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With the deadline approaching rapidly in the California legislature, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles Unified School District and other groups have stepped up the number of community meetings to sway public opinion for or against AB1381, the bill to give Villaraigosa control of LAUSD.  Three meetings were held in very diverse sections of the city, and the meetings were as diverse as the communities in which they were held.

Assemblyman Keith Richman and Senator George Runner, who each have a bill in the California Assembly and Senate which would breakup LAUSD, held a joint meeting at Granada Hills Charter School in the western part of the San Fernando Valley.  The Valley has always favored a breakup of LAUSD and even attempted to break away from the City of Los Angeles.  Attendance was good with the majority of the audience being opposed to the bill.

There were three main speakers supporting the bill and the mayor. The first speaker was former mayor Richard Riordan.  He described himself as a “venture capitalist”, and as such felt the school district needed one man to call the shots and make the decisions.

The argument that the district would be governed by a “council of mayors” has been all but abandoned.  Too many people read the fine print regarding the “measured vote” and saw mayor Villaraigosa would have a weighted vote of 80% of the council based on the population of Los Angeles.

The next speaker was David Fleming, also a well-known Republican in the San Fernando Valley.  He too spoke on behalf of mayoral takeover. Mr. Fleming stated we were never going to get a LAUSD breakup and might as well go with the mayor’s plan. After all, if the plan fails, the Mayor will be the only one to lose.  I guess he forgot that if the plan fails, the students, teachers and taxpayers will also lose!

The next speaker was Thomas Saenz, the mayor’s chief counsel.  He speaks at non-staged community meetings where the mayor is not in control.  Villaraigosa had a bad experience at a community meeting in Boyle Heights and left abruptly due to the negative community response.

Superintendent Roy Romer gave a presentation demonstrating the progress of the district.

It was clear that more questions were raised than answers received. As such, I spoke of my effort to get Governor Schwarzenegger to veto the bill due to the lack of planning and understanding.

The next meeting was one set up by the mayor and his committee.  It took place in Lincoln Heights at a Catholic High School.  The difference was very apparent.  One could see right away, the committee to support the bill was well funded.  There were several tables lined with food and beverages.  The front of the school was lined with check-in tables, which were well staffed.  The staff members, and there were many, wore elegant T-shirts supporting the mayor’s effort.  Very professional information packets were distributed.  The press coverage was extensive, including a crew from CNN.  The attendees included Senator Gloria Romero, for whom AB1381 (the Gloria Romero Educational Reform Act of 2006) has been named.

Big screen TVs and remote screens were on hand to ensure Surround Sound penetration into the crowd.  Busloads of supports arrived in chartered buses wearing color-coordinated T-shirts in support of the bill. There was a small contingent of protesters who were kept a safe distance away by police.

The meeting went as choreographed and had favorable reviews in the press the following day.

The last meeting attended took place in the City of San Fernando.  This small city is located in the northeastern part of San Fernando Valley.  The community is predominantly Hispanic and Democrat.  The community meeting was called by the city council.  Julie Korenstein, the LAUSD board member for the district, was on the panel with the council members.  Thomas Saenz was also in attendance.

The community was for the most part opposed to the bill. Speakers ranged from heads of the PTA to parents.  Others used the occasion to speak of past challenges with the school district.

When members of the audience confronted Saenz as to why the bill had no plan to improve the district, he responded that the bill only dealt with governance. The rest would come later.

After three meetings, it had been made clear that the issue was whether this mayor would govern the district more efficiently than the board.

As such, I presented my question and statements.

The Mayor of Los Angeles has been in office for one year. He was elected because of the disgraceful condition of pay-to-play City Hall, crime, homelessness, transportation, lack of police officers, street conditions, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, failing social services and the lack of change for the better.

In the San Fernando Valley there have been nine murders in six days. There have been 1,500 robberies in the Valley since January 1st.  These include strong-armed robberies of the elderly on public streets in broad daylight to criminals armed with machine guns holding up local family restaurants.  This is just in the Valley!

Before running for mayor, Villaraigosa stepped down as MTA chairman, leaving a multimillion-dollar deficit. By the way, he left taking no responsibility.

His answer to hiring more police officers was to triple the city trash fees to raise money to hire the officers, as he was unable to find the funds in a city budget of six billion dollars!

With the “venture capitalist” Richard Riordan pouring over one million dollars into the mayor’s committee, it seems not much has changed in the “pay-to-play” department.  

So there you have one mans perspective on the ongoing saga.  Now the question is this: Is this mayor really the man for the job—either job?

David Hernandez is chairman of Republicans for Rational Reform.