Antonio Villaraigosa for Mayor

4LAKids Special: Election Day, May 17, 2005 In This Issue: • Antonio Villaraigosa for Mayor • What can YOU do? Featured Links: • READING TO KIDS: Read to some kids the second Saturday morning each month. Make a difference. Change some lives (including your own!). • The Blueprint for Effective School Reform: MAKING SCHOOLS WORK — Get the Book @ Amazon.com! • THE BEST RESOURCE ON CALIFORNIA SCHOOL FUNDING ON THE WEB: The Sacramento Bee's series "Paying for Schools." • FIVE CENTS MAKES SENSE FOR EDUCATION- Target one nickel from every federal tax dollar for Education. Antonio Villaraigosa for Mayor Good morning. Early this morning, between his plate of pancakes with Richard Riordan at The Pantry and the "photo-op" casting of his vote in our Mount Washington neighborhood I had a conversation with Antonio Villaraigosa. (If all those cameramen and reporters vote there will be a phenomenal turnout!) Councilman Villaraigosa personally assured me that he supports the Glassell Park High School project at Taylor Yards, that he will oppose any other development on that parcel by developer Richard Meruelo — and that he will publicly request that Mr. Meruelo "do the right thing" to get that property to the school district as quickly as possible. Antonio admitted that obviously no politician can be held responsible for all the acts of their supporters …and one must concede that politically this gives Mayor Hahn some cover. Antonio seemed genuinely and sincerely surprised-by and opposed-to the 'shady deal' (my words) at the taxpayers-and-schoolchildren's expense in the Taylor Yards arbitrage; I believe he will act as he promises and that his election as the next Mayor of Los Angeles is in the best interest of Los Angeles and in the public education of the schoolchildren of LAUSD. That's my position – arrived at with a great deal of soul searching and outright revulsion over the mudslinging and innuendo - and I'm sticking with it! But my most important message to all is this: GO VOTE! …and if you can't stomach either candidate write in M. Mouse. Let the registrar-recorder sort out whether you meant Mickey, Minnie or Mighty! —smf What can YOU do? • E-mail, call or write your school board member: Marlene.Canter@lausd.net • 213-241-6387 Jose.Huisar@lausd.net • 213-241-6180 Julie.Korenstein@lausd.net • 213-241-6388 Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382 Mike.Lansing@lausd.net • 213-241-6385 Jon.Lauritzen@lausd.net • 213-241-6386 David.Tokofsky@lausd.net • 213-241-6383 ...or your city councilperson, mayor, assemblyperson, state senator, the governor, member of congress, senator - or the president. Tell them what you really think! • Open the dialogue. Write a letter to the editor. Circulate these thoughts. Talk to the principal and teachers at your local school. • Speak with your friends, neighbors and coworkers. Stay on top of education issues. Don't take my word for it! • Get involved at your neighborhood school. Join your PTA. Serve on a School Site Council. Be there for a child. • Vote. Who are your elected federal & state representatives? How do you contact them? Scott Folsom is a parent and parent leader in LAUSD. He is President-elect of Los Angeles 10th District PTSA and represents PTA on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee. He serves on various school district advisory and policy committees and is a PTA officer and governance council member at three LAUSD schools. He is also the elected Youth & Education boardmember on the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council. • In this forum his opinions are his own and your opinions and feedback are invited. Quoted and/or cited content copyright © the original author and/or publisher. All other material copyright © 4LAKids. • To SUBSCRIBE e-mail: 4LAKids-subscribe@topica.email-publisher.com - or -TO ADD YOUR OR ANOTHER'S NAME TO THE 4LAKids SUBCRIPTION LIST E-MAIL smfolsom@aol.com with "SUBSCRIBE" AS THE SUBJECT. Thank you. • THE 4LAKids ARCHIVE - This and past Issues are available with interactive feedback at http://4lakids.blogspot.com/