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Tuesday, November 19, 2019

WHEN BILLIONAIRES BUY YOUR SCHOOL BOARD: Caught in a Venn Diagram in “Progressive” West Hollywood

Caught in a Venn Diagram in “Progressive” West Hollywood

Caught in a Venn Diagram in “Progressive” West Hollywood


Today I experienced something that felt like a car accident but instead of getting hurt in a vehicle I crashed into the center of a Venn diagram. I landed in the zone where public education, naivete and privilege all come together and form a very ugly picture. What makes it worse is that it is happened in a community whom I have great history and affection, West Hollywood, CA.  A town that is known around the world for progressive ideals is on the edge of hitting a low normally seen in TrumpLand.  My hope is that by shining a light on this precarious edge some people will be motivated to make sound decisions and pull back to get on the correct side of history. 


Like all LA stories, mine began today while driving.  After I dropped my son off at school in the mid-city are of Los Angeles, I then headed fifteen miles north east for Eagle Rock High School. As I was slogging through the morning traffic in Koreatown and Silverlake my mind drifted to a spring day in 2016 when I met my friend Mary for breakfast at her favorite tony restaurant in WeHO.

Once I snuggled into the plush booth and ordered my matcha tea latte, the busboy brought Mary her decaf coffee. I was surprised when Mary got up and hugged the busboy and then said, “Carlos, this is Tracy she knows all about public schools and she will help your son Carlos Jr.” 

Without a beat, I asked, “What’s going on?” I learned that Carlos Jr.  was in fifth grade and needed to land in a good middle school.  I was still a bit confused why my help was needed but when Carlos left to take care of another customer my friend told me in a hushed voice that his wife, the son’s mother, was dying of cancer and the family was having a hard time keeping it together and figuring out middle school was too hard a task. I knew right then I would help. It took a couple months and I had to navigate a language bump, but we somehow made it work and his son ended up at a very nice middle school in Glassell Park. Before his wife died, Carlos told me she was so grateful that we found Carlos Jr. a good school. I was so glad to have been a part of that journey for Carlos and his family.   
I have thought about Carlos Jr. over the years and was thinking about reaching out to his dad just to see how he was doing when out of the blue I got a text on Saturday.   

It was from Carlos Jr.  who was now in eighth grade. He and his dad kept my cell number all these years and he asked, “Can you help me get into Fairfax High?” 

I asked how he was doing and he told me that he had all ‘A’s last year.   I said, “Let me go to Fairfax on Tuesday and see what we need to do to get you in one of the schools on campus.”  I added, “But don’t you also want to consider Eagle Rock High School?”    

I suggested Eagle Rock because it is near Glassell Park and there would be some kids from his school going there as well.  He texted me back, “That would be great.”  So, there I was today driving to Eagle Rock and then to Fairfax all to help Carlos Jr.  What I had not realized was that the Venn diagram awaited me because WeHO parents were CONTINUE READING: 
 Caught in a Venn Diagram in “Progressive” West Hollywood