Carl J. Petersen, a watchdog in Los Angeles, has untangled a web of cronyism surrounding Superintendent Austin Beutner.
He begins:
Instead of meeting with United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) in the days leading up to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) strike, Superintendent Austin Beutner and Board President Monica Garciawere in Sacramento in an effort to “drum up lawmaker opposition to the teachers strike.” They were accompanied on this trip by Sebastian Ridley-Thomas (SRT), the son of “powerful L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas (MRT)”. While not publicly disclosed at the time, SRT was there as a paid lobbyist for the District.
As if a District pleading poverty while paying a lobbyist during labor negotiations was not bad enough, the choice of SRT is particularly bewildering. It appears that, under Government Code §87406, the former Assemblyman was legally prohibited from lobbying his former colleagues “for one year after the end of the term to which” he was elected, a waiting period that he had not met. The younger Ridley-Thomas resigned from his elected office on December 27, 2017, citing “health reasons.” He “was the subject of two sexual harassment complaints at the time he stepped down”.
SRT was then hired as a professor of social work and public policy by USC despite his not having a graduate degree. Shortly afterward, MRT “made a $100,000 donation from his campaign coffers to the social work school. The school dean, Marilyn Flynn, then sent the money to Policy Research and Practice Initiative, a start-up think tank that was unaffiliated with the university and controlled by Sebastian Ridley-Thomas.” After an internal investigation, the University ended SRT’s employment and told the U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles that “it had concerns” about the donation.
Petersen then details a timeline showing Beutner’s close relationship with the Ridley-Thomases and other political figures.
At least one Angeleno wonders whether Beutner’s lack of an ethical compass will be his downfall.
Shouldn’t the superintendent of schools in the nation’s second largest school district have an ethical compass?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“Shouldn’t the superintendent of schools in the nation’s second largest school district have an ethical compass?”
Eli Broad doesn’t care.
Donald Trump doesn’t care.
Besty DeVos doesn’t care. They have no moral or ethical compass.
And people like them don’t care what anyone else thinks. The only thing important to them is what they think.
Clearly Broad, Trump and DeVos did not heed David Coleman’s immortal words, that when you are an adult, no one gives a s–t what you think. Just your ability to write a memo
and they so very carefully surround themselves with an endlessly echoing YES chamber, hearing only that their invasions are good, useful, necessary, kindhearted…
All I can think of is the expression: “You are judged by the company you keep”.
LAUSD board members Monica Garcia and Nick Melvoin rolled out the red carpet for Beutner. When it came time to vote for the resolution for a charter moratorium, Garcia caved and voted for it. Perhaps she did it because she is going to be termed out and there is a lot of speculation that she will then run for City Council. Seeing the huge backlash against Beutner and his charter supporting buddies on the board, it’s possible that she decided to switch sides in anticipation of a future political career.
Carl Petersen just focused on the most recent events surrounding Beutner’s association with the Ridley-Thomas family. But many have gone back to his first foray into politics as interim director of the Los Angeles Dept. of Water & Power. So far, there is not one thing he can call a success. His tenure as superintendent of LAUSD may be his biggest failure yet.
I think Garcia and Beutner caved because of the pressure angry parents and teachers put on them during the strike. We shouted them out of a board meeting. We protested in front of Garcia’s residence. When Garcia silenced Melvoin by voting for the charter moratorium, she ended the discussion after the vote by saying, “Thank God the strike is over.” We need to keep fighting.
Thank you for sharing! If anyone has trouble with the paywall, you can get around it with this link: https://medium.com/@ChangeTheLAUSD/the-lausd-superintendents-web-of-deceit-a78185319119?source=friends_link&sk=d93e17c77ca1fd1bc8e904529b23b9bb
Amazing work, Carl. Thank you, family.
Delighted to see Carl Petersen reaching a wider audience via this site. Those of us who follow LAUSD politics are familiar with his work. He is a tireless advocate for the students in LAUSD.
USC is also home to the first education dean who is a Pahara Fellow, although her posted bio at the USC site doesn’t mention the Bill Gates’ award.
The founder of Pahara said in an interview at Philanthropy Roundtable, “…create different school brands….develop charter management organizations that produce a diverse supply different brands on a large scale.”
There’s a page for Marilyn Flynn at the USC site- in the Office of Religious Life.
The oligarchs want slaves.
CAEP is chaired by USC’s Dean of Education, the first Pahara Fellow in a Dean position.
Same woman led a team that opened a USC “hybrid” charter high school.
One of the professors in her Department left and went to Michigan State University where the EPIC Center she co-directs received almost $2 mil. from Arnold.
Mr. and Mrs. Arnold and Mr.and Mrs. Gates, from Enron to hedge funds to “school brands on a large scale”. Hell’s too good….
This needs to go to the Sunshine Foundation and other watchdog organizations in Government.
Thank you for this, Carl Peterson. If ever you decide to run again, I will again be supporting you! .
Charter schools are redlining real estate. They enhance gentrification and spoke kids and families in multiple directions putting limits on community and community organizing.