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FULLERTON >> Opponents of the recall of state Sen. Josh Newman, D-Fullerton, have not convinced enough voters to withdraw their names from petitions to hold the special election, clearing the way for a referendum on the freshman senator, officials said.

“Sen. Josh Newman has spent months lying to his constituents by claiming people were duped into signing the recall petition against him and with today’s tally he has been unmasked again as a pathological liar who is unfit to hold office,” said Carl DeMaio, who is spearheading the recall effort. “We eagerly look forward to voters having a chance to vote him out for his lies and his decision to increase the gas tax.”

Derek Humphrey, a political consultant for the opponents of the recall, said that “millions of tax dollars will be wasted to redo an election the Sacramento special interests lost barely a year ago. It’s a shameful waste of money that voters will soundly reject and vote to keep Josh Newman fighting for them in the state Senate.”

Humphrey said the recall effort was “one of the worst cases of voter fraud in California history.”

Opponents of the recall have argued that voters were duped into thinking they were signing petitions against an increase in a gas tax to pay for infrastructure improvements, not a recall of Newman, who cast the tie- breaking vote for the tax hike.

“A lot of voters came forward organically and we helped them remove their signatures,” Humphrey said. “I think we handed in over 2,000 signature withdrawal cards. A lot of others did it on their own.”

It is not clear when the recall election would be held.

Also still to be considered is an appellate court ruling on a law aimed at slowing down the recall process that would benefit Newman.

The Register asked Cal State Fullerton alum Stephanie Campbell to address the topic of separation of church and state.

Campbell, who earned her MBA from Cal State Fullerton in 1980, helped found the Orange County chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State in 2004.

The website of the national organization, founded in 1947, says: “Americans United is happy to work with Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Humanists and those who profess other religious beliefs or no belief. We welcome Democrats, Republicans, Independents and those of other political affiliations who share our belief in religious liberty.”

***

By Stephanie Campbell

While the words “separation of church and state” do not appear in the Constitution, the principle has been consistently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

To answer the question, “What is Americans United for Separation of Church and State?” here is who we are:

We are a nonpartisan educational and advocacy organization dedicated to advancing the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure freedom of religion, including the right to believe or not believe, for all Americans.

Our vision is one where everyone can freely choose a faith and support it voluntarily, or follow no religious or spiritual path at all, and where the government does not promote religion over non-religion or favor one faith over another.

Here in Orange County, people will often say that they have no problem going to the church (or synagogue or mosque) of their choice or that no one gives them a hard time because they have no faith, so they really don’t think it’s a problem.

To those people I say that is a short-sighted view. Just because you don’t have a problem doesn’t mean that others do not. And it doesn’t mean that one day you will always have the luxury of religious liberty. And our issues go beyond the church you attend.

We believe that education is our first bastion of freedom. We look at religion in public schools and universities and maintain our opposition to school vouchers and government subsidies of religious schools. We continue to be very concerned about the potential teaching of creationism/intelligent design and whether or not evolution is taught.

We also look at issues of school prayer, which includes things like mandatory prayers at scholarship events at schools from elementary all the way through university.

We are also concerned with how religious texts are used in the schools and religious instruction during the school day.

We believe that the religious right’s war on the LGBT community is harmful, and we work to ensure that women’s health is not undermined under the veneer of religion from birth control access to abortion.

We believe that the judiciary is the last line of defense for protecting our religious freedoms. The judiciary has the constitutional responsibility to maintain religious liberty and the separation of church and state. As such, we pay close attention to judicial nominations, not just at the Supreme Court, but at all levels.

We believe that the Johnson Amendment  (stopping nonprofits like churches from endorsing or opposing political candidates) should not be repealed or weakened.  We joined with 4,500 nonprofit organizations in support of maintaining this amendment.

While we strongly support the participation of religious institutions in a whole raft of public issues, the line should be drawn at endorsing or opposing candidates. Religious institutions receive a special tax status to work for the common good and not to engage in divisive partisan politics. This strengthens the community and the religious organization. In support of this we launched Project Fair Play in 1996.

While organizational policies are determined in our Washington office, here in Orange County we have seen our mission as one of community education on many of the issues that are at the core of our organization.

In 2017 we have covered a variety of issues that impact the community. They have included the End of Life Option Act, the impact of conscience clauses, white supremacy and extremism, patriotism, the status of creationism, Islamophobia, why the values of our founders are relevant today, issues faced by school boards and the Orange County Department of Education and the teaching of climate change.

We believe in the First Amendment, and we work to preserve the very first part of that amendment “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” We hope that others in Orange County will join us.

***

Stephanie Campbell is a founding member and current president of the Orange County chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. She is the vice president of the organization’s national board of trustees and chairs the strategic planning committee.

She volunteers for the League of Women Voters and is the county action coordinator for Compassion & Choices and speaks around the county for both organizations. She is a certified speaker for the ACLU on religious rights.

Dave Mickey is a behind-the-scenes guy.

For years he has worked to make sure the lighting, sound and projection for a stage production are creating the magic the audience sees, hears and experiences from their seats.

As the new chair of Cal State Fullerton’s Department of Theatre and Dance, Mickey is taking that expertise to a new level as he applies the planning, coordination and technology of the not-so-glamorous backstage to make things run smoothly out where it will be seen.

For students, that will mean a more thorough exposure to plays of many genres.

