Scott Schmerelson ( https://scott4lausd.com/) and Patricia Castellanos (UTLA) The battle over whether or not the Los Angeles Unified School Board is controlled by supporters of public education and the UTLA or ‘school choice’ and unfettered charter school expansion remains up in the air.” – Los Angeles Education Examiner Those supporting public education in the Los Angeles Unified School District had everything to lose in Tuesday’s election. The resignation of convicted felon Ref Rodriguez set up a situation where all of the board members supporting the privatization of education w ..read more

I guarantee you there’s no problem. I guarantee you.” – Trump on the size of his “hands” We are quickly approaching the four year anniversary of Trump’s takeover of the Republican party. No, March 3, 2016, was not the day that he secured enough delegates to win the nomination. In fact, it was not clear until the actual vote was taken at the convention that party leaders would not be able to save the Grand Old Party from the Wizard of Reality TV. Instead, this was the date that the future president dragged “Little Marco” Rubio into the swamp. Instead of exposing Trump for his lack of kno ..read more

Sexual abuse allegations are not something that can shut down a charter…under the law.” – LAUSD Board District 7 candidate Silke Bradford The North Valley Military Institute (NVMI) is one of the rare cases where a charter school’s renewal was rejected by the Los Angeles Unified School District’s board. The school then appealed this decision to the Los Angeles County Office of Education. The county staff also recommended that the renewal be denied, but they were overruled by the unelected Board of Education. As a result, they continue to operate on the campus of LAUSD’s Sun Valley High S ..read more

I know this for you is personal.” – Marilyn Koziatek For a person asking for votes, LAUSD School Board candidate Marilyn Koziatek does not seem very willing to share information about her views with potential constituents. She was the only person running in Board District 3 to not answer the questionnaire that I sent out so that I could write candidate profiles. She has ducked and weaved when asked questions about sex education and providing students with birth control options at candidate forums. While saying at an event last Saturday that she was opposed to the tone of the anti-Semit ..read more

“” – Marilyn Koziatek when asked if she will disavow her CCCSA endorsement In 2015, the California Charter Charter School Association (CCSA) ran a campaign for now convicted felon Ref Rodriguez that first accused incumbent Bennett Kayser of being a racist and then referenced his diagnosis with Parkinson’s. Two years later they stumped for the ethically challenged Nick Melvoin by blaming his opponent for John Deasy’s iPad Debacle, even though Steve Zimmer was the only board member not to vote for the former Superintendent. In 2020, it is Scott Schmerelson’s turn to be savagely attack ..read more

The “LAUSD should not send mixed messages to parents by claiming [an] interest in their perspectives, but making it nearly impossible to participate, let alone attend school board meetings” – Patricia Castellanos The race to replace long-time Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board member Richard Vladovic in Board District 7 provides an interesting case study on the benefits of term limits. Incumbents have an advantage in any election, but this is intensified in Los Angeles where millions of dollars are spent on school board elections. Without the help of the deep pockets ..read more

I am the only major candidate in this race who has pledged to never take donations from the corporations, developers, and charter school investors that have controlled the City Council for decades.” – Cyndi Otteson The FBI dropped a bomb onto CD14’s power base on November 7, 2018, when it raided the offices and home of long-time city councilman José Huizar. A week later, the Council President removed Huizar from his committee assignments, depriving him of both influence and access to fundraising. He became an “invisible man” and was a no-show at community events. In the weeks following ..read more

I will introduce or support legislation that addresses the issue of underfunding IDEA through reforming allocation, funding and distribution mechanisms of resources to public schools” – CJ Berina The last time incumbent Brad Sherman had to run in a competitive race he physically assaulted his opponent on the debate stage. With that race won, Sherman has largely lost his passion. On foreign policy, he is a right-leaning Democrat who mirrors Republican talking points against Obama’s Iranian deal during his town halls. Overall, he is a moderate Democrat who supported Hillary Clinton in t ..read more

We believe that quality education is a human right.” – Angelica Duenas Barring a cataclysmic event, Tony Cárdenas’ “solid Democratic” seat in the United States House of Representatives is safe. A lawsuit was filed on April 27, 2018, which “alleged that Cárdenas sexually abused a 16-year-old girl in 2007”. Even with that allegation, he won reelection with 80.6% of the vote. Ballotpedia describes Cárdenas as “an average Democratic member of Congress.” They define as being expected to “vote with the Democratic Party on the majority of bills.” However, it could also describe his poli ..read more

Also, the fiscal transparency of the district is vital” – Marilyn Koziatek Even before starting its expansion into TK through 8th grade, Granada Hills Charter High School had more students than 86% of all school districts nationwide. However, unlike most school districts, the community that finances the school does not get to vote for its governing board. Instead of using the democratic process to appoint parent representatives to this board, they are handpicked by the administration. The result is a private school that spends money without any public accountability. As an employ ..read more