Jennifer Solis

Hitting the Politically Correct Lottery

2006-11-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

By Jennifer Solis

Congratulations to firefighter Tennie Pierce, the latest winner of the politically correct lottery, as well as City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, for not having the courage to fight such a ridiculous claim.

The $2.7-million of Los Angeles taxpayers’ money, which could have bought considerable equipment to save the lives of those engaged in this most dangerous of professions, will instead be squandered in the retribution for a harmless practical joke. It also opens the door wider for similar frivolous claims in the future.

Pierce, a six foot, five inch, star volleyball player for his Westchester fire station, liked to call himself “the Big Dog,” and continually chided his fellow players to “feed the Big Dog,” so he could spike the ball.

One of his fellow firemen, jokingly took it literally and added some real dog food to Pierce’s spaghetti dinner two years ago. The two fire captains at the firehouse were also in on the prank.

Practical jokes such as this are a common, and necessary form of diversion for those engaged in one of the most hazardous professions. The stress of such a job is a continuous drain on both emotions and physical health. The pranks are also a bonding exercise for those who must put their lives in the hands of their buddies.

The fact that Pierce was African American had nothing to do with the prank, but a “smart” lawyer wasted no time in making a case for racial discrimination. When the incident was reported to the Fire Department administration, there was the necessary investigation which ended up suspending the two captains for a month without pay.

It didn’t take long before there was a claim, preceding a lawsuit, demanding millions for mental distress and misconduct. Of course, those who were in on the practical joke were not sued – it was the deep pockets of the City of Los Angeles which made a more attractive target.

When the recommendation of the City Attorney was handed to the City Council last Wednesday, only Councilman Dennis Zine had the courage to cast a vote against what he called “absolutely ridiculous.” The 33-year veteran of the city’s police pointed out that the prank had not resulted in any physical or mental harm, and was typical of his own career experience.

College fraternities engage in far worse hazing of their brothers. The members of a fire station are like an extended family. Most people play pranks on those they like and admire. Pierce himself was known as one of the most engaged jokesters at his fire station.

Pierce will retire next April as part of the settlement. Will there be the usual testimonial dinner, honoring a comrade for years of service? Probably not. Instead, he will leave his honored profession in disgrace – a Judas to his fellow firemen, and money-grubbing leech on the taxpayers of Los Angeles who won’t forget this egregious waste of funds the next time the department needs equipment or a deserved raise in pay.

Well done, Tennie. I hope you enjoy your windfall.

What is the future for high school exit exam?

2006-05-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

An Alameda County judge says he will rule Friday on the future of California’s high school exit exam (CAHSEE), but he has already indicated that an injunction will probably allow high school seniors who have failed the test to graduate with their class. School districts, he said, will be allowed to indicate on diplomas if a student has passed the exit exam.

Arturo Gonzalez, the San Francisco attorney who filed the lawsuit in February, on behalf of several students, alleges that the CAHSEE is unfair to students of low income families, ethnic minorities and non-native English speakers who go to schools with fewer resources and sub-par teachers.

The lawsuit asks for a preliminary injunction that would prevent the state’s high schools from denying diplomas to students who have not passed the test, until California ensures that “every student has an equal chance to prepare for it.”

The two-part test requires a knowledge of 8th grade level math and 9th to 10th grade level English. Students can begin taking the exam as sophomores, and again multiple times through their senior year, and must answer correctly little more than half the answers in each section to pass.

In previous years, according to education department figures, about 50,000, or 13-percent of high school seniors, fail to graduate for various reasons. This does not include those who have dropped out of school previously, before the 12th grade. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has added $20-million to his proposed state budget to provide extra resources to help students pass the CAHSEE.

An estimated 46,768 high school seniors in California, about 10.7-percent of the total, have not passed the CAHSEE, or are waiting for results of tests taken this week or in March. Those that passed either of those examinations will not have their results in time for next month’s graduations. Special education students (about 22,300 in the state) already have a one-year reprieve as part of a settlement from another lawsuit.

Of the total who have failed, 83-percent are from low income families, and 71-percent are classified as English learners. The Los Angeles Unified School district has 5,280, or18-percent of its seniors, who have not passed the exit examination. About 19-percent of African American seniors have not passed the CAHSEE, compared with about 4-percent of non-Hispanic Caucasians.

The state’s school superintendent, Jack O’Connell, was a state senator in March 1999, when the Legislature passed his bill establishing the exam. It was supposed to be a graduation requirement for high school seniors graduating in 2004, but was postponed for two years because about 13-percent of that class failed to pass.

O’Connell now calls the exit exam “a cornerstone of California’s school accountability system.”

No matter how Alameda County Superior Court Judge Robert B. Freedman rules on Friday, the losing side will appeal. The following week, Freedman will hear a related lawsuit brought by Public Advocates, which claims the state education department failed to timely investigate alternatives to the state exit exam. Public Advocates recently won a $1-billion settlement regarding equal access to education in California schools.

Although a high school diploma is not a necessary requirement to enter a community college, it is required to receive state financial aid, including a Cal Grant, which is popular for low-income students. Once a student completes 60 units of transferable credits, he or she can enter California’s state universities. The University of California can also admit freshmen who have a very high grade point average, but don’t have a high school diploma nor have passed the CAHSEE.

