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Friday, November 25, 2005

LAUSD Prepares for War with Villaraigosa

The Daily News says that the Los Angeles Unified School District is prepared to launch a major public relations offensive to teach the public how wonderful they really area, despite notions to the contrary.

This follows recent moves by Mayor Villaraigosa to notch up the anti-LAUSD rhetoric and begin in earnest his plans to take over the school board. You may remember this was an issue in the mayoral campaign, not only for Villaraigosa, but for fellow candidate Bob Hertzberg.
"One of the things we hired Roy Romer for was his political and communication acumen, and he needs to come up with that."
Board Member David Tokofsky
Underneath it all lies the private seething and anger of the school board that Superintendent Roy Romer and his staff have failed to counter Villaraigosa's attack. Board member David Tokofsky told the Daily News, "One of the things we hired Roy Romer for was his political and communication acumen, and he needs to come up with that." board member David Tokofsky said.

The board and District are attributing their dreadful to a less than adequate public relations staff, and are quick to point out statistics showing other districts and government agencies with larger staffs. Its interesting that they have that information, but can't find where missing money is.

The best quote came from Hertzberg who told the Daily News that the District should worry less about improving its image and more about improving schools. "The best thing in public policy is just do the work," he said. "Their image problem is not an image problem, it's a competency problem."

Get ready for some fun!

Also at Martini Republic

37 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Do you think Romer could find the missing neighborhood watches?

November 25, 2005 11:35 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Antonio has said that this will be the costliest campaign. Does anyone know where he's going to find the money to do this? Can he use our tax dollars to fight the school board?

November 25, 2005 11:50 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Tony the Liar will get the money from all those developers kissing his ass right now. Huizar's credibility just took some more shots. Skelton's greed is becoming more evident. He used every negative Latino stereotype to get Tony elected, what does this power grab say about the negative stereotypes of Parke's ethnicity?

Didn't Tony, Parke, Sue and Ludlow just win a campaign against Arnold based soley on thier "power grab" campaign?

November 25, 2005 12:39 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Do it, AV, do it. We need to save our schools.

November 25, 2005 12:51 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Do you think AV can save our schools? He's an LAUSD failure, his kids go to private school and he hasn't accomplished anything of significance in his political career - other than fooling voters and getting elected.

Yeah, let's get a dumbass to improve a dumbass school district.

November 25, 2005 12:59 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

What is AV's position on Jose Huizar? Is Jose as good as Antonio painted him in MAV's campaign for Huizar to replace him in CD14? Or his Jose as bad as Antonio says he is in MAV's campaign to take control of our schools?

November 25, 2005 1:38 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Jose is a joke and we are glad to have him off the school board.

November 25, 2005 2:15 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

You know the old saying, "Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are." Jose used to have some smart friends, but I guess now he is just a dumb ass.

Everything Tony the Liar touches eventually turns to shit - his marriage, the state budget, Martha Reina, Ameriquest, Hugh Rodham, John Kerry, the list goes on and on. - But you ain't seen nohting yet!

November 25, 2005 3:21 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

From the linked LA Times LAUSD article: "I'm an optimist," Riordan said. "Antonio is a great lover of the unions and loved by the union members.."

Let's see if the EAA still feels this way in a couple of months.

November 25, 2005 4:51 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

The EAA never employed Tony or any of his or Ludlow's friends. So they are screwed. Tony oly dealt with unions with dumb ass members, yeah that means UTLA too - intelligent workers scared him.

November 25, 2005 6:44 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

The LAUDS extends beyond the boundaries of the City of LA. Additionally, the County, through its Office of Education, is responsible for ensuring that all schools meet local standards. Therefore, it is really the Board of Supervisors who should be taking on the LAUSD. Oh that's right, they are 5 moron losers who are too busy running the County into the ground to be bothered with education.

November 25, 2005 7:07 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

7:07 You must be the Molina hater all over this blog.

LACOE has no say in the matter. It is an administrative unit with little authority. What they do there is coordinate county wide programs that exist in the public schools like AVID.

