Letters to the Editor: Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León have done grave racial harm to L.A. public schools, as well as to taxpayers.
Gil Cedillo
As a teacher and a L.A.USD parent, I am appalled.
The Los Angeles Unified School District is a major source of income for the city. It provides jobs for many citizens who would not have them otherwise. It provides security for our children and provides a safe and secure environment for our student.
I believe all teachers, staff and parents should be proud and I hope they will take the opportunity to discuss their concerns with the superintendent to help educate the community about our schools while he is in office.
I also believe that we need to take the L.A. Unified teachers’ union in their stride and let that union handle the issues that concern our schools.
We cannot fight this fight alone. We need to fight to improve our schools, and the teachers’ union needs to fight for good school reform to prevent these issues from turning into larger problems.
For instance, a recent audit showed that our city has the 13th highest tax rate in all of the country, and we have had a high tax burden in recent years that has forced many to live in poverty.
As our children head to school, we need to make it clear we will not allow this tax burden to continue to grow. We need to make L.A. public schools a priority and make sure our taxes are not being spent on other areas of the city.
Kevin de León
Downtown L.A.
Mr. President,
In the spring of 2000, I began working in the Hollywood Community Relations Office.
I was new to L.A. and eager to learn. I quickly learned that not much had changed in the way the entertainment industry operates.
I began to learn the ins and outs of the community relations office as I learned about the history of the office.
I soon began to realize that my work was not fulfilling as I did not see what was happening on the ground.
My office was in