Community colleges already spend millions of dollars on remedial classes for students who lack basic English and math skills. They must pass these classes before continuing with college level work.

Despite spending over $8,000 per student, California has the largest class sizes in the nation above third grade. Add to that the institutionalized theory of social promotion – the feel-good idea of moving along a failing student to the next grade so that self-esteem does not suffer, and it is no wonder that most students arrive at high school unprepared for ninth grade work.

The state cannot administer a uniform test unless it delivers uniform preparation. The purpose should not be to embarrass students, or compare school districts, but rather to set a standard floor, below which they cannot be recognized as having achieved the educational level required for a state high school diploma. The position of the governor and superintendent of schools is that they have the power, along with the approval of the legislature, to set such a standard.

The mentality of the lawsuit is that it is unfair to compare one human being with another, because it is inherently unfair to the student that loses in that comparison. The legality of the challenge is that the level of the delivery of the state’s education does not meet the same standards throughout the state. For example, the level of education is not the same in East Los Angeles as it is in Woodland Hills.

The question is, since ninety percent of the state’s high school seniors have passed the test, what would be considered an unacceptable rate of failure? Five percent? One percent? Or just one student? Should the state design a test that is certain to be passed by every student taking it? Should this decision be made by a lawyer (now a judge), or an educator, with the affirmation of the elected legislature?

Do we give a diploma simply for showing up for class for 12 years and having achieved a barely passing average of grades?

By setting the level of achievement for the CAHSEE at 8th to 10th grade standards, the exam completely ignores English and math skills taught in 11th and 12th grades. Moreover, the student can be wrong on more than a third of the answers, and still pass.

Just how much have we made life failure proof? In ancient generations, if you could not plant a crop, or had hunting skills – you starved. Even more recently, if you didn’t develop the life skills necessary to be either self-employed, or worth hiring for a wage, you lived in poverty. Modern society is more compassionate, and has developed numerous safety nets, so that one can go through life, knowing almost nothing, including the ability to communicate.

No one will argue that there is an unequal application of education. If you are unlucky enough to live in the boundary of schools that are less motivated for success, and have no vouchers to transfer to a private education, you’re trapped. The only option is to get your family to move. For the poor, that is probably not an option.

Standardized tests are the only known indicator for comparing the success of schools, but the under-performing schools are also trapped by the demographics of their neighborhoods. Students that travel long distances, such as from downtown to the Valley, for a better education, are again disadvantaged by the hundreds of hours commuting – time that could have been spent doing homework, or participating in motivational school activities.

The educational standards have been dumbed down so much in the past half century, largely because we have imported poverty through unrestricted immigration. For most English learners, the only exposure they get is a few hours listening to a teacher. As soon as they leave class and enter the hallways, take lunch, socialize after school and return home, they hear and speak only their native language. For Hispanics, the only television they hear is Spanish language. Under such conditions, how can any school succeed in teaching English fluency, especially to the degree that they could understand, much less pass examinations?

Many test critics would like to de-emphasize the math requirements, but it is well known that it exercises and utilizes the same critical thinking and problem solving skills that are necessary in every aspect of life. Such notable entry level employers like McDonald’s have already given up on this expectancy by putting pictures of the food items on their cash register keys.

Even if English is not officially the language of the United States – and many believe it should be – it is the common thread of our society on many levels. It doesn’t matter if one speaks with an accent.

Employers will soon ask job prospects, not if they have a high school diploma, but rather if, and perhaps how well, they did on the CAHSEE. Will the ACLU then step in and sue for employment discrimination?

Standardized testing is to education, what a physical examination is to an autopsy. Whatever happened to Jefferson’s meritocracy?

L.A. Attorneys to the Rescue of Jailed Illegals

2006-05-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles-based Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRC) has been called on by the Mexican Consul General to defend scores of “document challenged” immigrants now being arrested in Maricopa County, Arizona under a state human trafficking law.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio (pictured) has formed a posse of 100 volunteers from his 3,000 reserve deputies to enforce the recently-passed law against smuggling. Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas has interpreted the legislation to include not only the “coyotes,” but those who “smuggled themselves” across the border.
Los Angeles attorney, of the CHRC, says he will file tomorrow (May 5th) a motion to dismiss the charges, claiming Maricopa is violating federal immigration law. A hearing will be held May 23rd by Superior Court Judge Thomas O’Toole, and whatever he decides, it is likely to be appealed to a higher court.
Arpaio gained notoriety in the past few years for his tent city jail, where inmates are organized into chain gangs, wear stripped uniforms and pink underwear. His tent jail can hold up to 2,000 prisoners. He announced that “it’s important to send the message out, to stay in Mexico, and don’t come roaming around here hoping you’re going to get amnesty.”
Rep. Jonathan Paton (R-Tucson), who co-wrote the smuggling law, predicts “It’s going to be a big battle at the court,” and that lawmakers will have to review how much jailing the violators will cost. Sheriff Arpaio brags that he is feeding his inmates for 14-cents a meal. Maricopa is Arizona’s largest county.
On Tuesday morning, a Ford Windstar was stopped near Gila Bend for expired California license tags. There were 16 people packed inside, being smuggled into the country. The driver jumped out and ran, but was found hiding in a dumpster.
The law enforcement sweep has also resulted in several drug seizures that were headed for Los Angeles. Arizona has become the main area of illegal entry since the 14-mile wall was built near San Diego

What Message Will May Day Protest Send?

