Villaraigosa calls for a streamlined teachers contract and more choices for students, but also cites various city accomplishments from the last six years. Critics wanted more details on the budget.
By Maeve Reston and Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/dJglZ0
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa delivered his State of the City address Wednesday at Jefferson High south of downtown. He promised "a sustainable long-term solution to our structural deficit" but offered few details. (Gary Friedman, Los Angeles Times / April 14, 2011)
April 14, 2011 - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's emphasis on education in his annual State of the City address Wednesday met with a mixture of consternation and praise from city leaders, with some saying they were puzzled at the focus given the financial crisis facing City Hall.
"The mayor needs to direct his attention at what is essential, and that's the elected position of running the city," said Councilman Dennis Zine, adding that many of his San Fernando Valley constituents don't believe the city is being run smoothly. "Pave the streets, fix the sidewalks, trim the trees and provide public safety without increasing taxes. That's what I would hope he would focus on."
The mayor said he had handled such challenges successfully during his six years in office; he cited specifics including a rise in port traffic, an uptick in housing starts and the relocation of new firms inside city limits, and cited L.A. as the nation's only major city to meet a renewable energy goal of 20%. He also said that "unemployment is down from its August peak."
State data show that joblessness is now over 13% inside the city and 12.3% in Los Angeles County.
Villaraigosa spoke in the Jefferson High School auditorium, south of downtown before an audience of about 950, including City Council members, other civic leaders, students and community members.
He titled his speech "A New Contract," literally calling for a simpler, shorter work agreement for teachers that would give schools sweeping control over budgets, hiring and curriculum.
Villaraigosa has no direct authority over the nation's second-largest school system, but he helped elect an allied school-board majority over which he wields substantial influence.
Incoming schools Supt. John Deasy echoed the imperative for "less regulation and more innovation," saying in an interview: "We can push this to be a model in the country if we all have the will to do this."
Teachers union leader A.J. Duffy said that he favors local control at schools, but that the teachers contract is irrelevant compared to the crisis over slashed funding for schools.
With the city also under financial duress, the mayor's aides said he would outline his plan for solving the city's $350-million budget gap next week. In his speech, he promised "a sustainable long-term solution to our structural deficit" while filling 300,000 potholes and holding the line on one of his main priorities: keeping the police force at 9,963 officers.
City Controller Wendy Greuel and Council President Eric Garcetti acknowledged the importance of improving schools but said they were still waiting to hear crucial details of how the mayor intended to confront the deficit — a task they said should consume much of his time and energy.
"We are clearly not out of the woods yet," said Greuel, a potential mayoral candidate. "The focus needs to continue to be on balancing the budget and being fiscally responsible."
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce President Gary L. Toebben called the opportunity to improve schools "perishable," adding, "this community needs to rally together to reform and improve our schools."
The mayor, who has faced criticism in past years for announcing city initiatives without bringing them to fruition, announced no new ones. And he told civic leaders during a Wednesday breakfast meeting at Getty House that he intends to make education a centerpiece of his final two years.
Included in those plans is a push to end traditional tenure protections for teachers, which now is earned after two years of employment.
School board member Steve Zimmer responded that the tenure process should be changed, not eliminated — but "the mayor has a very important role to play in pushing people farther than they're comfortable going. My hope is he'll be as strong and passionate in pushing on the funding issue."
FOR MAYOR, THE BUDGET MUST COME FIRST: Villaraigosa is right to stress school reform, but his top goal is to put the city on sound financial footing.
LA Times Editorial | http://lat.ms/ecBZ9R
The speech focused squarely on education, with the mayor calling for a streamlined teachers contract that would give schools sweeping control over budgets, hiring and curriculum. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times / April 13, 2011)
April 15, 2011 - With his State of the City address, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa positioned himself to conclude his mayoralty with a sustained effort to reform Los Angeles' schools. That was well received by leaders of the Los Angeles Unified School District, who welcome a high-wattage supporter for their difficult work, but it was regarded with some concern at City Hall, where the mayor's leadership and attention are needed to confront a historic budget challenge. Some council members and others worried that Villaraigosa, stymied by the difficulty of balancing the budget, was turning to schools as a way of changing the subject.
