Los Angeles Education Examiner

Originally published January 13, 2020

Big political interests are big:  Yep, we all know this, but until a tiny little just-me person comes up against their fighting power it’s hard to comprehend.

Money to candidates comes in two flavors (see graphics here):  (a) that which is controlled by the candidate him/herself, and (b) that which the candidate has no control of, collected and spent by “independent expenditure committees” (IECs) “outside” the campaign.

While the really big shenanigans are contained within IEC expenditures, it turns out campaign donations can be useful indicators of “who” a candidate is, where and among whom their support lies; who considers them a worthy early investment, who chips in downstream.

These monies can even give clues as to regional culture and characteristics. Which is very useful considering the vastness of Los Angeles Unified’s school district (LAUSD), carved into just seven political zones of representation, mapped here. LAUSD encompasses 710 square miles including 26 municipalities and unincorporated areas of LA County, in which 100 different languages are spoken. Divide that by 7 as a rough estimate of what goes on in your particular district, and it’s no wonder if you have no clue of its diversity never mind what’s happening in the next one over.

Note: This story first appeared on Streetsblog Los Angeles

Today, the Metro board approved a motion that lays the groundwork for providing free transit to L.A. Unified School District students. The motion directs the agency to study free student transit, submitting a report to the board in April for further action, including determining how to fund the program.

The motion was brought to the board by directors Hilda Solis, Eric Garcetti, Mike Bonin, Jacqueline Dupont-Walker, James Butts, and Janice Hahn. In a press statement, Solis emphasized that “transportation costs should not be a barrier for students traveling to school” and further that Metro’s program “could help students who attend LAUSD, a community college, or any other school district in L.A. County. This is an important investment in our communities, our students, and our economy.”

LAUSD leadership – including several school board members – spoke in favor of the proposal. Public comment was also strongly in support.

The biggest point of contention was Metro boardmember interest in expanding who might receive free student transit. In addition to LAUSD, L.A. County has more than 80 smaller school districts. Many of these smaller districts are served by Metro, and some are served by Munis – municipal bus operators, including Foothill Transit, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, etc.

Last week, I had the opportunity to join three dozen first graders on their second “transit oriented field trip” of the year. From a Westside public school down the trip went to the California Science Center in Exposition Park. The kids walked just over a mile to a Metro Expo Line station before riding the line east to the Exposition Park/USC stop. Later in the day, we repeated the trip in reverse.

“We decided at the start of the year that we were going to use transit for our field trips,” explains one first grade teacher. “It’s important.”

True, for many students in Los Angeles and throughout the world, riding a train, bus or both is just a part of the daily commute. But, for some of the kids on this trip, it was their first time on the Expo Line. For others, it was their first on any sort of train. Thanks to an earlier field trip that relied on the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, it was not the first transit trip for any of the students.

This Walktober, a record eighty-five schools in the City of Los Angeles participated in LADOT’s “Walk to School Day” Program. The total number dwarfed those of past years, as more and more schools are actively encouraging students to walk to school.

Richland Elementary School, where my son is currently enrolled in Transitional Kindergarten, was one of those new schools (although we weren’t organized by October 8, the official “Walk to School Day”). We held our first “Walk/Bike to School Day” last Friday and were overwhelmed by the response.

Here’s the best part: thanks to LADOT’s involvement, it was really easy to program the day. I traded two emails with the principal, Mr. G., filled out a form at Walk to School Day L.A., recruited five other parents to help on the day of, and we were ready to go. LADOT brought banners, treats (donated CLIF Kids Bars), and take-home materials. They also contacted the LAPD to let them know what was going on.

When I first approached the principal, he was excited, but we did laugh that “there’s literally one kid that bikes to school” at Richland. We weren’t including my kid, who is dropped off on a bike, but who doesn’t bike himself on most days.

The school, located in the heart of the North Westdale Community, is centrally located and has a healthy portion of students who do arrive on foot. So, we knew we had a base to work with.

But Richland also has a lot of students who arrive from outside the area. So, we came up with some plans to make our Walk/Bike to School Day a little different. The local church, which just happens to be the one I attend on (most) Sundays, allowed us to use their parking lot as a “Kiss and Walk/Bike” for anyone who wanted to participate. Since the school threw in a homework pass, there was even more incentive to participate.