This article by Dave McKenna is an investigative report centered on the activities of Mayor Kevin Johnson of Sacramento (husband of Michelle Rhee). Johnson was a major basketball star back in the day, and he seems to have a bright political future.
But the article says there are troubling details about his political shenanigans that may cause problems for him.
It is amazing how many of his problems are connected to the charter industry.
McKenna writes:
Johnson is husband to Michelle Rhee, the controversial school-privatization activist, and there is considerable evidence that their shared desire to turn public schools into engines of profit for private actors is what has driven much, if not most, of Johnson’s more recent wrongdoing. Despite, or perhaps because of, this, he’s enjoyed the profile and appointments of a national figure on the make: public appearances with President Barack Obama, portrayal as a latter-day Metternich by The New York Times, and the patronage of serious players like Michael Bloomberg and Bill Gates.
A new scandal, though, is putting Johnson’s rise at serious risk. It involves the mayor replacing civil servants with private citizens funded by the Wal-Mart empire and tasked with the twin purposes of working to abolish public education and bring in piles of cash for Kevin Johnson.
The rising star, it seems, set up a fake government—and some people are starting to notice.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Thank you devtob for bringing this story to our attention! As one who was weaned on Louisiana politics–where we don’t tolerate corruption, we demand it–this story was truly jaw-dropping. Public service and integrity are obviously alien concepts to Johnson.
We in California who have followed this cheating Mayor of Sacramento, our State Capitol, and who is the husband of also cheater, Michelle Rhee, have long known about his proclivity for seeking under aged girls to suit his purposes. That he has been able to stay out of jail is a miracle…or is because he knows the right people who protect him.
He and his wife own 23 charter schools, and like the former failed Mayor of LA, Villaraigosa, they want to privatize all public schools. What is amazing is that both Mayors were inept students when in school. Villaraigosa failed the state Bar exam so many times, he finally gave up…and he admits in public that he could NEVER have gotten into UCLA without affirmative action, which also propelled the basketball player Mayor.
We never stop being amazed at how low these greedy people stoop. Instead of being role models for good, they prefer to maintain the gang mentality of the hood. And all work for Eli Broad. Californians must see clearly who Villaraigosa is when he runs to be our Governor. if he wins, his overlord, Broad, will own our State House.
Way to keep your eye on the ball, Ellen. Villaraigosa is lurking.
Let’s all keep in mind, too, that the whining about “local control” for the LA Times since the Chicago-based Tribune Co. fired Eli’s pal as publisher. I wonder how many people know when they clamor for local control that they’re clamoring for Eli to take over. “Plutocrats for local control!”
Hi Karen…readers need a nudge now and then to remember how really awful Villaraigosa was as LA’s mayor, from his blatant womanizing while married to his teacher wife, to his very blatant shilling for Broad while pushing charter schools. He loved to say in public meetings that he would get as many public schools shut down as possible while he was mayor…..and he did this two step with Deasy as his sidekick.
I confronted them at meeting after meeting when Deasy, like a lapdog currying the mayor’s favor, and supporting the mayor’s crazed proclamations with those of his own on “rapidly converting LAUSD schools to charters”…nauseating performances. No problems too big that they cannot be resolved with lies.
And if Villaraigosa was Gov, he would quickly hire Marshall Tuck and Steve Barr to run the state’s ed office. And he would probably install Nunez as their boss…then they could all travel and drink $1500 bottles of French wine on the public’s dollars. Remember the high living and greedy former Speaker Nunez who got his son off for murdering a young college student in San Diego?
California politics is like a Tom Clancy novel…full of murderers, liars, and thieves. Never know what is coming next.
After being the darlings of Obama photo ops in pursuit of school privatization, It would be just if he and his wife are discredited:
“Starting in 2012, the mayor’s staff also included a Director of Governmental Affairs and Education. Why would this job exist in City Hall? The mayor does not set policy in the Sacramento City schools.
And what does a Director of Governmental Affairs and Education do? Well, one project was convincing other mayors, like Christopher Cabaldon in West Sacramento, to sign on in support of the controversial Vergara lawsuit, aimed at removing some of the union protections currently enjoyed by California teachers. Why are city taxpayers footing the bill for this activity?
In fact, documents show the mayor has an entire “OMKJ Ed team,” comprised of city employees and employees of his private-education nonprofit, called Stand Up. Emails obtained by SN&R show the OMKJ Ed team held meetings at the offices of Students First, the education-reform lobbying group founded by Johnson’s wife, Michelle Rhee…?
https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/mayor-kevin-johnsons-latest-moves/content?oid=17158164
Calling Rhee the ‘Dragon Lady’ shows racial insensitivity that cheapes our dialog imho.
I agree Richard…should not have called her that…but she talks endlessly, and publicly, about “never crossing an angry Korean woman” and some of the pundits have picked up on this, and used that title. Won’t do it again. Your link above gives great info and you certainly ask the operant questions…thanks.
It’s a really creepy story.