Meeting with Times editors on Thursday, Villaraigosa acknowledged the enormity of the financial challenge and pledged to deliver. Indeed, he already has made some progress toward addressing the problem, helping to persuade voters to pass a police and fire pension proposal that will ease the city's obligations as new hires are added to those departments. In addition, Villaraigosa and Council President Eric Garcetti negotiated a deal with the city's largest civilian union under which members will begin making modest contributions to their retirement healthcare fund. That deal for the first time would commit city workers to helping to pay for their healthcare costs in retirement.
Those are incremental steps toward eliminating a shortfall of roughly $350 million, but they are important ones. On Thursday, Villaraigosa said his budget proposal, which he intends to discuss more fully next week, will contain additional cuts and structural reforms that will further close the budget gap while, he insisted, maintaining the size of the Los Angeles Police Department and stepping up the pace of filling the city's potholes. He says he is committed to leaving the next mayor — the race to succeed him is already taking shape and the election is in 2013 — a budget that is on sounder footing.
Villaraigosa's record on the budget is mixed. Hiring and raises early in his tenure have worsened the budget shortfalls that he's faced since the economy nosedived, but he's also done a commendable job of finding money for the LAPD and reaping public safety rewards as a result. This year's spending plan offers him an opportunity to right the city's finances before beginning to move offstage.
His devotion to education is laudable, in part because it's outside his formal responsibilities as mayor. His obligation to set the city's finances in order, however, is at the core of his job. For the sake of Los Angeles and his legacy, Villaraigosa needs to deliver a sound and sustainable budget that at last confronts the city's budgetary challenge forthrightly.
Villaraigosa stresses fixing schools in State of the City Address, but some call other concerns more pressing
By Rick Orlov, Staff Writer | LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/fyNiml
4/13/2011 11:17:34 PM PDT - Heading into a tumultuous final two years in office, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Wednesday laid out a plan for brighter days and renewed his emphasis on the need to reform public education.
In his sixth State of the City address, delivered at Jefferson High School, Villaraigosa said changes coming to the Los Angeles Unified School District - a new superintendent, school board and union contract - would give the reform movement momentum.
"This is a pivotal moment for our schools and our city," Villaraigosa said. "The stars are aligning, but it's up to us to chart the ways."
With the city choked by massive deficits for the past several years that have forced thousands of job losses - and little sign that things will get much better soon - it's no wonder the mayor chose to highlight education reform in this year's State of the City.
When he was first elected in 2005, Villaraigosa recalled, Jefferson was a school on lockdown, with students roaming the campus, police on constant patrol and the school a vivid example of all that was failing in inner-city schools.
Today, he said, the school has higher test scores, better community involvement and lower crime.
"When I first decided to get involved in school reform, I was told it was politically foolish," Villaraigosa said.
“I had no authority over schools. The bureaucracy was too entrenched. The problems were too big to solve."
A former organizer for UTLA, Villaraigosa has made education reform one of his top priorities as mayor.
In one of his first political battles, he lost an effort to take over LAUSD. But he backed a new majority that won seats on the school board and won the right to create his own partnership of schools. The partnership has 21 schools and 18,000 students, which would make it larger than the Beverly Hills or Santa Monica school districts.
The mayor said his schools have outperformed neighboring campuses in the district and have developed programs to track students and rate schools that are now being used by the LAUSD.
While the mayor's schools have done well, A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers of Los Angeles, said Villaraigosa is not giving enough credit to the accomplishments of other schools.
"Some of his schools have done very well, but he is not giving enough credit to the other schools not in his partnership, which also have improved," Duffy said.
"I think the reality of a quality public education grows from a commitment to teachers and giving them the proper backup and support."
Some city officials also questioned the mayor's focus on education when the city's duties lie elsewhere.
"Public safety, public works and creating jobs is what we have to focus on," said City Council President Eric Garcetti. "Looking at education is important, but it is not our core function."
The mayor said he hopes to see a new teachers contract this year that provides more flexibility and provides more freedom to local schools to make decisions on budget, staffing and operation.
He also said he would support a plan to give parents more freedom in deciding which schools their children attend.
The mayor also talked about the main problem confronting the city - its budget - and the cuts made over the last two years.
