"I am running because every child deserves the opportunity to achieve their dreams, and every neighborhood deserves a public school that opens its doors to those children." - Rocà o RivasWith ballots already in the hands of the voters, the Los Angeles City Clerk has provided a resource for voters to become more informed. Every candidate was given the opportunity to submit a video where they could appeal directly to the voters who they would represent in office. These are now posted on the Clerk's website along with a transcript, contact information, and the address for the candidate's website.
Those making a decision in LAUSD Board District 4 are out of luck as none of the three candidates bothered to participate in the program. Incumbent Nick Melvoin and his two challengers, Tracey Schroeder and Gentille Barkhordarian, do not seem prepared to earn the votes that they are requesting.
In comparison, all of the candidates in LAUSD Board District 2 respected the voters enough to spend the time needed to create these videos. Voters seeking additional information can hear directly from Rocà o Rivas, Miguel Angel Segura, Maria Brenes, and Erica Vilardi-Espinosa.
Kelly Gonez, the incumbent in LAUSD Board District 6, continued her silence as she continued with a re-election strategy that appears to be centered on running out the clock. Challenger Jess Arana is also listed as having "No Video Provided." The only candidate that the voters can hear from is Marvin A. Rodriguez.
It should also be noted that the front runners in the mayor's race also refused to participate in this program. They want to lead the second-largest city in the country, but could not prioritize the couple of hours it would have taken to record these messages to the voters. Videos can be found for Alex Gruenenfelder Smith, Andrew Kim, Gina Viola, and Mel Wilson.
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.
