profile, high

impact projects will take place at all district schools beginning this

summer and that Dwyer Middle School will be one of the schools to get a

major face-lift.

“Dwyer is 67 years old. Our doing these high profile projects this

summer is the district’s way of saying, ‘thank you’ to all those who

supported Measure DD,” he said.

* MIKE SCIACCA is the education and sports reporter. He can be reached

at (714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.