2006-04-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

I was invited to attend a “teach-in” this evening of one of the organizations planning the May 1st celebration of International Workers’ Day, aka “A Day Without Immigrants.”

The protest next Monday will encourage all immigrants, legal and illegal, to refrain from going to work, to school, or making any purchases. Looks like the stores will be crowded on Sunday.

I was asked if I could accompany one of the leaders to Belmont High School to meet with the administration to get permission to leaflet the campus in order to advertise the event. I asked the leader, “What will you say when we are asked if we are going to encourage students to skip classes on Monday?”

After a few seconds of silent contemplation, he responded that it is important to make a statement that there should be justice for all immigrants. When I pressed him again, if that statement includes asking Los Angeles students to not attend school, he said, “Yes, that’s our goal.”

Many of those at the session started questioning if this was really a good idea. I reminded them of the effect of seeing all the Mexican flags at the March 25th march downtown, and suggested that promoting truancy might have the same negative effect.

We decided that it would be better to have the students stay in school Monday, and at the 3:24 pm dismissal, to have a bus parked in front to take anyone who wanted to participate in a march starting at MacArthur Park at 4 o’clock, organized by the Koreans and CHIRLA and a few other groups.

I was told that Cardinal Roger Mahony had agreed to be present at the MacArthur Park rally. I can’t believe that he will show up. The prelate is about one strike away from being indicted for his role in the pedophile priests cover-up. I suspect that rather than show up at a public rally, he is holed up with his computer checking out Expedia for a one-way ticket to Vatican City. But that’s another subject.

There is a deep division among, and within, organizations planning the May 1st protest. Many companies have already notified their employees that if they miss work on Monday, then don’t bother to show up on Tuesday, or any other day. If the message to American is to stress how important immigrant labor is to the country, is it not counter-productive to withhold that labor for the sake of a protest?

Some firms are closing down on Monday to support their employee’s desire to participate in something they believe to be important to themselves and their families. They simply shifted next week’s work schedule to be from Tuesday thru Saturday. Many schools are allowing their students to come to class the following Saturday, in order not to be classified as truant.

No word yet if the State Board of Education will dock the LAUSD its ADA funds for Monday absences, even if class time is made up on Saturday. No one believes that a few hours on Saturday will make up for a lost full day of learning.

I could be wrong, but I believe that all of these marches and protests have simply galvanized most of America, and especially the African-American population, about the negative aspects of illegal immigration. We’re not just talking about the most visible Hispanics marching in the streets – but also the millions who have overstayed their temporary visas, and the almost half-million for whom there are already deportation warrants yet to be executed.

When I asked the group if the compromise for obtaining amnesty would include acceptance of a border wall that not even a cockroach could cross, everyone in the room had an excuse why this was unfair. Other than the obvious “reconquistas,” who don’t recognize such a border, these immigration “rights” leaders have not yet come to the political reality that you can’t have one without the other.

Baaaaaaaaaa-d Advertising

2006-04-24T00:56:00.000-07:00

My best prediction for this summer travel will be an increase in roadside advertising featuring sheep and other animals wearing jackets with company logos. This “sheepvertisement” started in the Netherlands, and is spreading to the British Isles.

How long will the idea take to reach California, and specifically northern Los Angeles county?

Of course, PETA and the other “cruelty to animals” will object. The ACLU may even file a lawsuit or two, but on which side? Freedom of speech?

We see humans standing on street corners either wearing “sandwich” signs, or spinning those ridiculous cardboard arrows touting the newest apartment complex. I’ll bet a sign on a large animal would attract at least as much, or more attention – and the required benefits and wage taxes are bound to be less.

The hotel chain in the Netherlands which pioneered the sheepvertising says it has increased business this year by more than 15-percent. The only known opposition has come from the mayor of Skarstelan, who claims it violates restrictions on roadside advertising. He threatened to fine the company one euro per day per sheep.

Hotels.nl director Michael Nagel says he’ll pay the fine, if forced to – it’s still worth it. And besides, Nagel claims, the scheme benefits the local farmers with extra income. The blankets help keep the lambs warmer in winter months, and keep most of the fleece clean, which makes it more valuable. It also keeps the meat on a meat lamb in better shape.

Actually, the sheep aren’t doing anything different than we humans, wearing company logos on our clothes – buying a “_____” sweatshirt in order to promote sweatshops in Indonesia. And there is that immutable axiom of advertising: “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”

Next, we’ll probably see black leather model blankets, with zippers and metal studs, to scare the wolves. The farmer can retire his dog.

Mayor Would Subordinate School Board to Superintendent

2006-04-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

It took Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa about 25 minutes into his 35-minute State of the City speech this evening, to get to what everybody was waiting to hear – his plans to reshape the Los Angeles Unified School District.

He proposed two major changes in how the three-quarter million student school district will be run, if he can get the state legislature, and possibly the district’s voters, to change the charter under which the LAUSD is operated.

