Beckford Kids in Annie Production

Several Beckford kids will be appearing in the musical
"Annie" this weekend at Van Nuys High.

Beckford Kids in Snow White Production

Last night I saw the most awesome production of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, presented by the Kings Kids of First Presbyterian Church in Granada Hills. Beckford's very own, Jonah Anthony played Dopey and his brother Micah Anthony was the Storyteller and the Prince. Mrs. Anthony was a very proud mom. Mrs. Friedrich was spotted congratulating the boys for a job well done. If you know of other events that Beckford kids are a part of, let me know, and I will feature them here on the Beckford Blog......because sometimes you just don't want to hear anymore about the Budget Crisis!

Politics as usual...

This was originally posted at the Valley of the Doll blog on July 13:



Well, it's official: Tamar Galatzan has thrown her hat into the Council District 2 race.

This really comes as no surprise. Los Angeles Times blogger Steve Hymon had her number months ago...

from the Bottleneck Blog:

So what does any of this have to do with LAUSD school board member Tamar Galatzan?

Galatzan, who received more than $2 million in campaign help from a Villaraigosa-controlled committee, toppled school board incumbent Jon Lauritzen last year to win a seat on the school board. Shortly after she won election, I phoned her and asked if the rumors were true that she was going to run for Greuel's seat in 2009 if Greuel ran and won city controller?

No, said Galatzan.

I called her again Wednesday and asked the same question. But I got a different answer this time:

"I'm flattered that my name has come up and people have been talking to me about it and it's something I'm considering," said Galatzan, who is now 13 months into her four-year term as a school board member.

I reminded her of our conversation last year. "I don't remember what it was I told you," she said.

[...]

Next, I asked Galatzan about a YouTube video I had just watched. In the video -- shot during her campaign in the spring of 2007 -- Galatazan said: "I am really running for school board to make sure that my boys get the kind of world class public education that they are entitled to."

Later in the video she complained that an elementary school in Sherman Oaks didn't have enough money to purchase more paper for the copy machine. Then, in the video, she said, "You know me as someone who ruffles feathers and isn't afraid to ask tough questions. I keep my word and I stand up for what I believe in."

So, I asked, what does it say about her honesty that last year she said that she wouldn't run and now she's saying she might.

"That's definitely something I'm thinking a lot about. It really comes down to what can I do about [making] the community...the kind of place my kids and my family are safe and how are my skills best used," she said. "It's been an interesting year at L.A. Unified and the truth is I don't know how much I can do on the Board or any one person can do on the Board."

[...]

Why do reporters hate themselves in the morning?

Because I stupidly did not ask her about the tens of thousands of current and future LAUSD students she represents besides her own children -- many of whom don't have a mom who can run for office.

The few parents I've spoken with after her announcement have voiced disappointment and more than a little annoyance with Tamar. She was elected to do a job, they say, and now that we parents need her more than ever, she's ditched us ... before she's even finished serving out her elected term. Sounds like another recent quitter in the news. But what differentiates our local "quitter" from the Quitta from Wasilla, is that Tamar hasn't officially quit her school board seat, instead she's using her position on the school board as a stepping stone to a different job, a higher paying job to be sure, and one that will be helpful to the man who helped get her elected to the school board: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. She will attempt to do her school board job while campaigning hard the next few weeks for the CD 2 election on September 22. Good luck with that.

As for all the recent public outreach Tamar and her staff have been engaging in (Non Title I School Parent Summits, Student Video Contests, etc.), it all feels and rings hollow now. Those Non Title I School meetings and video contests seem more planned for future campaign resume fluffing and for campaign literature and commercial use than to truly help frustrated parents try to effect change for their children and for LAUSD in general. Apparently, I'm not the only one who's noticed the timing in all of this, and the scheduling and locations of where she's been stumping the hardest.

