Past Dubious Tales via Current Contributors of Monica Garcia
Mayor Sam continues is quest for stories behind the donors to selected political candidates. Our latest installment details the dubious tales behind such Monica Garcia donors, as Marcos Aguilar and a certain ex Councilman Huizar staffer Gustavo Valdivia.
** Blogger's notes: As Mayor Sam continues its coverage on the multiple story lines behind the most recent campaign contributions reports for the upcoming March Elections, please partake for the moment in reviewing the following exchange between Hillel Aron of the LA School Report Blog and LAUSD School Board President Monica Garcia, in a recent interview.(** our comments in bold)
LASR: You’ve raised a lot of money from charter schools. Isn’t that a conflict of interest since it’s the school boards job to approve or disapprove of charters?MG: I’ve raised money from a very diverse set of folks. Charters are one of them. That’s a separate conversation than the way I do my job (** that conversation commences below).I need people to invest in the campaign. Whether it’s the largest public works program that built 129 new schools, 160,000 new seats, and the equivalent of 8 acres of parkland, or the people that, everyday we buy paper and pencils and toilet paper and napkins from –– those people care about who’s here. Like I said, there are people who contribute to a campaign and want to support my reelection. I welcome that (** .... and we are obliges to provide commentary).LASR: If a Congressman was on the Energy committee and was taking money from the coal industry, I think people would look at that as a story. Isn’t this the same thing?MG: The effort to raise money for my campaign reelection is not about the influence in how I do my job (** we may conclude to the contrary). Or the decisions. I’ve done my job, I have a record, it’s been very clear, it’s about kids. I’m inviting whoever wants to invest. They can do their $1,000.
Maybe the dubious tales behind the contributions listed below, may cause Monica to reconsider that last comment, considering ....
| 08/29/12 | Marcos D. Aguilar (Educator, Semillas Sociedad Civil) Los Angeles, CA 90065 | MONICA GARCIA LAUSD - District 2 1346436 - MONICA GARCIA FOR SCHOOL BOARD 2013 | A - Monetary Contribution Received (IND - Individual) [Period: 07/01/12 to 09/30/12] | $300.00
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| 09/18/12 | Marcos D. Aguilar (Educator, Semillas Sociedad Civil) Los Angeles, CA 90065 | MONICA GARCIA LAUSD - District 2 1346436 - MONICA GARCIA FOR SCHOOL BOARD 2013 | A - Monetary Contribution Received (IND - Individual) [Period: 07/01/12 to 09/30/12] | $100.00
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| 10/18/12 | Marcos D. Aguilar (Educator, Semillas Sociedad Civil) Los Angeles, CA 90065 | MONICA GARCIA LAUSD - District 2 1346436 - MONICA GARCIA FOR SCHOOL BOARD 2013 | A - Monetary Contribution Received (IND - Individual) [Period: 10/01/12 to 12/31/12] | $100.00
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| 11/09/12 | Marcos D. Aguilar (Educator, Semillas Sociedad Civil) Los Angeles, CA 90065 | MONICA GARCIA LAUSD - District 2 1346436 - MONICA GARCIA FOR SCHOOL BOARD 2013 | A - Monetary Contribution Received (IND - Individual) [Period: 10/01/12 to 12/31/12] | $100.00
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Help me out here, but has this blog done stories in the past on "ethical, educational. legal and political issues", relating to Marcos Aguilar and his Academia Semillas del Pueblo Charter School? From the Mayor Sam archives ......
** Academia Semilla del Pueblo's "Response" to Building and Safety Department's "Notice to Comply"
......... but despite all the controversy noted above and this LA Times editorial, Garcia and her allies save Academia as the LA Weekly reported at the time.