The mayor would turn control of the district over to the superintendent, with the elected school board reduced to being simply a clearinghouse for complaints and parental input.

A council of local mayors, with the Los Angeles mayor having by far the most power, since the control is population proportional, will hire and fire the superintendent, and set the budget.

This plan would run on a six year trial basis, after which the state legislature could change or end the experiment.

Here are some of the quotes from the mayor’s message on the LAUSD:

“Unless we solve the crisis in our schools, we shall never truly hold ourselves to account.

“We can’t be a great global city if we lose half of our work force before they graduate from high school… Eighty-one percent of middle school students are trapped in failing schools.

“We won’t tap our talent – L.A. won’t be one city if we just shrug our shoulders and adopt the path of least resistance.

“We need to make our schools more accountable by giving the superintendent far greater operational control. We need to change the funding equation and move resources from the downtown bureaucracy to the classroom.

“We need to abandon the one size fits all approach and give educators the freedom to innovate. Teachers should be respected as professionals. We need to trim the fat and beef up teacher pay.

“Every great school must have a great leader. We need a new principal leadership academy to develop a new generation of school leaders.

“Schools should control their own budget. More power should devolve to principals, teachers and parents in their [own] neighborhood.

“We need to lengthen the school day and the [school] year, and compensate teachers for that time.

“We need to genuinely engage parents as partners, with respect. We need a parent resource center and a parent coordinator in every single school.

“We need to substantially increase the number of charter schools in L.A.

“We need to replace the culture of low expectations with a culture of accountability and respect – that means uniforms, that send our kids a message that they’re in school to learn, and that we’re all on the same team. That means a parent compact, that spell out their rights, and their responsibilities to be actively engaged in their children’s education.

“We need to reinvent vocational education and give our kids more job based skills.

“We need to better coordinate city and school district efforts… by bringing cutting edge law enforcement tools, like “ComStat” in and around school campuses to guarantee our schools are free from crime and gangs.

“We need to expand after school programs, and work together on joint use to transform schools into neighborhood centers.

“We need to wake up, and shake up the bureaucracy at the LAUSD. So today, I’m asking the California Legislature to usher in a new era of progressive reform in the state’s largest school district… based on five key principles:

1 – “The buck needs to stop at the top; fragmentation is failing our kids. Voters need to be able to hire and fire, one person accountable to parents, teachers and taxpayers – a leader who is ultimately responsible for system-wide performance.

2 – “All of the cities in L.A. Unified need to be fully engaged, and given a fair voice in the process.

3 – “We need to give the superintendent the power and authority to lead and manage fundamental change.

4 – “We need to preserve the voters’ voice – an elected school board, with powers designed to serve the needs of parents, not politicians.

5 – “We need to strengthen and invigorate the charter school movement, both to give families more choices, and to keep positive pressure on the school bureaucracy.

“My proposal will give the mayors of the cities in L.A. Unified a new oversight role in {school] district affairs. A council of mayors, with proportional representation, will oversee the hiring and firing of the superintendent, and approve the budget. This proposal will add accountability by giving the superintendent, not the school board, the authority to direct personnel decisions, grant charters, develop the budget, and design and manage the instructional program.

“It will preserve the current elected school board, but it will define and redefine its responsibilities. They [school board members] will be put directly in the service of L.A.’s parents… The elected board will continue to oversee disciplinary and transfer appeals … we will ask them to be advocates for parents and the communities they serve.

“They will review complaints, create school accountability report cards, conduct an annual survey of parents, and make recommendations based on the results. Their ultimate charge will be to help parents navigate through the system and solve problems with their kids’ schools.

“We’ll ask the Legislature to make these changes on a trial basis, with six years to show progress and results. We’ll measure what we did, and how we did it, and we’ll hold ourselves accountable as well.

Addressing teachers at the close of his speech, the Mayor stated “I know that this proposal will raise some concern, and spark some controversy. Change is never comfortable. I understand your fear. It’s hard to risk what you’ve got, when you’ve never had what you deserve.

“I believe that any serious effort to improve our schools begins and ends with you. I’ve been fighting for public education my entire life. It was a public school that gave me a second chance, and a public school teacher that showed me the path to success. The teachers’ union gave me a job, but more importantly, they gave me a calling…We will never fix our schools, without raising respect and reward for the teaching profession.

Will Cardinal Mahony Obey Court Ruling?

2006-04-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal by Cardinal Roger Mahony (Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County, 05-1017), will His Eminence release the files on pedophile priests Michael Baker and George Miller to District Attorney Steve Cooley?

The prosecutor has been trying to obtain 14 church counseling records dealing with allegations of child molestation. Similar records are also being sought in hundreds of lawsuits filed by sexual abuse victims, including more than 500 in California alone. The records might contain details from the priests’ confessions and treatment.

Cooley stated today that “It’s unfortunate that it took four years of litigation to reach this day of justice for victims. The U.S. Supreme Court’s denial to review this matter establishes an important principle that evidence of criminality be made to appropriate authorities.”

Cardinal Mahony has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of church funds to fight this case, and there is no indication yet that he will not continue the legal battle to protect what he has claimed is “privileged” information, despite that fact that there is no such “privilege” is either civil or canon (church) law. It exists only in the minds of the Cardinal and his attorneys.

