Teacher Army
I attended an interesting panel discussion at the Los Angeles Central Library last night moderated by journalist and Fox and Hounds Daily contributor Joe Mathews on the topic: Do Teachers Unions Have Too Much Power Or Not Enough?
The question never was answered directly, but one thing that stood out was the idea from Joshua Pechthalt, vice president of United Teachers Los Angeles, for a teachers’ army. Pechthalt noted that teachers have a “footprint in every community in the country” and suggested they could serve as a catalyst for social change.
The way he expressed his idea, it sounded eerily like a plan consisting of hidden cells planted around the country that would rise up at the same time and march forward to pursue a liberal agenda that he listed in his remarks. Not that a social or political movement spurred on by ideas is unprecedented in this country. But what struck me was the underlying idea that all teachers think the same way and will carry out this program. I don’t believe that’s true.
Steve Barr, head of Greendot Charter Schools, also sat on the panel and had some compelling ideas on how to improve schools by bringing more money to the classroom and giving more control to teachers. Perhaps more on that at another time.
Businesses Star in Hollywood Revival
The fact that 91 percent of Hollywood property owners last week voted to renew and expand the business improvement district in their neighborhood is a testament to how far Hollywood has bounced back and how effective the improvement district has been.
A decade or more ago, Hollywood was populated by miscreants, the homeless and shocked tourists who covered their childrens’ eyes. And while Hollywood Boulevard can be edgy still, its transformation is remarkable. Streets are clean and walkable. Armed guards patrol the area. Lots of construction is going on.
A big part of the transformation is due to the improvement district there called the Hollywood Entertainment District. The district pays for armed guards, tree plantings, extra trash pickup and the like. In the new vote by property owners, the district also will start collecting an extra assessment to clean up alleys in Hollywood in an effort to make them pedestrian friendly and even usable for retail or outdoor dining.
My take on the CCPOA Recall Effort
This is a stupid distraction. That is the only way to describe the latest effort by the prison guards union to recall Governor Schwarzenegger.
Make no mistake, we have our issues with the Governor based on legitimate policy disputes. He believes that tax increases will help California and we don’t. But what is needed is grownups dealing with the many crises facing California like grownups.
Does anyone really think this action by CCPOA won’t be seen for what it is – a desperate and transparent attempt at political extortion? Unlike the recall of Gray Davis, this effort has absolutely no grassroots support that we can see. It is motivated by a greedy public employee union trying to get a massive pay hike notwithstanding California’s precarious financial situation.
One thing’s for sure. CCPOA’s limited supply of sympathy from the taxpaying public is about to disappear entirely.