There’s this long-time organization of black mayors, which doesn’t have much in the bank, but has a rich tradition in the Civil Rights Movement.
Well, newly-elected black mayor Kevin and his wife Michelle want to take over this organization, then use their new-found power to shove privatization and charter-ization down the throats of these cities with black mayors.
They execute a sleazy, hostile take-over of dubious validity. The veteran of this organization resist this, and deny that Kevin has any legal right to claim that he now controls the organization. Within the existing organization—the one that Kevin claims to now control, but others deny—are those who are not down with the whole school privatization deal, and who have heard bad things about Kevin’s wife Michelle.
It’s at this point that Kevin hits the self-destruct button on the organization, and files for bankruptcy, dissolving it, while simultaneously starting a clone organization—that will be run by him, naturally—for the members / black mayors to jump over to.
A sticky point is that Kevin’s lawyers are the same lawyers who are handling both:
the bankruptcy / dissolution of the old black mayor’s organization—in the face of opposition from those veterans of the old organizaiton
and
the new organization’s inception and seizing of the old organization assets, both tangible and intangible.
When one of those lawyers was asked if this represented a conflict of interest, the lawyer replied, “I don’t give a crap.”
Though virtually penniless and outgunned, those from the old organization are able to find a prominent black lawyer to take on their case for free, so this is dragging on in the courts.
Some dogged reporters writing an expose of this whole fiasco then file numerous “Freedom of Information” requests for all of the emails dealing with this hostile takeover sent from / to Kevin.
Kevin blows a gasket and refuses the request, and sues the paper for even daring to request his emails. His lawyers make the ridiculous claim that these emails fall under “attorney client” privilege. While any emails from or to Kevin would fall under this, the lawyers are making the claim that a list of 50 other people also qualify as “clients”… ridiculous, as none of them are named as plaintiffs in Kevin’s lawsuit, nor had any of them hired those lawyers to represent them.
Another interesting aspect of this is that numerous school privatization folks are using the mayor’s office to work out of. They refer to themselves with titles implying that they are officials of Sacramento city government… though they are nothing of the kind. They were never hired by the City of Sacramento, and never receive a City of Sacramento paycheck.
It’s like a shadow government exists full of private industry associates of Kevin.
It just gets weirder from there.
A big part of this is that the ovewhelming majority of black mayors are not receptive to charter schools coming into their city… whether or not Kevin ultimately leads the new organization of black mayors.
Jack, Kevin wants to be king and Rheeject wants to be Queen. They have several times tried to get “strong mayor” control, with the power hungry grifter wife at his side. She even sent so far as to say she was voting there, when she is not even registered to vote there. Worse what it says about her character, she knows he is a pedophile, and covered it up and made it go away. At least her ex-husband has her daughters.
This pair has a special place in hell. Each thinks they are above the law because they have never been prosecuted for their crimes, lies and/or transgressions.
If you dare point the finger at them, you’re a racist. She considers herself a person of color, imagine that. The nerve of her to play the race card.
Each of them have been blessed with advantages, and at every opportunity they take advantage because each lusts for money and power. I will be thrilled when I see the Rheeject fall.
Eli Broad introduced at a LAWAC meeting in a fancy hotel in Santa Monica, as the greatest education mind of our time. He gloated that he was her mentor. I sat 5 feet from them and saw/heard it all. Eli seems to have backed off, at least in public, from the Dragon Lady.
Introduced Rhee that is….
…and that was in winter of 2013…when I tried to get LAWAC thereafter to invite Diane Ravitch to speak in response…that became a very dirty tale of deception and initiated by Broad, they refused.
Thank you so much for this explanation. I’ve been doing some internet research on this since I read your synopsis. I think California is leaving Louisiana in the dust. I moved away from S. California in 2002 and it’s amazing to see how the state has become a banana republic.
While it may unkind to gloat, it confirms what we know about “reform.” It is rife with greed and corruption. It couldn’t happen to a “nicer reform power couple.” Maybe it will keep them so busy, they will allow some students to attend neighborhood schools and get a comprehensive education.
retired teacher: leaving aside the staffs, students and parents of charters—
One of their characteristics, especially among the heavyweights, is that self-serving actions at the expense of others is not just assumed but considered morally defensible. So when pointed out and criticized for such, the players are offended and upset that anyone would deny them the advantages and entitlements that they so obviously deserve. They, of all people, of indisputably superior character and higher quality!
Very dead. Very old. Very Roman. And, of course, a guy:
“For greed all nature is too little.”
Lucius Annaeus Seneca knew those types two thousand years ago. Nothing 21st century about them at all.
😎
“Seneca Versified”
The nature of greed
Is “more than we need”
And Nature, for feed
Is little indeed
I’m not shocked. Interesting that the first lede mentions his issues with young women, and it appears that he has graduated now to harassing employees of the city. The stench can be smelled all the way to DC. I wonder if this will be his downfall and will finally; and deservedly so become a guest of the state as a result. Either the Feds or California or if we’re lucky: both!
