Category Archives: LAUSD

LA’s Perpetual Gerrymander and the Preservation of Political Failure

Posted on August 23, 2011 by

Gerrymander: 1812, Gerry + (sala)mander. Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts, was lampooned when his party redistricted the state in a blatant bid to preserve an Anti-federalist majority. One Essex County district resembled a salamander, and a newspaper editor dubbed it Gerrymander.  It was 1992 … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Hot Topics, LAUSD, Los Angeles, The Valley | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

LA’s Mayoral Soap Opera: Caruso’s “Nightmare” Aria, Garcetti’s “Smiley Face” Swan Song

Posted on May 13, 2011 by

Billionaire developer Rick Caruso’s opening aria in the mayoral soap opera borrowed heavily from the liturgy of community activists, calling City Hall a “bureaucratic nightmare” led by “political lifers” who are a “roadblock” to progress, killing jobs faster than they’re … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Hot Topics, LAUSD, Los Angeles, NFL Stadium | Tagged , , , , , | 31 Comments

Living a Fantasy Life with Antonio Villaraigosa

Posted on April 13, 2011 by

I was wrong about everything, Antonio told me so. The freeways aren’t clogged. The roads aren’t rutted. The schools have never been better. The workers never happier. Nowhere is a city greener or more prosperous or so lucky as to … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Hot Topics, LAUSD, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , | 29 Comments

Antonio’s Hypocrisy: Schools, Taxes and Unlicensed Drivers

Posted on March 15, 2011 by

“You have to wonder how Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa can get away with some of his political antics without anybody pointing out the contradictions. On Monday, the mayor boasted in a tweet that he was at a rally with LAUSD and … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Development/CRA, Hot Topics, LAUSD, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Scandal That Was an Open Secret: Community College Bond Money Abuses

Posted on March 2, 2011 by

Editor’s Note: Nearly all scandals in the public sector have something in common: Many good people look the other way in the face of abuses and even those who try to stop the corruption are confronted by a power structure. … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Hot Topics, LAUSD, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Who Do You Trust? LACCD or LA Times?

Posted on March 1, 2011 by

Coby King with MWW Group, public releations consultant, Tuesday afternoon  released this statement by LA Community College District Chancellor Daniel LaVista, in connection with the publication of the first two articles in the Los Angeles Times series on LACCD’s Building Program: The … Continue reading →

Posted in LAUSD, Los Angeles | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

The Future of LA Is in Our Hands — No Excuses for Failing to Vote for Reform of City Hall

Posted on February 28, 2011 by

In 2007, Wendy Greuel, Tom LaBonge, Bernard Parks, Herb Wesson and Greig Smith all ran unopposed in the March City Council primary — proof positive of the electorate’s hopelessness, defeatism and apathy. Only 7 to 13 percent of registered voters … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Hot Topics, LA Clean Sweep, LAUSD, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

Billions to Spend: Waste throws wrench into Los Angeles community colleges’ massive project

Posted on February 26, 2011 by

Poor planning, frivolous spending and shoddy work dog the sprawling system’s bond-financed construction program Those are the headlines online on Part One of the LA Times powerful week-long investigate series by reporters Michael Finnegan and Gale Holland who examined what … Continue reading →

Posted in LAUSD, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Coming Sunday: LA Times Blockbuster Series on Community College $6 Billion Bonds Scandal

Posted on February 26, 2011 by

Miki Jackson, Van de Kamps CoalitionA 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 … Continue reading →

Posted in LAUSD, Los Angeles | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Real L.A. News from the Virtual World: Abolishing CRA, Supporting Urban Farming

Posted on February 18, 2011 by

Supporting Gov. Brown’s Plan to Abolish CRAs Statewide The 2,300-member Associated Administrators of Los Angeles sent Assembly Speaker John Perez a letter this week urging him to back Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to abolish Community Redevelopment Agencies statewide to restore … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Community Activists, Development/CRA, LAUSD, Los Angeles | 18 Comments