Thread: LA Mayor Appeals Block of School Law

http://www.townhall.com/News/NewsArt...b-b974e7da2985

LA Mayor Appeals
Saturday, December 23, 2006

Lawyers for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa filed an appeal in his court battle to take control of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

A judge struck down a law granting Villaraigosa partial control of the nation's second-largest school district, ruling Thursday it violated the state constitution and the city charter.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, standing before members of the Los Angeles Parent Union, speaks at a City Hall news conference Thursday Dec. 21, 2006, in Los Angeles, following a ruling striking down Villaraigosa's partial control of the nation's second-largest school district. (AP Photo/Ric Francis) "Right now, the mayor is confident we're going to prevail on appeal and so am I," said Tom Saenz, Villaraigosa's legal adviser and a primary architect of the law that was tossed out.

Saenz said the judge erred in failing to recognize the Legislature's broad powers under the state Constitution to grant authority over schools to Villaraigosa.

The mayor's team may ask the state Supreme Court to take the case immediately, rather than wait for the appeal, filed Friday, to go through the 2nd District Court of Appeal.

A coalition of parents, students and administrators sued in October, contending the law takes too much power away from the elected school board.

The law would have given Villaraigosa direct control on Jan. 1 over the city's 36 worst-performing schools. It also would have shifted some power from the seven-member school board to the mayor, the district superintendent and a new council made up of more than two dozen other mayors within the district's boundaries.

The district includes more than 727,000 students, more than 1,130 schools and 78,000 employees.

This is all the news out here. Even our governorator supports the idea.
Doesn't feel right giving the mayor such power. We'll see what happens but the way things go in this state he will probably get his way.