Every year, under California law, public officials must report any business holdings or economic interests that may interfere with their official duties or that may relate to policy questions they consider.
Here’s what school board members of the San Diego Unified School District and the system’s superintendent reported for 2006:
- Superintendent Carl Cohn purchased between $2,000 and $10,000 worth of stock in I Can Learn Education Systems, a company that makes software for teaching math skills. He purchased the stock in September. In addition, Cohn reported his position as a board member for ACT Inc., the nonprofit organization that administers the popular test used in college admissions. The position pays $22,000 per year plus $4,500 per quarterly board meeting; Cohn’s involvement with the company was approved by the school board in December. (View full statement here.)
- Board President Luis Acle reported owning between $100,000 and $1 million in stock of SeaCode, a software company, stock he purchased in late 2005. Acle also received income of between $10,001 and $100,000 from The Luis Acle Trust of ’98 and reported being one of the owners of Golden Hill Property LLC, an Arizona company with market value of between $100,001 and $1 million. He owns a rental property worth more than $1 million in Yuma, Ariz., which provided him with more than $100,000 in income last year. (View full statement here.)
- Board member John de Beck’s statement listed a retirement account owned by his wife worth between $10,001 and $100,000. A retired teacher, de Beck also received between $10,001 and $100,000 from the state’s teacher pension system. He reported owning two properties, one in San Diego and the other in Lakeside, worth between $100,001 and $1 million each. He had outstanding loans totaling more than $100,000 last year. (View full statement here.)
- Though she reported no income or property holdings, board member Sheila Jackson received nearly $850 in gifts last year, mostly in the form of luncheons and dinner banquet invitations. She was treated to a $20 lunch by the teachers’ union, and attended two dinners, worth $235, hosted by the San Diego Asian Business Association. (View full statement here.)
- Board member Mitz Lee reported no economic interests or gifts. (View full statement here.)
- Board member Katherine Nakamura’s statement said she was a partial owner of Roesling Nakamura Architects Inc., and architectural firm worth between $100,001 and $1 million. She also reported the salary of her husband, a San Diego State University professor, of between $10,001 and $100,000 and his holdings in a San Francisco-based architectural firm, Gelfand RNP, worth between $1,001 and $10,000. Nakamura owns a rental property worth between $100,001 and $1 million in the city of Hemet, providing her with between $10,001 and 100,000 in income last year. She owes more than $100,000 on a mortgage. (View full statement here.)
Update: Board members are also paid a monthly salary of $1,500.