Meanwhile, father Baker continues to sit in county jail, after having been arrested at the airport, returning from a trip to Thailand.. Retired father Miller was arrested at his home in Oxnard in 2002 and held on $500,000 bail. Baker had confessed his actions in 1986 and was sent for counseling for six months, and returned to his ministry in 2002.

A spokesman for the Catholic Church said today that the court ruling “will have no effect on the ongoing efforts of the Archdiocese to settle the civil cases through mediation.” Does that mean, if the church can come up with enough money to pay off the hundreds of lawsuits, the church won’t have to release the records? Not likely. The victims and their attorneys have gone beyond the point of simply seeking restitution.

The experience of the Boston Archdiocese, much smaller than Los Angeles, presents a good profile of what we can expect in the near future. Boston Cardinal Bernard F. Law had taken the position that reports of pedophilia were simply “isolated incidents,” but as more and more victims came forward, it soon became clear that the clergy abuse was a systemic problem, kept out of the public eye by an elaborate culture of secrecy, deception and intimidation. Victims were either ignored or paid off.

Accused priests were quietly transferred from parish to parish, or sent for brief periods of psychological counseling. Cardinal Law and his deputies had detailed information on the archdiocese’s most serious molesters. By the end of 2002, over 1,200 priests had been accused nationwide, and five U.S. prelates, including Law, had been forced to resign.

What happed to Law? He is now head of a Basilica in Rome and an active member of several Papal commissions. Meanwhile, 550 abuse victims in Boston were paid $85-million in a 2003 settlement.

But it could be worse. The Maine Supreme Court last Friday ruled that the state must release its investigative records of 18 pedophile priests to the newspapers, in a suit brought by the Portland Press Herald. Although much of the criminality is beyond the statute of limitations, the fallout of this information is expected to have an adverse effect on the local parishes.

As for Cardinal Mahony, he is caught between what he believes to be a bishop’s duty to be a father to his priests, and to be especially compassionate to them, and his responsibility to his community and its laws designed to protect those to whom his priests minister.

He has lost sight far too long of the gaping wounds inflicted on vulnerable young people, their families and the confidence and trust of the laity. Some of his shepherds ran with the wolves.

Not the sports page anymore – it’s the police blotter

2006-04-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

A sexual assault case that brings up uncomfortable recent memories for Los Angeles sports fans will go before a grand jury in North Carolina tomorrow, April 17th. In the past three years L.A. has endured three such rape accusations, against two USC football players and a Lakers basketball star.

Even though all of the above were never found guilty, the charges themselves created considerable disruption and embarrassment to their school and teams, and became a source of racial tension. If the accused Duke University lacrosse players are not indicted by the grand jury, the city of Durham expects a similar unrest to the verdict in the Rodney King case in L.A.

The Duke athletes are caucasian, mostly from upscale towns in New York and New Jersey. Their accuser is a 27-year-old black woman, who works as a call girl to support herself and two children. She was one of two women hired from an “escort service” to strip dance at a team party the night of March 13th for $800.

According to the police investigation, news of which has been coming almost daily for the past month, the women arrived at the back door of a house, rented from Duke University by the three lacrosse team captains, at about 11:50 pm. One of the women (the accuser in this case) was quite drunk, and had cuts and bruises on her legs and face. This was shown by time-stamped photos taken at the party.

What happened in the next hour has not been clearly revealed, but at 12:53 am, a telephone call came in to 911 stating that a man at 610 Buchanan Blvd. (site of the party) had called her and her friend a racial slur. The police showed up two minutes later, but couldn’t find the woman who called 911. The police left at 1:06 am.

At 1:22 am, a security guard at a nearby Kroger grocery calls 911, to complain that there is a woman intoxicated in a car in his parking lot. The police arrive at 1:32 am. When they talk to the woman, she says she was raped at the Buchanan address. She is taken to a hospital where she is swabbed from head to foot for DNA samples.

Next week, the 46 white members of the lacrosse team were required to submit DNA samples to the North Carolina state crime laboratory. The comparison results came back negative on everyone.

The Durham district attorney, Mike Nifong, who is running for re-election May 2nd against two challengers, in this predominantly black city, was quoted as saying, “For most of the years I’ve been doing this, we didn’t have DNA. We had to deal with sexual assault cases the good old-fashioned way. Witnesses got on the stand and told what happen to them.”

Among the revelations coming out of Nifong’s office is that a third of the lacrosse team members have had previous run-ins with the law, including underage drinking, possession of an open container, late night disturbances and urinating in public.

According to a 2002 police report, the accuser gave a taxi driver a lap dance at a Durham strip club, then stole his car and led police on a high speed chase into the next county, where a sheriff deputy said that she tried to run over him. Her blood-alcohol level registered at more than twice the legal limit. She was able to bargain the charges down to a fine and probation.

Since the March 13th incident, Duke University has fired the lacrosse team coach, suspended the rest of the team’s schedule and joined with the mostly black local college, N.C. Central University, where the accuser is a student, in forums and community meetings to try to put a lid on the current racial tension in Durham.