November 25, 2005 7:31 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

7:31

I guess there are more than one Molina haters all over this blog because 7:07 wasn't me. But I'll tell you this, the Board of Supervisors does have the authority to grant the LA County Office of Education the power go beyond their "adminstrative" duties. Remember that "administrative" unit of yesteryear, the L.A. County Transportation Commission. The MTA was established in February 1993 from the merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District (RTD) and the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (LACTC). And we all know that the only beneficiaries of this merger have been the career politicians, like Molina, who's husband has profitted handsomely from this endeavor.

Watch the same happen to LAUSD under Tony the Liar, who coincidentally had Gloria's hsuband, Ron Martinez- or Mr. Molina - be the best man at his sham wedding.

November 25, 2005 7:57 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

The role of LACOE is written into statute. You may recall the governor proposed doing away with it and all of the other County Offices of Education in his 2500 page plan to reform state government. CSR... CRS... Something like that. I don't remember.

Anywho... I'm not a fan of AV's plan to takeover LAUSD either. I don't trust politicos for this.

By the way, the Sac Bee had an article today about canning teachers and not administrators as enrollment declines in most local districts.

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/13903851p-14742457c.html

Romer is a visionary and good at big picture reforms, but being governor and CHIEF EXECUTIVE are two different things. I feel he get's an F in managament and implementation.

November 25, 2005 8:21 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I'm 7:07 and I actually think Molina is the best of the 5 losers on the Board of Supervisors. I realize it aint saying much but at least she's not 1) senile, 2) a back-slapping hilly billy 3) a corupt camera chaser or 4) completely stupid which describe the other 4.

November 25, 2005 10:00 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

No, Molina's worse. She's corrupt as sin and likes to throw her weight around for the benefit of some constituents while neglecting others. At least your hill billy (Antonovich) doesn't play favorites as blatantly.

As far as LACOE, LACOE can run schools as well. They run several elementary schools, Arts and Polytechnic High, and some programs at Juvie. The citizens (and leaders) of Carson, East LA, WeHo, Gardena, San Fernando, etc. need to rise up and stop Villaraigosa, because if he succeeds, they have no representation at all!

November 26, 2005 12:06 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Why yes, Anon 12:39

I do believe you've printed the truth about the power grab.

November 26, 2005 1:55 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

4:51

Forget the EAA. Wait until you see what happens with UTLA. This is going to be the best watched war we've seen in a long time. I'm glad my kids are old enough that I don't have to worry about them. They made it through that bad bad school system and they are great and successful. Not that I'm saying LAUSD is perfect, BY ANY MEANS. But this is the dumbest battle AV has chosen so far. At least he should pick the things that he could work with the board members and change, rather than just bash them with a hammer.

The district is too big. It's that simple. Can you IMAGINE mayoral APPOINTED board members?? That's rich. That is a page out of a Riordan handbook.

Why don't they just expand the school board? That's what they need to do. The same way they should have expanded the Board of Supervisors. The less in charge of the more people-the more corruption. The more in charge of lesser people-the less corruption. Oh right. The Supervisors and Republicans knew that. That's why they trumpeted that "extra layer of bureaucracy" ridiculous campaign argument.

If Antonio Villaraigosa had a brain in his head, he would have spoken to the board members to give them ideas.

But - no brains means more fun for us who get to watch the fight.

November 26, 2005 2:06 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I'm not anonymous 7:01, 7:07, 7:31, 7:57 or 12:06 and I despise all of the corrupt county supervisors. So I feel better knowing that there are so many others.

I didn't guess Antonovich for hillbilly. I guessed senile for him. I thought hillbilly was Knabe.

I'm not sure how I could list them in order of incompetence. It seems like a 5-way tie.

I did get Molina as the corrupt one. That's too simple.