Villaraigosa said he and the City Council have had to deal with a $1billion shortfall for the last two years, resulting in a reduction in the city work force by 4,000 people.
But, he said, he foresees an improving economy, and his budget to be released next week will include restoring a number of services, such as a return of Monday hours at libraries, opening more park services for young people, 735 miles of street resurfacing and paving and filling 300,000 potholes.
City Controller Wendy Greuel said she was not as optimistic about the economic rebound as the mayor.
"Everything I see shows that we are still facing hard times. This is not the time to be celebrating a comeback," Greuel said.
She added that while education is important for the whole city, "I am not sure it is something (the city) can take on at this time."
Villaraigosa said his office will take an 11 percent cut and he will propose a series of permanent cuts to deal with the structural deficit that has caused most of the budgetary problems of the past several years.
The mayor also touted programs started by his office dealing with crime, especially gang crimes, as well as business opportunities.
"L.A. is and will continue to be open to business," Villaraigosa said, citing decisions by companies such as Google, Target and BYD to move to or expand within the city.
Villaraigosa said he will continue to fund the LAPD with 9,963 officers as he presses Washington, D.C., for more money to fund transit programs in his America Fast Forward campaign, which has enlisted support from other cities.
But, with his emphasis on education in his speech, many saw it as a way for the mayor to address his legacy as mayor.
"A State of the City is a chance for a mayor to position his agenda and his legacy," said political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the University of Southern California.
"By focusing on education, he can put his spin on other issues instead of the budget deficit and other reforms needed. Every politician wants to frame their own legacy and they don't want it to be negative."
Eric Bauman, chairman of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, said he believes the mayor wants to lay out his agenda for his final years in office.
"I think the mayor has two issues to focus on: One is the city budget and the other is education," Bauman said.
"He's starting to move toward the end of his term as mayor and he wants to go out fighting for what he believes in. And you can't improve the economy without improving education."
Villaraigosa Makes Big Education, Budget Promises in State of City Speech
By Richie Duchon - City News Service from Eastern Group Publications: Eastside Sun / Northeast Sun / Mexican American Sun / Bell Gardens Sun / City Terrace Comet / Commerce Comet / Montebello Comet / Monterey Park Comet / ELA Brooklyn Belvedere Comet / Wyvernwood Chronicle / Vernon Sun | http://bit.ly/gsHkra
April 14, 2011 - The stars are aligned for a major overhaul of the Southland education system, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said yesterday during his annual State of the City speech, during which he focused heavily on education despite having no official role in running the school district.
“While it is true that I don’t have any formal authority over our schools, I do have a bully pulpit and I will continue to use it,” the mayor said.
Villaraigosa said he chose Jefferson High School as the site for his speech because it is an example of a school that has made a significant turnaround through the Public School Choice program he supports.
The program, which began in 2009, identifies the city’s Los Angeles Unified School District’s lowest performing schools for targeted improvement plans that include installing new leadership.
Villaraigosa called for a fundamental shift in the management of the LAUSD — changing from a system in which decisions are made at the top to one where “our local schools make the calls on budget, staffing, curriculum, schedule and professional development.”
The mayor said the expiration of teachers’ contracts in June will provide an opportunity to negotiate a new contract, one that he said should empower teachers, parents and principals.
The mayor hinted at his support for a teacher-evaluation system that measures their performance in part by the achievement of their students.
“When more than 99 percent of district teachers receive the same satisfactory evaluation, it serves no one,” he said.
“… I know that these proposals will raise some concern and spark controversy. … As a former union organizer, I understand your (teachers’) fear. I stood with you then and I’ll stand by you now. Change is never easy. It’s hard to risk what you’ve got when you never had what you deserve.”
Those comments drew some criticism from A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, the union representing LAUSD teachers. Duffy said he took issue with the suggestion that the “contract is the impediment to school reform,” and said measuring teacher performance by students’ performance on standardized tests is “moving down the road toward narrowing the curriculum, getting rid of the arts and social studies and sciences in elementary school.”
The mayor called for more public-private partnering when it comes to education, including the establishment of a fund to maintain disappearing art, music and after-school programs.
He also suggested expanding “zones of choice,” which allow parents to rank and prioritize a selection of schools in their areas.