Complicating this effort are campaigns by supporters of both the accuser and the Duke players to win public opinion to their side. One of the largest betting sites on the Internet was taking wagers on how many of the DNA tests would come back positive. Four matches gave odds at 4:1, seven to fifteen matches were listed at 15:1. The wagering was linked under “exotic props.”

Photographs of the accuser have also surfaced showing her returning to the Buchanan house, posing smiling, and lying down on the back porch. At an April 3rd candle light vigil, many speakers condemned the alleged assault. “Nobody deserves to be raped,” shouted Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP.

Protestors handed out flyers with the names and photos of the entire Duke lacrosse team, and taped them to garbage cans in front of the student union.

Next to “immigration” and “dump Bush,” the controversy continues to be the most talked about issue on the nation’s campuses, and will not go away, regardless of tomorrow’s decision by the Durham grand jury.

NEXT – PART TWO – The high rate of sexual assault cases among college athletes

Car Thief Hits Lottery, Posthumously

2006-04-13T23:29:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Brian Dunn, attorney for the family of teenage car thief Devin Brown, who tried to run over a policeman a year ago, and was shot by the officer trying to protect himself . I hope the few hundred thousand dollars you and the Cochran law firm will receive as a result of the expected $1.5-million settlement from the taxpayers of Los Angeles is worth the damage this and similar cases have done to urban law enforcement.

Our mayor wants to hire a thousand new officers. Even though your picture will never be on a recruiting advertisement, you will certainly be on the minds of young citizens as they choose a career of service to protect society from the hoodlums whose favor you seek.

That goes double for the jelly backboned police commission which can’t make up its mind whether a cop is supposed to use his training and God-given judgment to make a life-and-death decision, or call “time out” so he can consult a policy manual of obtuse regulations.

What is a cop supposed to do now, if a criminal drives a car toward him? Even if it’s going only two miles an hour, it’s still a lethal weapon.

Why wasn’t any blame attached to the mother, for letting her little future gang banger out on the streets, stealing a car at 4 o’clock in the morning? Does bad parenting have no consequences?

What kind of message does it send to the community to award the family of a thief a million and a half dollars?

What will potential future police officers feel about joining a force where their city has no interest in backing them up when they do their duty or try to protect themselves?

Los Angeles would be better off fighting these cases, and running the risk of paying out a few more million, than simply giving up. There are times when principle is worth fighting for. If our city attorney doesn’t have the talent in his office to challenge such a case, then he should contract the case out to a law firm that does, as does the school board and other municipal entities.

Even if the trial collected a jury that was hopelessly ignorant of right from wrong, the city could appeal to whatever level it took to obtain justice. If the city never prevailed, at least we would have the satisfaction of knowing we were on the side of honor and our protectors in blue.

Half Under Water, Half Under Indictment

2006-04-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

When I read about the problems New Orleans is having post-Katrina, it makes me glad to be in L.A.

Compared to the Big Easy, our difficulties with immigration and corruption are insignificant.

Before the hurricane, there were fewer than 2,000 (estimated) illegal immigrants in New Orleans. Now there are almost 20,000, attracted by the huge contracts to repair the levees and storm damage. The resident African Americans, who thought they would get the lion’s share of these jobs, are up in arms over their inability to find employment.

Part of the problem is that there is nowhere to live near the job sites, and since they are used to living in what we would call “civilized” conditions, the Blacks have a hard time competing with rural Mexicans, who are willing to sleep on the ground near the job sites, without sanitation facilities.

I’m certainly no fan of President Jorge Bush, but I find it amusing to see the amount of blame heaped on the current administration, in view of the fact that the New Orleans mayor, city council, and chief of police are all Democrats. So are the Louisiana governor, Lt. Gov, attorney general and two-thirds of the state senators and house of representatives.

The state has a long-time reputation for corruption. As former congressman Billy Tauzin put it, “Half of Louisiana is under water, and the other half is under indictment.” Recent scandals include the conviction of 14 state judges and an FBI raid on its congressman.

When former Governor Edwin Edwards ran against Ku Klux Klansman David Duke, Edward’s popular bumper sticker read “Elect the Crook.” Edwards is currently serving 10 years for taking bribes. Duke recently completed his own prison term for tax fraud.

The Louisiana school system is rated dead last in the nation in number of computers per student (one per 88 kids). By the state’s own admission, 47-percent of the public school in New Orleans is considered “academically unacceptable.” Louisiana has the second highest per capita number of adults who never finished high school.

As for rebuilding parts of the city which will remain under sea level, and vulnerable to the next big storm, I find that as insane as building a nuclear plant near an earthquake fault. (Wait a minute – we’ve already done that.)

Student Suspended for Leading Counter Demonstrating

2006-03-31T23:09:00.000-08:00

A Southland high school senior was suspended for organizing a patriotic rally to counter the pro-immigration protest demonstration outside his school in Mira Loma.

Josh Denhalter, 17, said he was fed up with MEChA students waving Mexican flags on campus, and asked his principal for permission to stage a quiet counter message, and to pass out 300 fliers to announce the Friday noon hour event. The principal consulted district superintendent Elliott Duchon, who refused permission, fearing violence. The Jurupa Valley HS is two-thirds Hispanic and one third Caucasian.

