Miki Jackson, Van de Kamps Coalition
A Los Angeles Times series on bond use and waste in the LA Community Colleges may go up on the Times website as soon as tonight.
“We
are told they are worried sick about what these articles may expose. We
have found very alarming emails and other documents while looking into
their misuse of taxpayer bonds at the Van de Kamps Campus. Mona Field,
who led the Board into this mess as President during some of the worst
of it, is especially scared that it could sink her chances of getting
re-elected on March 8. We are saying vote for “Anybody But Mona” on Seat
No. 1. Time for a change is really overdue.” said Van de Kamps
Coalition member Laura Gutierrez
After
two auditors from his office flew from Sacramento to Los Angeles to
meet with Van de Kamps Coalition members, State Controller John Chiang’s
auditors spent 20 days of December 2010 doing a preliminary forensic
audit of the bond program. It remains to be seen whether the LA Times
series will prod Chiang to complete his audit of alleged massive bond
abuse at LACCD.
Abuses
may be widespread in the large District. Late last year District
Academic President David Beaulieu wrote on the LACCD web site that some
$100 million was committed under questionable circumstances by the
President of West Los Angeles Community College. The post was taken down
within hours. Beaulieu has repeatedly raised questions about spending
and oversight of the huge building program to deaf administration ears.
Failures
in the bond program are already the subject of four lawsuits by the Van
de Kamps Coalition concerning the building of the Northeast “Van de
Kamps” Innovation Campus. The district has been heavily criticized for
switching the campus from a Community College Satellite Campus to a
tenant based facility.
The
final outcome of the articles can only be hoped to lead to new and
better leadership in the troubled District, and to focus on what is
important: the education of our young adults.
It’s past time to investigate LAUSD: the construction projects, Belmont scandal, the money not going to schools but going into the bureaucracy and elsewhere, the payroll disaster and so much more–LAUSD will prove to be another Bell! http://www.examiner.com/public-education-in-los-angeles/stuart-goldurs
In all the government entities in the entire United States is there an honest one anywhere?
Let us all say goodbye to the incompetent boobs who have run the LACCD construction program like a third world country:
Mona Field – Board member running for re-election and pretending to be a new candidate. Mona has been on the board since about 1999. Millions of dollars were wasted on illegal bond expenditures on travel, food, receptions, intern programs, flashy videos, and targeting awards for the LACCD to “win” on green and sustainable buildings. She allowed the staff to direct contractors to use bond funds to get those awards.
Miguel Santiago – Board member running for re-election. Miguel is a tool of the public unions financing his campaign literature. If the voters are foolish enough to put him back in office, he will vote with the corrupt SEIU who is financing much of his campaign.
Vice Chancellor Adriana Berrera – Berrera, a former college President, was part of the waste of millions of dollars at the LACCD.
Larry Eisenberg, Director of Facilities – As the LA Times reported, Eisenberg initially lied and denied wrongdoing and waste in the bond program until the documents obtained by the Times showed otherwise. How could the program go for nine years without proper cost controls to prevent misspending of bond funds.
Now that the articles have come out Eisenberg will fire up his lying lips to saying something like: “Yes, there have been some problems, but we have fixed them.” Don’t believe it. He’s a meglomaniac who makes stuff up on the spot. More than anyone, Larry needs a pink slip.
But more importantly, Ron and Clean Sweep need to use the email lists to get the word out about viable opponents to seats on the Board that are up for election on March 8. We need regime change that kicks out the Board members financed by unions and construction contractors feeding at the trough.
L. Eisenberg must go. It`s one thing to be incompetent, but also stupid? His comments to the Times show he does not know what ” the buck stops here” means.