Saturday, September 27, 2008

Political News


Palin to Visit Carson

Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin will rally at the Home Depot Center in Carson on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Daily Breeze has all the details.

Democrats Huddle to Watch First Debate


Two days before Friday’s presidential debate, a pair of San Pedro Democrats spontaneously decided to invite their friends to a viewing party at the Los Angeles Yacht Club in Cabrillo Marina.

Dozens accepted John and Terry Miller’s invitation, coming together to root for their candidate and jeer their opponent as Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain held the first of three debates.

Voter Forum Set for Oct. 21
San Pedro voters will have the opportunity to learn about the candidates and issues, ask questions and get politically active at a voter forum next month.

The forum will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 21, exactly two weeks before the Nov. 4 national election. It begins at 6 p.m. at the Cabrillo Marina Community Building, Berth 28 in Cabrillo Plaza.

Leaders of San Pedro-based Democratic and Republican groups will represent their respective presidential candidates, articulating their positions on the major national issues. This is not a back-and-forth debate but a straight speaking opportunity by each party.

After the portion focusing on the presidential candidates, the forum will shift to local politics.

Neighborhood council presidents will speak and boardmembers in attendance will be introduced. The grassroots leaders will explain how voters who are passionate about the presidential race can “think globally, act locally” by becoming active in community issues year-around through neighborhood councils.

Candidates for Congress, State Assembly and State Senate will also speak.

The forum takes place just days before the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council election on October 25 (9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Cetacean Society Building in Pt. Fermin Park), giving voters an immediate chance to participate in a local election before they vote in the national election.

The forum is sponsored by San Pedro News and the Central, Coastal and Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Councils.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

LAUSD administration swells 20 percent from 2001 to 2007

By Beth Barrett, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 09/28/2008 12:57:28 AM PDT

On the edge of downtown Los Angeles, overlooking the 110 Freeway, stands a 29-story office building that boasts many of the trappings of a modern corporate headquarters: a cafeteria with flat-screen TVs, a state-of-the-art media production center, an on-site dry-cleaning service.

The tower is the headquarters of the Los Angeles Unified School District - home to more than 3,400 employees. They are the core of a massive bureaucracy that has surged in recent years even as the number of students and teachers has dropped.

And 3,200 more administrators and support staff are scattered throughout the city, as top officials acknowledge that the number of highly paid managers has swollen beyond what is needed to run the nation's second-largest school district.

"There are assistants to assistants," says Senior Deputy Superintendent Ramon Cortines, who was hired in May to oversee the district's day-to-day operations.

Managing almost 900 schools and more than 650,000 students is a huge task. But a Daily News review of salaries and staffing shows LAUSD's bureaucracy ballooned by nearly 20 percent from 2001 to 2007. Over the same period, 500 teaching positions were cut and enrollment dropped by 6 percent.

The district has approximately 4,000 administrators, managers and other nonschool-based employees - not including clerks and office workers - whose average annual salary is about $95,000. About 2,400 administrators are among the 3,478 LAUSD employees who earn more than $100,000 annually.

Meanwhile, the average salary for an LAUSD teacher is $63,000. And the average household income in Los Angeles County is less than $73,000.

LinK: http://www.dailynews.com/ci_10579906?source=rv