Denhalter then demanded the same rights to free speech that had been afforded the MEChA students, and went ahead with passing out the fliers for his Friday rally, and was immediately suspended for three days. He was told that if he showed up within 2000 feet of school, he would be arrested.

Undaunted, Denhalter arrived outside the school for the 11 am event and joined about 100 others who held up American flags and signs supporting HR 4437. This legislation, passed by the House of Representatives, would place restrictions on people living in the United States illegally.

The approximately 30 MEChA and Brown Beret students stood on one side of Bellgrave Avenue shouting “Racists” and “El pueblo unido, jamas sera vencido” (People united will never be defeated). The pro-U.S. group shouted “Racist MEChA go away.” A dozen Riverside County sheriff deputies stood in the middle of the street separating the demonstrators.

“My original purpose was just to have a rally to support America, and tell them (the Congressmen) that there are people out there that believe in what they’re doing,” Josh told reporters. He wasn’t arrested, as he had been threatened.

Josh plays on the school’s varsity football and basketball teams. His father, Brett, is a sixth grade teacher in another district.

Jennifer Solis

2006-03-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

Jennifer Solis

LAUSD District 2 Election

2006-03-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles City Council can save us all a lot of aggravation by declaring Monica Garcia the winner, when the council certifies the primary election tomorrow (March 17th).
The City Attorney told City Clerk Frank Martinez today that the L.A. charter rules on elections does not apply to the Los Angeles Unified School District. City rules would substitute the third place finisher of a primary into the run-off June 8th, if one of the top two primary winners dropped out. LAUSD either doesn't have such an alternative, or the City Attorney isn't going to speculate what that alternative might be.
If Arellano has indeed resigned his candidacy, then it would be far more humane not to drag out almost three months of embarrassment, and let him get on with his life. If the Council votes to force Arellano's name to be on the ballot in June, as Martinez recommends, this would be cruel and unusual punishment. Nobody doubts what the run-off results will be, and the people of District 2 deserve to have a warm body sitting on the school board NOW.

2006-03-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

Mayoral Takeover of LAUSD
By Jennifer Solis

I listened with interest last week as the candidates for the LAUSD District Two election March 7th bantered with KPCC’s Larry Mantle (“Air Talk”). I doubt if there were more than a handful of the second district’s voters tuned in, but no matter, it was good practice taking a position, or dodging, the BIG question:
“Where do you stand on the Mayor’s Plan to Takeover the School District?” When two of the candidates implied that they would need to get more information before voicing an opinion, it sent me scurrying to the California Senate website.
The details of the plan were set forth exactly a year ago tomorrow (Feb. 22, 2005) in a bill (SB 767) introduced by Sen. Gloria Romero (LA-24). A very watered down version of the original passed 26-6 on Jan 26th and now sits in the State Assembly.
It was originally called “The Mayoral Leadership to Improve Education in Los Angeles Act” and would allow the L.A. Mayor to appoint new members of the school board as each current term expired. A list of nominees would be provided by a “panel of advisors,” and appointments would need ratification by majority vote of the L.A. City Council.
The bill would also require a finding of failure of the LAUSD by the state legislature to set the process in motion. The “new” LAUSD would be increased from the current seven members, to nine.
Unfortunately, the present version of SB 767 has eliminated most of the wording of the original introduction, but if enacted, one can safely assume that implementation would be patterned after Senator Romero’s original text, which states the following:

