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$31.5 Million, Verified Training, and the Harder Question: What Does “Meaningful Oversight” Actually Mean?
EL CAJON, CA — The civil lawsuit arising from the death of 11-year-old Arabella McCormack has now been resolved through settlement. Public reporting confirms that the City of San Diego, the County of San Diego, Pacific

Motorcyclist killed in late-night crash on Winter Gardens Boulevard in Lakeside
A late-night crash on Winter Gardens Blvd turned fatal after CHP says a driver made an illegal left turn from a private driveway. Vigil set for Monday at 6 p.m.

Santana High shooter resentencing: a 2001 case collides with modern juvenile sentencing law
A resentencing ruling in the Santana High School shooting case is setting up a new legal fight—over juvenile sentencing, the scope of recall authority, and what happens next in juvenile court.

The Golden Retriever Who Wanted a Tax Break
A lawsuit asks the IRS to treat a dog as a “dependent.” The legal problem is easy. The policy problem is worse.

When the Board Is Mom, Stepdad, and Brother: Dehesa’s Data Job and the Daughter They Want to Put in It
With three members of the White family holding a board majority, Dehesa is moving to place the board president’s daughter in a key data-compliance job—despite its own anti-nepotism rules and serious questions about her qualifications.
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Method Musical Chairs: How Dehesa’s Enrollment Shuffle Fueled ADA Funding, Charter Growth, and Audit Flags
Dehesa’s enrollment skyrocketed—on paper. But the math doesn’t track. Resident students were displaced. Outsiders were brought in. Funding followed the fiction. At the center: inflated ADA, a $253K superintendent, and a board bound by family ties. Call it creative governance. Or call it what it looks like: Method Musical Chairs.

Adjacent, Apparently: How Dehesas Definition Could Cost Taxpayers Millions
Let’s talk about the word “adjacent.” It’s simple, right? You’d think so. But in the world of charter authorizing loopholes, definitions get stretched—then warped—until they snap.

The Tale of the Three Whites and the Two Phams — A one-school district. Five board members. Two families. And a growing rebellion.
In the rural hills outside El Cajon, where wildfire season sparks fear each summer, another kind of fire has begun to smolder. But this time, it wasn’t fireworks that started it — it was the slow burn of unchecked power, financial collapse, and a board so tightly held by two families that Dehesa parents have now sent up a smoke signal of their own.

Superintendent in One-School District Paid $2,522 Per Student Without Required Credential
A tiny school district in rural East San Diego County is paying a $252,000 salary to a superintendent overseeing fewer than 100 students — without a valid administrative credential. A closer look reveals a pattern of unchecked power, family-run governance, and public funds under questionable management.
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