November 26, 2005 2:14 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I thought that:
1. Molina = corrupt, petty, uninformed (look at her ask the dumbest questions at MTA board meetings, questions that she should have just asked her aides instead of in public showing her ignorance)
2. Zev = Corrupt camera chaser. Can't avoid the limelight, goes anywhere there is a camera. Wife in positions because of his connections. Politics is the family business and he would be hard pressed to find work in the public sector.
3. Yvonne = Senile. She's over 70. Nice woman, good power couple between her and Bill Burke. Wasn't senile ten years ago, but now is starting to speak out of turn at the BOS meetings and generally starting to disregard decorum as a bit too time consuming.
4. Don Knabe = Completely stupid. Nice man, really. In way over his head. Ascended to the position only because he was in the right place at the right time (Deane Dana's chief of staff). City leaders generally get frustrated over his lack of delivery of the goods for his residents. Thinks his office IS the family business, as evidenced by the Knabe spawn and their friends/lovers occupying important positions in the office.

5. Antonovich = Back slapping hill billy. Once again, not the completely stupid one, after all, he did manage to seduce someone half his age to marry him. Pretty vain like Yaorslavsky as well, but doesn't throw himself in front of every camera. Rather, Tony Bell does that. Delivers the goods to his constituents, unlike the other Republican. Not afraid to take a position (here's looking at you, Don).

anon @ 12:06

November 26, 2005 2:26 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

If you think they're bad, look what's coming.

The BOS has term limits now and some legislators are eyeing those seats already. And look what they did for Sacramento...

November 26, 2005 8:36 PM  

Blogger Walter Moore said:

FYI, Hertzberg sends HIS children to PRIVATE schools, just as Villaraigosa does. But, of course, public schools are good enough for the likes of you and your children.

November 27, 2005 11:35 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Tony Villar is a joke!!! Did anyone see him on Channel 7 this morning????? The guy can't string two words together; he looks at his 'crib notes' every two seconds; he had a 1.4 gpa; he was kicked out of Notre Dame High School; He was a gangbanger; He is a Mechista; and he flunked the bar exam 4 times.

This guy should not be holding ANY elected office...much less heading the LAUSD!!!!!! My five year old is smarter than Tony Villar!

ALL of the problems in California are a result of illegal immigration and people like Tony Villar who are highjacking our culture.

Get rid of all these 'MECHISTAS' and SAVE CALIFORNIA from it's terminal disease...ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION!

November 27, 2005 1:34 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

P.S.

Did you know that Tony Villar is the Grand Marshal in the Santa Claus Parade this evening??

He is the ONLY ELECTED OFFICIAL ever to be the Grand Marshal! What does that tell you about this little creep?


HE MAKES ME SICK!!!!! BARF!!!!!

November 27, 2005 1:41 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

If we didn't have have millions of illegals in California, we would not have a problem with our schools; if we didn't have millions of illegals, we would not have problems with traffic, housing, budget deficits, gang bangers, crime, joblessness, etc, etc.

AND WE WOULD NOT HAVE TONY VILLAR AS THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES.

Get rid of the illegals and the anti-American mayor, and LA will be just fine.

It's either that, or start learning Spanish. Tony Villar is the problem, not the solution.

November 27, 2005 2:46 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

If we didn't have have millions of illegals in California, we would not have a problem with our schools; if we didn't have millions of illegals, we would not have problems with traffic, housing, budget deficits, gang bangers, crime, joblessness, etc, etc.

AND WE WOULD NOT HAVE TONY VILLAR AS THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES.

Get rid of the illegals and the anti-American mayor, and LA will be just fine.

It's either that, or start learning Spanish. Tony Villar is the problem, not the solution.

November 27, 2005 2:46 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Then who will pick your produce or make the cheap stuff you buy at places like Wal Mart and Target.

Get the facts. The Mayor is very much an American like you, not some crazy separatist.

I'm sure my tax bracket is higher than yours so sell me, how do you contribute.

November 27, 2005 3:05 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Mexicans and Central Americans, in their home countries. Cut the farm subsidies and the water subsidies to the Central Valley farmers that put the farmers in Latin America out of business. Then the Mexicans will simply mechanize their farms, in their countries, because they have the capital to do so. There is no law that says that the food we eat has to be grown here.