Article 1. General Provisions 5500. This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as theMayoral Leadership to Improve Education in Los Angeles Act. 5501. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) The schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)are facing severe academic, financial, and infrastructurechallenges. (b) Pupils in the LAUSD are vastly underachieving. The base scoreof the LAUSD on the state's Academic Performance Index (API) remainswell below the state average and almost 50 percent of schools of theLAUSD are ranked in deciles 1 to 3, inclusive, on the API. (c) A recent Harvard University report found that graduation ratesfor pupils of the LAUSD are much lower than previously acknowledged.Currently, the LAUSD is graduating less than 50 percent of itspupils. (d) Classrooms and school infrastructure in the LAUSD are in anunacceptable physical condition. (e) Under the current governance structure, the LAUSD Board ofEducation and its superintendent lack authority to coordinateresources with local government agencies. (f) Several major cities across the nation, including Boston, NewYork, Chicago, and Cleveland, have implemented direct mayoralleadership in schools, resulting in both improved academic achievement and additional resources for educational programs.
5502. The purpose and intent of this chapter is to do all of thefollowing: (a) Create a culture of strong leadership and accountability inthe LAUSD. (b) Leverage financial resources from the City of Los Angeles andbetter coordinate other funding to support education. (c) Integrate the wide range of municipal services in the City ofLos Angeles, such as planning, transportation, recreation, andsecurity, with the needs of the LAUSD. (d) Empower the mayor of the City of Los Angeles to bring togetherteachers, parents, and people outside the traditional educationestablishment giving the pupils in the LAUSD a fighting chance to getthe high quality education they deserve.
5503. For purposes of this chapter, the following terms shallhave the following meanings: (a) "City council" means the City Council of the City of LosAngeles. (b) "Educational failure" means a determination by the mayor thatthe LAUSD has not satisfied all of the following minimal academicperformance criteria: (1) The base score of the LAUSD on the API is at or above 675 asreported by the department. (2) The LAUSD has achieved adequate yearly progress as requiredunder the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Sec.6301 et seq.) for two consecutive years in a row as reported by thedepartment. (3) The LAUSD has a dropout rate in each of four consecutive yearsbelow 20 percent as reported by the department. (c) "Governing board" means the seven-member Los Angeles UnifiedSchool District Board of Education. (d) "LAUSD" means the Los Angeles Unified School District. (e) "Mayor" means the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles.
Article 2. Mayoral Appointment of the Los Angeles UnifiedSchool District Board of Education 5504. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, commencingJanuary 1, 2006, upon a finding of educational failure, a vacancyoccurring on the governing board shall be filled by appointment ofthe mayor. The finding shall be made at least 125 days prior to thedate of election for the members of the governing board. (b) Notwithstanding Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 5000) andChapter 2 (commencing with Section 5200), commencing January 1, 2006,upon the finding of educational failure, an elected member of thegoverning board who occupies an office as of January 1, 2006, shallremain in that office for the remainder of his or her term and themayor shall appoint a new member upon the expiration of the term ofthe incumbent elected member. (c) If the mayor makes an appointment pursuant to subdivision (a)or (b), the appointed member to the governing board shall beappointed to a four-year term, but may be removed by the mayor at anytime.
5505. The terms and qualifications of appointed members shall bethe same as the terms and qualifications of the previously electedmembers of the governing board. 5506. (a) Upon the finding of educational failure, the mayor mayappoint up to seven new members of the governing board as provided inSection 5504. (b) The mayor shall make appointments from a list of nominationsprovided by a panel of advisers. The panel of advisers shall becomprised of nine individuals, six selected by the mayor and threeselected by the president of the city council. The panel membersshall be a diverse group of community leaders selected from academia,business, education organizations, and parent organizations. Thepanel of advisers shall nominate able persons broadly reflective ofthe economic and geographic diversity of the City of Los Angeles andits schools. (c) Each appointment made by the mayor shall be subject toconfirmation by a majority vote of the city council.
5507. (a) Notwithstanding Sections 5224 and 5224.1, upon thefinding of educational failure, and the establishment of the panel ofadvisers for the purpose of exercising the authority to make anappointment to the governing board pursuant to this chapter, thegoverning board shall be expanded from seven to nine members. (b) (1) The two additional members of the governing board shall beresidents of areas that are in the LAUSD but outside of theboundaries City of Los Angeles and shall hold office numbers 1 and 2.The two additional members shall be appointed by a selectioncommittee formed by (i) the incorporated cities whose jurisdictionoverlaps the LAUSD and (ii) the Board of Supervisors of the County ofLos Angeles. (2) The appointments shall be considered and acted upon at a dulynoticed meeting of the selection committee, which shall meet in agovernment building and provide an opportunity for testimony on thequalifications of the candidates for appointment. (3) The vote of a city within the selection committee shall beweighted in the same proportion that its population within the LAUSDbears to the total population of the LAUSD less the population of theCity of Los Angeles.
The vote of the county shall be weighted inthe same proportion that its unincorporated population within theLAUSD bears to the total population of the LAUSD less the populationof the City of Los Angeles. Each appointment shall be made by notless than a majority of all the cities and the county, inclusive,representing not less than a majority of the population of the LAUSDless the population of the City of Los Angeles. (4) The selection committee shall make appointments broadlyreflective of the economic and geographic diversity of therepresented communities. (5) The initial terms of office shall begin on first day of theJuly of the odd-numbered year following the finding of educationalfailure. The initial and future terms of office for office number 1shall be four years. The initial term of office for office number 2shall be two years after which the term of office shall be fouryears.
Article 3. Mayoral Appointment of the Superintendent of theLos Angeles Unified School District 5508. Notwithstanding Article 3 (commencing with Section 35020)of Chapter 1 of Part 21, upon the finding of educational failure, themayor may appoint the superintendent of the LAUSD. The appointmentshall be subject to confirmation by the city council by majorityvote. The appointed superintendent shall serve at the pleasure of themayor. The mayor shall honor the contract of any incumbentsuperintendent, but is authorized to exercise any buyout clause inthe contract of the incumbent superintendent to terminate his or herservices.
Article 4. Mayoral Rescission 5509. The mayor may rescind the finding of educational failureonce the LAUSD satisfies all of the minimal academic performancecriteria in accordance with subdivision (b) of Section 5503. Uponrescission by the mayor of the finding of educational failure,elections for the seven seats shall be held in accordance withSections 5224 and 5224.1. If the governing board was expanded fromthe seven to nine members pursuant to Section 5507, the twoadditional offices shall cease to exist.
Article 5. Miscellaneous Provisions 5510. A school district other than the LAUSD whose territory lieswithin the boundaries of the City of Los Angeles is not subject tothis chapter. SEC. 2. The Legislature finds and declares thatdue to the unique circumstances regarding the Los Angeles UnifiedSchool District, a general statute cannot be made applicable withinthe meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution. SEC. 3. If the Commission on State Mandatesdetermines that this act contains costs mandated by the state,reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costsshall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.