But now what? Now who do we Valley parents turn to for help navigating the maze that is LAUSD? We had hoped Tamar would help us, but it seems we parents have been left to fend for ourselves with nary a "by your leave..." from Ms. Galatzan. A search of her Los Angeles school board website has no official announcement from Ms. Galatzan regarding her decision to run for the Council seat recently vacated by newly elected City Controller Wendy Gruehl or what this means for the parents and students in her district. There are no assurances to parents that her work on our behalf would continue, or even reasons why she felt the need to leave her position for a new shinier one.

Nothing. Not a peep.

I attended one of Tamar's Parent Summits at Balboa Magnet Elementary. I wasn't alone; a large group of parents sat right along side me for roughly three hours on a Saturday morning as we listened to Tamar and her staff go on an on about Non Title I and how we would organize and work together to change The Way Things Are currently in the battle of the Haves (Title I schools) and the Have Nots (Non Title I schools). Now in hindsight, it feels like those three hours were my unwitting contribution to the "Elect Tamar for CD 2" campaign. Little did I know that I'd be playing the part as "extra" in what I'm sure will be photos and video footage of that summit at Balboa Magnet. She managed to suck in a lot of desperate and anxious administrators, parents and teachers for her three hour campaign photo shoot.

But hey, I can't really complain; I scored some warm and yummy LAUSD coffee-cake out of that hostage situation Parent Summit deal. So, yeah... thanks for that Tamar. It wasn't a total waste of a beautiful Saturday I could have spent in a hundred more productive ways and with my family.

Oh, and good luck to you in all your future endeavors. It's been real. Real disappointing.

UPDATE: Solomon Wolfson over at Notes from LA gives us a shout-out about this story!

Beckford Kids at Zuma Beach

Ok, seriously.... What. The. Hell.

If there isn't enough over at LAUSD to worry about, Ray Cortines is in a kerfluffle over this pic:



Yes, it's tasteless. Yes, it's classless. Yes, it's SaSha Baron Cohen, so what did you expect? Yes, my 16-year-old will probably see the new "Bruno" movie this summer. Yes, he will probably laugh his butt off and come home and tell me how EPIC it was. Because he is a teenager. And this is what teenagers do. Apparently, this Sasha Baron Cohen makes the teens all LOL.

Now, I don't know what Ramon Cortines is freaking out about when there are a bazillion more pressing issues resting atop his desk, I'm sure, but here he is spouting off in the Daily News:

While parental consent was granted for the April 16 photo shoot, LAUSD Schools chief Ramon Cortines said the forms lacked "specificity" about the nature of the photos.

Cortines said "appropriate personnel action" would be taken against Birmingham's principal, Marsha Coates, and athletic director, Richard Prizant. But he said personnel matters were confidential and he could not specify the disciplinary actions.

"Rules were broken. The principal is ultimately responsible, but I also hold accountable the athletic director, who is also the school's filming coordinator and was present when the pictures were taken," Cortines said.

"I also want parents to know that this district will allow no one to take advantage of our students."

District officials said they did not know if Birmingham students will also appear in the "Bruno" film, due out July 10.

The key here is that parental consent forms were signed, proper forms and permit applications were filled out and submitted, and business was conducted as usual. Clearly Mr. Cohen & Co. pushed the envelope as is their wont, and now we have Mr. Cortines screaming SOFT PORN! and BURN MARSHA COATES AT THE STAKE! You know I'm rollling my eyes at you right now, Mr. Cortines. Because that's lame.

Dude, seriously... chill. Honestly, it looks like you're making the administrators at Birmingham your sacrificial lambs in an attempt to veer attention away from whatever is going on (or not going on, in your case) at LAUSD and this kind of penny-ante bullcrap is wearing thin. FOCUS RAMON, FOCUS!

I've posted the worst (from what I've seen) of the photo shoot above. The rest of the photos are pretty benign. (Click here to see a photo gallery of the GQ shoot). As of this writing, I don't believe any parents or students involved have complained. I would suggest to Mr. Cortines that he not make moutains out of molehills and instead FOCUS ON THE TASK AT HAND.

We are losing teachers; we have lost teachers; we may lose more... and LAUSD is a quickly sinking ship. Could ya maybe start acting like it, Mr. Cortines?