Minutes after the board voted to save Semillas, Monica Garcia joined her friend Marcos Aguilar for a rally just outside LAUSD headquarters. A crowd of more than 100 parents and kids hailed them as heroes....... and now Aguilar, along with school staff and associates are too willing to support financially Garcia's reelection.
| 06/12/12 | Gerardo Felix (Educator, Semillas Community Schools) Los Angeles, CA 90044 | MONICA GARCIA LAUSD - District 2 1346436 - MONICA GARCIA FOR SCHOOL BOARD 2013 | A - Monetary Contribution Received (IND - Individual) [Period: 01/01/12 to 06/30/12] | $250.00
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| 06/30/12 | Law Office of Salomon Zavala Los Angeles, CA | MONICA GARCIA LAUSD - District 2 1346436 - MONICA GARCIA FOR SCHOOL BOARD 2013 | A - Monetary Contribution Received (OTH - Other) [Period: 01/01/12 to 06/30/12] | $250.00
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| 06/12/12 | Octavio Augusto Pescador (Faculty, UCLA) Los Angeles, CA 90036 | MONICA GARCIA LAUSD - District 2 1346436 - MONICA GARCIA FOR SCHOOL BOARD 2013 | A - Monetary Contribution Received (IND - Individual) [Period: 01/01/12 to 06/30/12] | $100.00
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| 06/30/12 | Irene E. Vasquez (Director of Chicano Hispano Mexicano Studies, University of New mexico) Albuquerque, NM 87108 | MONICA GARCIA LAUSD - District 2 1346436 - MONICA GARCIA FOR SCHOOL BOARD 2013 | A - Monetary Contribution Received (IND - Individual) [Period: 01/01/12 to 06/30/12] | $250.00
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** We should note it was Academia Semillas del Pueblo Attorney Salomon Zavala, who presented us with the following teachable moment on the Freedom of the Press, regarding this litigious "Bring It On Mayor Sam Moment".But in paraphrasing legal wordsmith Mr. Zavala, "we take this issue gravely seriously", the fact that contributions from Aguilar and staff, have help marginalize oversight of potentially harmful safety issues at the controversial Charter School.
| 06/14/12 | Luis Sanchez (Senior Advisor, LAUSD) Los Angeles, CA 90032 | MONICA GARCIA LAUSD - District 2 1346436 - MONICA GARCIA FOR SCHOOL BOARD 2013 | A - Monetary Contribution Received (OTH - Other) [Period: 01/01/12 to 06/30/12] | $1,000.00
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| 08/31/12 | Gustavo Valdivia (Owner, Grande Vista Associates) Porter Ranch, CA 91326 | MONICA GARCIA LAUSD - District 2 1346436 - MONICA GARCIA FOR SCHOOL BOARD 2013 | A - Monetary Contribution Received (IND - Individual) [Period: 07/01/12 to 09/30/12] | $1,000.00
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** We understand that Valdivia is nowadays calling himself a "Charter School Consultant". But as documented by past outings in the LA Times, what topic matter and who may be his partner in consulting, may end up being an investigated topic for an inquiring scribe, or worst, an formal investigated agency, as we noted in this past post.
Sometime back in a moment of internet wandering, we chance upon this item during some backtracking on past stories involving the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA). Grande Vista Associates (founded by Gustavo Valdivia) was one of the connected firms being investigated for alleged bid-rigging of HACLA contracts. Some five years later, the same Grande Vista Associates provide a soft landing for former long time Building and Safety Department Inspector Samuel In, who retires from the department after being exposed as part of the growing scandal and FBI investigation of the city agency. We past along our tip and the result is part of Los Angeles Times David Zahniser's latest missive on the growing FBI investigation of the Building and Safety Department and possible connections to various city public officials
Memo to UTLA, has this post provided enough campaign fodder on your chief target in March?
Your thoughts ................
Scott Johnson in CD 14
Labels: Academia Semillas del Pueblo, Building and Safety Department, Gustavo Valdivia, Luis Sanchez, Marcos Aguilar, monica garcia, samuel In
Posted by Red Spot in CD 14 @ 1/14/2013 05:07:00 PM
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