Cross posted at : http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Who-s-Funding-Kevin-Johnso-in-Best_Web_OpEds-Charter-Schools_Corruption_Kevin-Johnson_Michelle-Rhee-150921-226.html
I need to shower after reading that article. Yikes!
And the saga continues and all the while students suffer!
I think the biggest danger of the ed reform “movement” completely capturing both Parties is stuff like this.
There isn’t any political opposition so it’s in everyone’s interest to circle the wagons. If Johnson gets any scrutiny at all a lot of very high profile ed reformers in both Parties are implicated- everyone from Congress to the Obama Administration to the ed reform billionaires. Ed reformers wave away all disagreement as “political” but political opposition sometimes serves a real purpose- it starts a fight and with the fight comes an incentive to investigate and whistle-blow. That doesn’t happen with both Parties lockstep behind the same “movement”.
Agree…it happened in California with whistle blower, attorney Kathy Carr. Suggest your google what happened to her.
Kathy Carroll not Kathy Carr: http://www.perdaily.com/2014/07/former-ctc-attorney-kathleen-carroll-lays-out-unholy-alliance-between-union-and-public-education-pri.html
I’m sure there are other references, but this seems to describe pretty well what she has done.
Also make sure to read the one comment by Leonie Haimson for balance.
Thanks teach for this correction…I have not been in touch with her for some time, and it is her email address that stuck in my mind.
My pleasure. I went looking for Cathy Carr and the search turned up Cathy Carroll. I figured after watching the video that she had to be the one to whom you were referring.
Also, the federal funding issue was raised by the Wall Street Journal way back in 2009:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124511811033017539
Wow..Chiara..this was going on as early as 2009 and involved both Obamas protecting Kevin Johnson? Yoiks…everybody must read this.
My suggestion for checking on Kathy Carr is part of this scenario too. She worked for the office of ed in Sacramento and was privy to this kind of misuse of public money. When she blew the whistle, the heat and horror rained down on her, to this day.
Guess if you are part of Barry’s basketball buddies, you have lifetime protection. LA Times and other photos show them hugging and laughing together.
Kathy Carroll…that is. She had a great article published a year or so ago by City Watch Today, and a video, which told her story.
This is a clear case of fraud in high places with the financial stakes in the charter school industry made perfectly clear. Charter schools are a for-profit industry pretending to be non-profits. This pretense must exposed and ended. The end of this article has an important link. You should read this if you do not make all the way through this really incredible investigative report.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2013/09/10/charter-school-gravy-train-runs-express-to-fat-city/
What is most notable about McKenna’s extraordinary reporting is how he connects the dots that is endemic in the life blood of state and city governments’ nationwide
This municipal/private corporations/philanthropic Venn Diagram is familiar to anyone who has been following the School Reform movement.
In Los Angeles, It was instrumental in how John Deasy became appointed Superintendent in the first place and why the right wing 1% Chamber of Commerce “Civic Alliance” groups fought tooth and bloody nail to keep Deasy in position no matter how harmful he was to the city, the students and the community. These people insist upon a seat at the table in LA, but of course, want the same power in cities and states across the country.
Sacramento is a small city, but its leader, Kevin Johnson (and Michelle Rhee) are obviously superstars in corporate education reform who get bolstered by the same rich interests who fund both Democrats and Republicans. In that way, money is “democratic” and non-partisan and they take full advantage for their charter school interests which, so happens to overlap with their own propagation of power.
So many in the Ed Reform movement work their magic in five star hotel conference rooms and penthouse corporate board round tables that we on the outside have no clue what “deals” and “arrangements” are being brokered.
Kevin Johnson has no interest in democracy as we all commonly define it. His democracy has taken on a completely different definition that can only be seen in the ultraviolet glow of murky bank accounts that give this man his shape and stature.
To add to Geronimo…please pay attention to the fact that the lead group supporting Deasy, and now pushing to choose the new LAUSD Supt., is UNITED WAY. Google their history and you find that for years they have played very dirty pool. NO ONE should donate to United Way…the money goes for political maneuvering and payoffs to power brokers.
This municipal/private corporations/philanthropic Venn Diagram is familiar to anyone who has been following the School Reform movement.
“The KeVinn Diagram”
A KeVinn Diagram tells us
‘Bout critical connections
‘Tween mayor and player
And savoir fare
And legal indirections
This latest is just the latest about Johnson and Mrs. Johnson. One of the most obnoxious events of the past couple of years was the appearance by Rhee and Johnson on the “Commonwealth Club,” which received them with adulation. They trashed public education and teachers, union busted, and of course touted charter schools. In the Bill Cosby side of things, Johnson’s personal history is so odious that it’s amazing how long the ruling class has touted him (and his wife). But, then, they don’t have too many minority diversity spokespeople in California, so they pay the price by having such shills as Kevin and Michelle…
Yeeesh…. What a bunch of vulgarians.
If KJ believes in “shadow governments”, I wonder what his take is on Star Chamber courts of the common people? Curious.