November 27, 2005 7:05 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

I used to work with David Tokofsky at LAUSD. Though he is a very intelligent man, David chooses sides in every political debate by basically throwing blades of grass into the wind. He's a maverick and likes to be a controversial figure. It's why he never gets anything done. To be honest, he's wasting his talents.

November 27, 2005 7:40 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

The post below had to have come from one of my old Republican colleagues at LAUSD. I've been hearing this stuff about Villaraigosa for years. Tony, if you're out there reading this, e-mail me.

Tony Villar is a joke!!! Did anyone see him on Channel 7 this morning????? The guy can't string two words together; he looks at his 'crib notes' every two seconds; he had a 1.4 gpa; he was kicked out of Notre Dame High School; He was a gangbanger; He is a Mechista; and he flunked the bar exam 4 times.

This guy should not be holding ANY elected office...much less heading the LAUSD!!!!!! My five year old is smarter than Tony Villar!

ALL of the problems in California are a result of illegal immigration and people like Tony Villar who are highjacking our culture.

Get rid of all these 'MECHISTAS' and SAVE CALIFORNIA from it's terminal disease...ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION!

November 27, 2005 7:42 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

What exactly is your culture???

November 27, 2005 9:42 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

9:42pm

"What exactly is your culture???"

To begin with, it is ENGLISH speaking!

Our schools are in the sewer ONLY because we have become a city (and country) that doesn't speak English!!!!!!!!!A BILINGUAL COUNTRY LOSES IT'S SOVEREIGNTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank God I am able to send my kids to private school! But what about the hundreds of thousands of American kids who are being dumbed down in the inner city schools only because of the children
of MIGRANT WORKERS!

These illegals make no attempt to assimilate or learn English. Therefore, in my opinion, the only solution (outside of sending them back where they came from) is to separate English speaking students from the others. WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO CHEAT OUR AMERICAN KIDS FROM THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THEIR LIVES....A GOOD EDUCATION!!!!!

We have to stop enabling these uneducated people. They are only here because Mexico is so corrupt and won't take care of it's own. Why should we get stuck with their poverty, illness, and crime?????

Whose country is this, anyway????

And so, my friend, MY CULTURE IS ENGLISH SPEAKING (just for openers).

November 28, 2005 9:13 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

"Ken Camp said...'

You are partially correct...I am a Republican, but never was associated with the LAUSD.

I hope Tony Villar is reading this post too! Because his reputation and background will always haunt him.

I attended one of his campaign stops at Mort's Deli in the Palisades earlier this year, and we tried to get him to renounce his affiliation and loyalty to MECHA. He just danced around it but never came out with a straight disavowal of his involvement. But his record at UCLA speaks for itself.

He is LA RAZA through and through. He's going to "work closely with Mexico in shaping his policies"!!!!!!!!!!!! I repeat....Tony Villar and illegal immigration are terminal diseases in Los Angeles.

November 28, 2005 9:33 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

English speaking culture? Would that be Canadian? Jamaican? British? Irish? Wow. So many to choose from.

Sorry, but YOUR culture is a dying breed, lest your children maintain the family tradition and marry one another.

November 28, 2005 9:43 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

9:43 am

Your 'lack of culture' is showing!!

Canadian, Irish, Jamaican, English, etc. ANYTHING BUT SPANISH!!

Don't plan any funerals in the next millenium or two! Our breed is far from "dying", as you say. It's true, we don't breed litters like you do, but we will always have a race of intelligent, educated, cultured, civilized people. Mexico should have done what China did....one child per family. Maybe you wouldn't have to sneak into our country and educate your litters and live off of our welfare system.

November 28, 2005 10:21 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Yeah I think we all should learn to speak American only.

November 29, 2005 12:40 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

American = English

That is a family joke. I shouldn't have posted it here.

Because I CARE what anonymous posters think about me...

12:40

November 29, 2005 10:19 AM  

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