redqueeninla ~ a musings locality

Perhaps you’ve heard that Jackie Goldberg is being considered for appointment to Ref Rodriguez’ vacant District 5 School board seat?

The deal is, she won’t run for either a special election or the regular election in 2020 if the LAUSD board will appoint her to Rodriguez’ vacant seat.

If you’re familiar with Jackie Goldberg, you may know her as a 7-times-elected official to LAUSD’s school board, the City of Los Angeles City Council and State of California Assembly.

It’s also possible you’re familiar with her no-holds-barred rebukes at the School Board. This is a person who speaks Truth To Power and is comfortable with it.

Because while frank, she’s not dogmatic and in truth weaves a conciliatory road of compromise and practicality even while seemingly unfazed by belting out that Truth.

You may have heard she is “against” Charters yet that is not true. She is on record supporting Charter Schools, over and over again; yet she also fights for them to be held accountable in the same way as regular public District Schools, to have the same requirements for transparency and the equity that anchors the very foundation of our democracy: Public Education for one and all.

When our current school board members act shocked at accusations of Trumpism among the LAUSD board and snuggling up with plutocrats, even while tacitly condoning or even protecting Rodriguez’ tenure in the midst of accumulating legal corruption charges, there is a rank disconnect with this whole sordid Ref-affair that really doesn’t wash.

Ref Rodriguez withheld disclosure that he was under investigation for felony fraud when he accepted the Chair of LAUSD’s board; he withheld resignation from the board long enough to cast its deciding vote in favor of the controversial selection of a non-Educator as Superintendent. And he hefted this standard for Poor Governance all the while that his fellow board members and local politicos protested the flood of Poor Governance at a national level.

To make good on their protestations of clean politics and an Ideology of Equity, Nick Melvoin, Monica Garcia, Dick Vladovic and Kelly Gonez must come together to appoint Jackie Goldberg to the LAUSD board on Tuesday, August 21.

This will insulate the board from the next utterly bruising campaign for LAUSD5, whether as a special or regular election. For a sitting board member to be involved in the sorts of shenanigans that characterize the new normal board election, would distract and deflect from the Good Governance critical at this moment to our beleaguered school board. On their docket is the threat of strike from our teachers and the dilemma of accounting for future employee benefits, managing equity within a beleaguered system and protecting our students from social winds of change operating at a national-level.

We are amazingly lucky to have a public servant of Jackie Goldberg’s caliber, character and integrity available to serve LAUSD5 in this moment of acute need. She is an actual exemplar of Good Governance who can provide that voice which would Represent and truly Protect LA’s children of all stripes, independent of whatever public school they happen to attend, or the theories, fears or ideology suffusing the adults surrounding them in charge of choosing where it is that they attend.

Appointing Jackie Goldberg to Ref Rodriguez’ seat would address the shortfall in Good Governance that has tainted LAUSD’s school board for quite some while now. She knows how to negotiate complicated problems in a manner fair to all, even when matters are ideologically charged. As a former teacher and State legislator she is thoroughly familiar with the Education Imperative in Los Angeles locally as well as its political context within the State of California.

Please sign this petition, call or email your school board member – indeed perhaps all school board members on Monday, as this decision will come to vote on Tuesday, 8/21/18. Mr. Melvoin, Ms. Garcia, Mr. Vladovic, Ms. Gonez, Mr. McKenna, Mr. Schemerelson – they all of them vote, so they all of them need to hear from you please. Ask them to Appoint Jackie Goldberg To LAUSD5:

LAUSD1, George McKenna: 213-241-6382; Sharon Valear Robinson (Chief of Staff): 213-241-6382
george.mckenna@lausd.net, sharon.v.robinson@lausd.net

LAUSD2, Mónica García: 213-241-6180, fax: 213-241-8459; Lizette Patron (Chief of Staff): 213-241-6021
monica.garcia@lausd.net, lizette.patron@lausd.net

LAUSD3, Scott Schmerelson: 213-241-8333; Arlene Irlando (Chief of Staff): 213-241-8333
scott.schmerelson@lausd.net, arlene.irlando@lausd.net

LAUSD4, Nick Melvoin: 213-241-6387, fax: 213-241-8453; Sarah Angel (Chief of Staff): 213-241-7062
nick.melvoin@lausd.net, sarah.angel@lausd.net

LAUSD6, Kelly Gonez: 213-241-6388, fax: 213-241-8451; Rosemary Duff (Director of Administration): 213-241-6096; Megan Vandenbos (Chief of Staff): 213-241-6388
kelly.gonez@lausd.net, rosemary.duff@lausd.net, megan.vandenbos@lausd.net

LAUSD7, Richard Vladovic: 213-241-6385, fax: 213-241-8452; Chris Torres (Chief of Staff): 213-241-6385
richard.vladovic@lausd.net, chris.torres@lausd.net