Change The LAUSD

The Neighborhood Council Valley View Needs to Provide Equal Access For All Candidates in the LAUSD Board, District 3 Race

Neighborhood Councils are quasi-government organizations that have a “mission of increasing civic participation and making government more responsive to local needs.” Public engagement during the upcoming municipal elections is particularly important and these councils should be commended for hosting candidates in the runup to the the March 3, election. However, this must be done in a way that ensures that government resources are not being used to “‘take sides’ in election contests or bestow an unfair advantage on one of several competing factions.” For this reason, “all candidates..,must be be invited with sufficient notice” to any candidate forum sponsored by a neighborhood council.

The Neighborhood Council Valley Village (NCVV) has announced that LAUSD Board Member Tamar Galatzan will be the guest speaker at their meeting tonight. While NCVV states that “Tamar’s presentation was never intended to be associated in any way with the election. And she is regularly invited to speak at our Board,” this is a clear violation of the rules governing neighborhood councils. Ms. Galatzan is a candidate in the upcoming election and she will be giving “a brief presentation about the latest LAUSD updates,” which is what the election is about. All candidates should be given the opportunity to discuss what Steve Lopez from the Los Angeles Times has called “a disastrous year” for the LAUSD.

Carl Petersen is running for LAUSD School Board District 3 to give voice to the students, parents and teachers of the district. He is a father of five, including two daughters on the autism spectrum. With four children still enrolled in the district he understands the challenges facing the district and has a direct stake in seeing them addressed. He is currently the Director of Logistics for a manufacturer of security cameras in Glendale where he has been employed for the past nine years. For additional information please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com or call Carl Petersen at 818-869-0309.

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