"The most important office, and the one which all of us can and should fill, is that of private citizen."
-- - Louis Brandeis
Los Angeles School Board elections, backed by spending from outside billionaires and unions, are the costliest in the country. Expenditures in these races can easily outstrip those that decide seats on the City Council. With the November election still two months away, candidates have already spent $2,727,962.81 trying to secure the Western San Fernando Valley's Board District 3 seat.
Unfortunately for voters, they get very little actual information from all the money that is spent trying to secure their votes. Their text feeds are clogged with unsolicited messages while their phones ring incessantly with push "polls" designed to implant negative information about the opponent. Letter Carriers earn their wages delivering stacks of flyers loaded with baseless attacks, vague promises, and questionable biographical information. At least the California Charter School Association (CCSA) has refrained (so far) from engaging in anti-semitic attacks during this year's campaign.
In an attempt to provide the electorate with the information they need to make a decision, the Education Committee of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council (NENC) will host a Candidate Forum on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at 9:00 AM. The event will be held over Zoom and can be accessed by using this link. Incumbent Scott Schmerelson and his challenger, Dan Chang, have confirmed that they will appear.
While pre-registration is not required, attendees are asked to RSVP at https://bit.ly/BD3_RSVP. This form also provides an opportunity to suggest questions. Questions should be submitted before 8:00 PM on Thursday, September 12. Those not asked during the forum will be forwarded to the candidates so that they have the option to provide an answer.
The Candidate Forum is part of the NENC's regularly scheduled monthly meeting which takes place on the second Saturday at 9:00 AM. Topics that have been discussed include the delivery of Special Education services, school safety, PROP-39 over-allocation fees, and inclusion and diversity. The committee also provides advice to the Governing Board for Neighborhood Purpose Grants related to education. You can sign up to receive agendas for the meetings at https://nenc-la.org/.
Scott Mark Schmerelson
Ballot Designation: Teacher/Counselor/Boardmember
Email: scott4lausd2024|AT|gmail.comEmail address
Website: www.scottforlausd.org
Responses to questions about District issues: PROP-39, Governance, Student Safety.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