The mayor fired a shot at Sacramento, saying the state needs to restore funding for education “so we aren’t firing a single — not one — effective teacher, let alone 20 percent of the teachers in the state’s largest school district.”
Villaraigosa spent the rest of his speech ticking off bright spots in the city’s economy, infrastructure, environmental efforts and crime reduction.
He touted his America Fast Forward plan — an effort to leverage federal transportation dollars with local money— and his Summer Night Lights program, which he said led to the safest summer in three decades.
The mayor cited statistics to suggest the economy is improving, including a declining unemployment rate, and bumps in the housing and construction markets.
“At the start of my second term, I promised to make job creation job number one, and we have,” he said.
Villaraigosa also touched on the city’s budget crisis, promising to extend library hours, add park space, fill potholes and maintain the size of the police force, while cutting an estimated $350 million deficit.
“The simple truth is, our budget will propose a series of deep, permanent and strategic reductions in city spending,” Villaraigosa said of his proposed budget, which is scheduled to be released April 20.
The mayor promised “a sustainable long-term solution” to the city’s structural deficit. “No fine print. No surprises,” he added.
Villaraigosa said he will propose an 11 percent cut to his staff budget, but offered no other details about how he will reduce the city’s spending while fulfilling additional promises to fill 20 percent more potholes this year and lay down 735 miles of street resurfacing.
The mayor also did not talk about contentious negotiations taking place with police and firefighters’ unions over pension changes that have been recommended to cut the city’s budget deficit.
The city administrative officer publicly recommended to the City Council Tuesday permanently freezing medical subsidies for retired city employees, including police officers and firefighters.
The mayor has yet to publicly weigh in on the plan, which has riled those unions.
“Don’t help your CAO put a stranglehold on our future health care right now and then tell us at the point of a bayonet, ‘If you want it back, give us what we demand.”’ Pat McCosker, head of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, told the council Tuesday.
Villaraigosa closed his speech quoting the venue’s namesake, President Thomas Jefferson, “To penetrate and dissipate the clouds of darkness, the general mind must be strengthened by education.
“… This is our opportunity. Let’s seize it together. Our kids are counting on us.”
City Council President Eric Garcetti said he appreciated the mayor’s focus on education, but said he was anticipating details of the mayor’s budget proposal.
“We have to focus on the bread and butter of what we do, public safety and public works,” Garcetti said. “I’m glad to see more money for potholes, more money for street paving and continuing money for police. The other area to focus on, though, is the deficit and getting people back to work.”
Councilman Paul Krekorian also said he wanted to hear more about plans to getting the city out of the red.
“All of the positive things that we want to accomplish together are going to be dependent on our ability to focus on achieving a balanced budget, kick-starting our economy and on creating new jobs,” he said. “That’s where my focus is going to be.”
Villaraigosa's 'New Contract' Focuses on Education but What About the State of Broke L.A.?
By Andy Sternberg in LAist Blog | http://bit.ly/gGA8i6on
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
April 14, 2011 9:20 AM - Mayor Viilaraigosa made education reform a focal point of his annual State of the City address Wednesday evening. In an address at Thomas Jefferson High titled "A New Contract," Villaraigosa called for renewed teachers' contract in a battle to recover from losses in state funding that have led to the layoffs of thousands of LAUSD teachers. But this approach did not fall lightly on the ears of many civic leaders, many of whom are concerned that the state of the city is in a deepening financial crisis.
"The mayor needs to direct his attention at what is essential, and that's the elected position of running the city," said Councilman Dennis Zine, according to the LA Times. "Pave the streets, fix the sidewalks, trim the trees and provide public safety without increasing taxes. That's what I would hope he would focus on."
By addressing school funding, the mayor was echoing the reaction of union leaders and a school board member to his remarks, explained the LA Times.
While some reports put California's education system at 47th in the nation, Los Angeles may need to rely on assistance from the Governor to bolster reform locally, as the city's estimated $350 million budget deficit deepens.
It wasn't all about education, notes Streetsblog LA, with considerably more text relating to transforming the way we get around town, or as Villaraigosa would have it: "a 360-degree approach” to providing alternatives to car culture.
Will Villaraigosa act swiftly toward his proposed reforms? Or is he merely buying time?
State of the City Address
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