Villaraigosa off to bad start, wants to end school board elections.
One doesn’t improve democracy by reducing it. Besides, this was tried in Washington DC and the schools just got worse while fewer in the public cared about it. Mayors who want to take over school boards need to be watched carefully
Tom Hayden hopes Villaraigosa will be a genuine progressive, but has some doubts.
Beyond the Bradley model
Villaraigosa’s election is a rare moment to think big and develop a broad progressive vision.
Yet in the days following his victory, there was Antonio appearing with Chief Bratton, then Eli Broad, as if to reassure the power elites that Los Angeles – under a liberal Latino mayor – would be making the streets safe for orderly private investment. Arguably these were good gestures politically, as Antonio well knew, but not substitutes for policy measures that might make Bratton and Broad uneasy.
The Polizeros prediction: Villaraigosa will be a huge disappointment to progressives and in a year or so will be suffering low ratings too, just like Schwarzenegger.