For faculty, that will mean more transparency and accountability in how and where the department’s money is spent.

For audiences of the department’s plays, musicals and showcases, that will mean more diverse productions, perhaps opening next season with a Chicano-themed production.

“What are we training our students? What will best serve them?” Mickey asks as he settles into his leadership post.

“This is their high-impact practice. This is them actually producing and doing their art and we want to make sure they’re learning by each production.”

The current season’s productions were set long before Mickey took over the department in July. He takes pride, though, in the homegrown nature of much of its lineup. “Frankenstein,” which kicked off the season, was written by the department’s now-retired chair, Bruce Goodrich, designed by students and directed by a faculty member, for example.

Mickey is already looking ahead to next year’s season and the three after that as he attempts to broaden the students’ mastery and the university’s outreach.

“I’ve really been looking at the outside world. How can we help it shape our season?  Can we pick meaningful work that also goes with our culture of celebration?” he said.

“I’m really looking at how do I open up the doors.”

Mickey, a first-generation college student, earned his bachelor’s degree in theater arts design production from Cal Poly Pomona after a high school teacher all but handed him over to the school. When he was a junior there, a professor guided him into a part-time position at Caltech that had been his dream job – working in a theater and having a desk job.

After seven years there, and still in his 20s, he realized he wanted more and so went to CalArts for a master’s in sound design. His final project was an interactive maze in which players wearing mouse hats heeded sound cues to find the cheese. The university hired him to teach that class for nine years.

In 2011, Mickey arrived at Cal State Fullerton, teaching sound design and show control. A lot of the technology was from the 1980s – analog consoles, CD and MiniDisc players – he said. Changes in the sound cues had to be made in real time – often overnight.

“When I first started I would never have a lunch break, never have a dinner break and never sleep,” he said. “Now with computers I can make changes in a matter of seconds and it’s back in the show.”

Digital sound also allows for very dynamic sound versus a two-source stereo system, he said. “With computers you can have as many outputs as you like to as many speakers as you like. You can make complete surround sound and engulf the audience within the sound of the show instead.”

Mickey had to fundraise and trade up equipment to convert from the old analog consoles, but everything is up to date now. It’s great to be able to teach the students the latest technology, he said, allowing them to walk right into jobs at Disneyland, Universal Studios and Cirque du Soleil. Three years out of school, one student was able to buy a house, he marveled.

Besides updated technology, Mickey is aiming to better serve students by coming up with a four-year plan that would ensure they get experience during their time at CSUF in all theatrical genres, such as classical, comedy and drama.

“Are we actually teaching them the plays we want them to learn over their four years here?” he asked. He has solicited suggestions from faculty for each genre.

He also wants to make sure the productions reflect the diversity of the campus.

Bringing in students from outside the department is another goal. First-year Humanities and Social Sciences students attended “Frankenstein” and listened to a professor who studied Mary Shelley, the book’s author. He’s talking with the criminal justice program about a tie-in with a show with a legal component.

“We don’t have to just be by ourselves,” he said. “How do we engage and do cross-department work?”

For faculty and staff, Mickey has brought transparency to the budget process, opening the books in one meeting to reveal the department’s income and expenses. “Everyone was pretty silent,” he said. He made it clear that when one person asks for funds for something, that means less money for someone else’s request.

Such requests now need to be put on an actual form, not just shouted out at a meeting or buried in an email. Dropbox has been introduced. Faculty members are given a budget and put in charge of how that money is spent. If they spend it all in the fall, there’s nothing left for the spring. He said he’s received compliments on the new system.

“Everyone is happier when a guest artist gets paid on time,” Mickey said.

He also reviewed faculty members’ workloads to make sure they are working what they’re supposed to – no more and no less. He hopes it reduces everyone’s stress level.

“I’m not asking them to go above and beyond for free. I’m asking them to do their job and do it well,” he said. “We’re all there for one mission – the students.”

Finally, Mickey is looking to bring more community members, alums and donors to Clayes Performing Arts Center, through talks before and after the productions.

For “Frankenstein,” the department held a pre-show launch party – a first – as well as a reception afterward.

“I’d love to do a family day for ‘Little Mermaid,’” which opens in March, he said as he pondered more questions. “How do we invite more people?”

Upcoming shows

“Red Scare on Sunset,” Through 0ct. 29

“Punk Rock,” Through Oct. 28

“Cry Baby, The Musical,” Oct. 27 – Nov. 12

“Bell, Book and Candle,” Nov. 17 – Dec. 10

Fall Dance Theatre, Nov. 30 – Dec. 10

“Taking Steps,” Feb. 23-March 18

“’Tis Pity She’s a Whore,” March 9-March 25

Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” March 23-April 15

“The Importance of Being Earnest,” April 20-May 6

Spring Dance Theatre, May 3-May 13

ORANGE >> Firefighters made quick work Tuesday night of a brush fire that broke out near a cemetery in Orange.

The fire was reported at 6:50 p.m. in the 8000 block of East Santiago Canyon Road, behind Ascension Cemetery, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Larry Kurtz.

Orange Fire Department units, with assistance from the OCFA and Anaheim Fire-Rescue Department, knocked down the fire within 15 minutes, Kurtz said.

No structures were immediately threatened but strong winds did raise concerns that embers could be carried to some homes not far from the fire location, Kurtz said.

The cause of the fire, which burned less than an acre of brush, was under investigation, he said.