Its a Friday "Political Free for All"

Hola to all in Ciudad de Los Angeles as another bloggin political week approaches its end. We want to start out by extending La Raza greetings to the "Bloggin Commandante" of the LA Weekly" Dennis Romero. Its seems that the "Bloggin Commandante" had a higher ratio of Chiapas reconquista coca beans brewed into his morning coffee as he started his bloggin day with this scree exulting the findings that Latinos constitute the largest minority group on America's college campuses. To that, this blogger says BRAVO! and would repeat that if the ethnic group was Armenian, Mongol, Vietnamese, or any other ethnic group of American citizens. But before the "Bloggin Commandante" pens his next Si Se Puede musing, he should take note what a college education has done for these prominent Latino politico role models, as highlighted by this "gabacho blogger".

The "Bloggin Commandante" surely is well-verse in the life story of former UCLA Graduate Tony Villar, pictured above leading protests against the head of the Chicano Studies Center Director Rudy Alvarez. As your fellow Weekly writer Patrick Range McDonald penned in the definitive essay on the Mayor Villaraigosa/Villar Administration, four years of UC education prepped the City Terrace native well for pursuing a career in law and a successful reign as mayor of the nation's second largest city.       

 The "Bloggin Commandante" might want to take note that CD 2/7 City Councilman Richard AlarCON is a graduate of California State University Northridge (CSUN). Now as a former Cal State student myself at a different campus, I don't seem to remember the 300 0r 400 classes that prep you for a lifetime career in political office swapping and ethics that enables you to live in another district than the one you currently represent ...., allegedly.

If the "Bloggin Commandante" spent any amount of time musing on CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar (** he has and didn't get his facts straight), he would know that the Zacatecas, Mexico born turned Boyle Heights resident, graduated from Princeton with a Masters, received his BA from UC Berkeley and got a Law degree at UCLA. With such an educational resume, what has Councilman Huizar accomplish? In 2009, his background in land use helped him craft the deal to buy Elephant Hill in El Sereno for $9,000,000 from a client of past fundraiser Ben Resnik. Then quietly offer to sell 25% of the property (5 of 20 acres) to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy for $500,000. Then lets not forget that Councilman Huizar's vast education experience gave him the tools to create "constituent loyalty/influence lists" that may have garnered gainful employment in the President Nixon Administration.

In closing to the "Bloggin Commandante", let me grab my brown beret and join you in expressing my joy for the Raza that more Latinos are experiencing the Community College experience and beyond. This blogger's life has been enriched by the experience of my Ramona Gardens Projects childhood friend Maggie Aguilar who's nephew she raised Jose Navarro will receive his Doctorate in English from USC next year.  But I think you would agree with this "Bloggin Gabacho" that immersion in the virtues of ethics is just as paramount as education, highlighted by the supposed Latino politico role models above? After all, the pursuit of ethics in government knows no color boundaries. That said, here is hoping that someday we can truly live in a society where racial idenity becomes secondary to character and ethics when discussing education, Thus, anger is reserved for expressing dismay in absence of both in all our political leaders and not for espousing racism. "Que no" Dennis?

Your thoughts..............
Scott Johnson in CD 14

** BTW Dennis, we as a society should be inclusive to all regardless of skin color and political belief, when rendering life-saving CPR to others, correct?