The City of L.A. does not have the power to override the State Education Code, but it does have control over its own conditions of land use. Dovetailing with my plan for CUP approval of all new charter schools in the City of L.A. (above), the city could require that new charter school buildings adhere to the very same Field Act and DSA process as district-run schools. For adaptive re-use of buildings, the City could institute its own standards that ensure a different, but still robust level of safety, as well as standards for notices to parents (and attendant legal waivers) that make sure that all parents are aware that such charters are not held to the same level of safety and scrutiny as district-run public schools.
Question 4: Far too many of the LAUSD's schools lack green space. Would you be willing to partner with the district to turn school playgrounds into parks so that they could be used by the public when school is not in session? What other city/school district partnerships do you envision?
Yes! Neighborhood public schools should be hubs of their communities, both when school is in session and when it is out, especially here in CD14, where some of our neighborhoods are the most park-poor in the entire City of Los Angeles.
For years, some schools were already informal public recreation areas: Before 9/11, many campuses gates were left unlocked after hours, allowing the community to use sports fields, basketball courts, and running tracks. But after 9/11, the district did more to keep the public out. Today, the only impediments to community use of school facilities are bureaucratic and fiscal, which means none of them are insurmountable. Few schools are immediately ready for shared access, and those that are likely high schools and middle schools. Even these will require new gates and funds for security and maintenance personnel. At elementary schools, the district and the city must collaborate to test and pay for a green space model that benefits the local school and is purpose-built for shared accessibility. In my neighborhood of Eagle Rock alone, both Eagle Rock Elementary and Dahlia Heights Elementary, which is about to undergo a major renovation, have areas that could be transformed into community green spaces, with the right vision and funding.
Other partnerships:
Grants to schools: The traditional patronage system of Council Districts, where nonprofits like PTAs come to a Councilmember and beg for up to $5,000 annually for their priorities, is archaic, ripe for corruption, and grossly inequitable. I will completely revamp this system, transforming it into a program to grant all public schools in CD14 funds for the needs they come to the Council District for most, including counseling, gardening programs, enrichment, and field trips. This will be an efficient program based on inter-neighborhood equity, where economies of scale will bring down the cost of programs at the individual schools while ensuring that kids in the same neighborhood have the same shared experiences. It will require working in concert with Principals, teachers, and community members, and I look forward to this new kind of partnership.
Community Schools: I support the Community Schools program at LAUSD, and the City of LA can be a partner to aid in the transformation of CD14 schools who wish to become Community Schools, with funding for wraparound services; help with parent and community engagement strategies, including providing staff and venues for meetings; and coordination for recreational and sports activities that take place on school campuses. The greening of school campuses, and the opening of them to the neighborhood during non-school hours, is a program that can be folded into the Community Schools model.
After school programs: As technology in the classroom becomes ubiquitous, an assumption of access to the same technology at home is creating an uneven playing field for students. We need many more after school programs for teens who need internet access to complete their homework assignments, a significant expansion of city-funded "study halls" based at parks and recreation centers, where kids can get their homework done free of distractions.
Family and adult literacy programming at City Libraries: Reading is a necessary skill for leading an independent life. We must reinvigorate our libraries with updated facilities and relevant, neighborhood-led, family-friendly literacy programming.
Trees: The LAUSD Maintenance and Operations department is underfunded and overworked, and reluctant to increase the number of trees in and around campuses. The City of L.A. can partner with LAUSD and neighborhood school principals by increasing the tree canopy on City property around schools and providing the workforce to assist in the establishment and maintenance of new trees.
Solar and DWP: The City can access funds for renewable energy and create partnerships with LAUSD by installing solar panels over LAUSD parking lots and roofs of buildings, and adding charging stations for EVs near schools that can eventually be used to top off electric school buses when they join the LAUSD fleet. This work will be especially important if LAUSD is going to meet its goal of achieving 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2030. As the next Councilmember for CD14, I'll answer LAUSD's call for "city [...] officials and agencies to work alongside the District in taking swift, effective action on climate change to protect current and future students, their families, and the communities in which they live."
Public transit: Another example of the disconnect between LAUSD and City departments is discussions of DASH bus routes at LADOT, where ridership statistics are not weighted to account for spikes at school start and end times; if the overall ridership averaged across a day or week is not within limits, then the route is considered for elimination. I will advocate for an increase in DASH service specifically to decrease car ridership to and from school and for short work commutes, starting with school-centric routes through the DTLA Historic Core to 9th Street Elementary and Contreras, Belmont, and Downtown Business Magnet High Schools. With better, cleaner, and faster public transit options, the City of LA can do more for families living in CD14 to recognize that they have excellent public school options just a few minutes away.
The campaign also provided this bio:
Cyndi was born in Council District 14 and is the child of Korean immigrants. She's a businesswoman, nonprofit founder, former Neighborhood Council VP, and proud public school parent of two adorable kids.
Through her service on the Neighborhood Council, she fostered a passion for public service and saw the power of local government to help people in need and facilitate a thriving neighborhood. Through her leadership at the nonprofit Miry's List, she combatted the hate and distrust of the refugee community perpetrated by America's national leadership and has activated over 75,000 Americans to help welcome over 320 new arrival families since 2016.
She never thought she would ever run for public office, but when Cyndi saw two career politicians running for CD 14, she felt an urgency to throw her hat in the ring. Thanks to a swell of grassroots support, the city's 6-to-1 matching funds program, and Cyndi's own work ethic she is now a serious contender in this historic race.
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