Appointing a non-Latino candidate like Goldberg to the seat, even temporarily, "is definitely not in the spirit of the law... It would seem contrary to what LAUSD's own commission did" when it drew the district. - Charter School Advocate Michael Trujillo
Michael Trujillo is a "Democratic Strategist" who often works on the campaigns of charter school-supported candidates, including LAUSD Board President Kelly Gonez and self-described "Vice-President" Nick Melvoin. He assisted Melvoin's astroturf group, Speak Up, when they helped to block the temporary appointment of Jackie Goldberg. She had been selected to replace convicted felon Ref Rodriguez on the board so that District 5 could be represented while a special election was held. Trujillo's reasoning was that despite formerly serving on the school board, city council, and state assembly (as chair of the education committee), Goldberg was not qualified to represent the Hispanic-majority district because she does not share this heritage. The voters disagreed and elected Goldberg to represent them in both the special election and the following election by wide margins.
In a recent Twitter exchange, Trujillo attempted to defend Melvoin staffer Allison Holdorff Polhill from accusations that she used LAUSD facilities in her campaign for the city council. In doing so, he did not deny that the pictures used on her candidate website were taken on the grounds of Palisades Charter High School, an LAUSD-owned facility. Instead, he maintains that the pictures were taken in 2016, which is before she was hired by Melvoin as his Chief Advisor.
If Trujillo, who seems to suggest that he is speaking on behalf of the Polhill campaign, is correct, then the candidate also violated ethics rules during her campaign in the 2017 school board election. While she was not a district employee at the time, her campaign website states that she served as a member of the Board of Trustees for Palisades Charter High School. Using her position to access LAUSD facilities for campaign purposes would be a violation of her fiduciary duty. The fact that Melvoin would ignore this violation when hiring her also calls his judgment into question.
Trujillo also states in his tweets that Pohill "took a leave from district [SIC] as of Nov. 30th". This information contradicts the candidate's website, which states that she "currently serves as chief advisor" to Melvoin. Even if Trujillo's information is accurate, a leave would mean that "she is [still] with the district", just temporarily relieved of her duties. Only separating entirely would resolve the conflict of interest that is presented by her candidacy.
According to an email received from the Secretary of the Pacific Palisades Community Council, "Ms. Polhill has [also] not served as the PPCC Education Advisor since October 2021, when she determined to become a candidate for CD 11." She was asked who Polhill was representing when she was advising the council, but no response was received.
This new information further amplifies the need for the LAUSD's Inspector General to conduct a quick and thorough investigation of Pohill's political activities, starting from her time on the Palisades Charter High School's Board of Trustees. The stakeholders of both Board District 4 and City Council District 11 deserve the answers before they go to the polls in June 2022.
Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for students with special education needs and public education. He is an elected member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and serves as the Education Chair. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him "a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles." For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.
