Strikers conspicuous by their absence from...
Strikers conspicuous by their absence from story
The Daily Pilot owes it to its readers and its own journalistic
standards to present balanced, well researched reporting. This was
not done in the case of the story, “UCI lecturers prepped for strike”
(Oct. 12). It appears that the UC Office of the President’s Web site
was easily accessed to get the official University of California side
of the story. This side of the story was clearly presented.
However, telling the lecturers’ side of the story would have taken
more digging. Lecturers in the UC system have been pushed to strike
for a variety of reasons. Lecturers have been working without a
contract for 2 1/2years because of bad-faith bargaining on the part
of the university system. Lecturers teach almost 50% of undergraduate
courses on some campuses. The average starting salary for lecturers
is less than $30,000 per year. Lecturers have not had a cost of
living increase in over two years. There is no salary schedule for
lecturers that considers level of education, years of experience and
years of service. There are always two sides to every story. The
Daily Pilot must tell both sides in order to serve its community in a
fair, responsible, and credible way.
JOYCE S. CAIN
UCI Lecturer
Newport Beach
Unofficial rulings in judge’s race
Re: “Judge race recalls some old wounds,” Oct. 14.
1. “I think it’s pretty ugly that she’s involved in [MacEachern’s]
election,” Vickie Bridgman said. “There is obvious bad blood there.”
Vickie Bridgman was talking about Jennifer Keller’s decision to
sign on as treasurer to the Kelly MacEachern campaign for the
judgeship, Office No. 22 -- the judgeship for which Bridgman is also
running. Keller had defended Jason Rausch, whom Bridgman prosecuted
for the death of her son. It seems quite natural for Keller to
support an opponent if she does not agree with Bridgman’s positions.
2. Rausch was driving the Bridgman family’s Chevy Blazer, which had a
severe “modification” (jacked up) to the factory-built suspension
system. It would be very difficult for me to believe that a stock
Blazer would have responded to the conditions that night the same as
the “modified” one did.
3. “I don’t think my family got a fair shake” was Bridgman’s
comment about the Rausch verdict and sentencing. “[Rausch] doesn’t
live with the fact that he killed someone. I’m the one who has to
live with that fact. He has never admitted his mistakes.” As far as I
know, Bridgman hasn’t admitted hers either.
4. The quotes from Vickie Bridgman in the Daily Pilot show the
same Bridgman attitude that we saw during the trial in which she
prosecuted Rausch for the death of her son. . I ask myself, is this
the kind of judge I would want to face on the bench if I were ever
accused of a crime?
CONRAD T. TIMPE
Corona del Mar
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