"The lawsuit alleges city officials colluded with Efren Martinez, owner of Unified Consulting Services, to use the 'coffers of Huntington Park as their own personal piggy bank.'"
- Los Angeles Daily News
The popular narrative is that the current LAUSD School Board is anti-charter schools. In reality, very few of these publicly funded private schools are ever held accountable for their misdeeds. Compared to Charter School shill Nick Melvoin, who once voted to renew the charter of a school where only 3.26% of the students met state math standards, anyone asking probing questions may seem overly strict. Still, the current Board only takes action when cases of fiscal mismanagement, failed academic performance, or incompetence are too striking to ignore. They are even too timid to ask the head of the Charter School Division why he wiped away $7,678,022 of charter school debt without any explanation.
The last School Board Member who took oversight of Charter Schools seriously was Bennett Kayser. He was so suspicious of these schools that he once reflexively voted "no" for a renewal of one, not realizing that the motion was to deny. He immediately changed his vote when he realized his error.
Supporters of the Charter School Industry retaliated against Kayser by spending over $2.6 million to promote Ref Rodrigez's dirty campaign to unseat him. They provided this support despite signs of corruption, including claims from Rodriguez that janitors from the PUC charter school chain he managed had donated the maximum amount allowed under the law to his campaign. After winning this election, prosecutors obtained evidence that Rodriguez had personally reimbursed the donors and was charged with felony money laundering, eventually pleading guilty and resigning from his board seat. This left residents of BD5 unrepresented for nearly a year.
Last year in this same Board District, Huntington Park City Council Member and former Mayor Graciela Ortiz was a candidate in the race to replace Rodriguez's successor, Jackie Goldberg, after she announced her retirement. Ortiz's primary support came from SEIU 99, a union with a history of legally laundering campaign funds from the Charter School Industry. This union represents the lowest paid workers in the LAUSD, including Special Education Aides, custodians, cafeteria workers, and bus drivers, was able to spend nearly $1.15 million on her campaign.
SEIU 99 promoted Ortiz even though her opponent, Karla Griego, was running on a social justice platform that would benefit the workers it represents. They also ignored disturbing allegations against Ortiz, including a lawsuit filed against her and State Assembly Candidate Efren Martinez involving a victim of a violent sexual assault by an employee of the astroturf organization the two ran for the benefit of their campaigns. The plaintiff in the case was a former student of Ortiz's who claimed the two politicians were liable for not protecting her from their employee. Ortiz referred to the rape at gunpoint as an "unfortunate occurrence."
Other red flags that should have been warnings to Ortiz's supporters, which included the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. Donations by her subordinates at the LAUSD raised questions about Quid Pro Quo. Her campaign disclosures included three donors who listed their profession as "dishwashers" making maximum donations of $1,300, a scenario eerily similar to the one that made Rodriguez a felon.
"I believe that my track record speaks for itself as a council member in making tough decisions when needed."
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- Graciela Ortiz
It now appears that when Ortiz lost the November election to Griego, the residents of LAUSD BD5 dodged a bullet. On February 26, 2025, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office executed search warrants at eleven locations, including Ortiz's home. The Huntington Park City Hall and the home of Ortiz's co-defendant in the sexual assault suit were also searched.
The search warrants were issued as part of "Operation Dirty Pond," an investigation of a no-bid contract for a failed attempt to build a $40 million aquatic center on a landfill. According to Huntington Park Vice Mayor Arturo Flores, millions of dollars connected to the project have been unaccounted for. A lawsuit by former Huntington Park employees claims that they were illegally retaliated against for questioning the contract.
For an organization that runs School Board candidates under the flag of "Kids First," this near miss for the District presents another example of why the California Charter School Association (CCSA) and the schools it represents cannot be trusted with public education funding. From opposing legislation that would force them to follow the same earthquake standards as public schools to supporting candidates with questionable ethical standards, they have proven consistently that they are more interested in promoting their interests than protecting children.
Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, and serves as the Education Chair for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him "a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles." For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.
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