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LA Mayor’s Race: The city pension problem facing Garcetti and Greuel
One of the biggest challenges facing the next mayor of Los Angeles is the ballooning cost of pensions for city employees. Those costs eat into other city services such as street repairs and paramedics. KPCC
Eric Garcetti, Wendy Greuel Find Common Ground in USC Debate
Asked if they each thought the other was dishonest, they replied in the negative. But Greuel attacks the councilman on a family oil lease while Garcetti takes on the controller’s heavy campaign funding from the DWP union. LA Times
State Recognizes Schools for Physical Fitness, Arts Programs
In an era where test scores dominate discussions about education, a handful of schools received state recognition Friday for their physical fitness programs. Other groups were singled out for arts programs or career education. Los Angeles Times
Labor’s Agendas
On the one hand, labor got the mayor’s race it wanted: Controller Wendy Greuel and Councilman Eric Garcetti both have a long history of supporting, and being supported by, unions. Labor-supported candidates also have fared well in City Council races and stand poised to help protect a union agenda. LA Times (Jim Newton)
Greuel, Garcetti Find Different Ways to Balance Kids, Campaigns
City controller keeps her politics-minded preteen involved in mayoral race; councilman generally keeps his toddler at home. LA Times
Monday Is Voter Registration Deadline for City Election
The Office of the City Clerk – Election Division administers elections for the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Unified School District, and the Los Angeles Community College District. Patch
LA is a Technology Oasis for Some, a Tech Desert for Others
A tech consultant, seeing a dearth of tech opportunities in South LA, wants to arm inner city teens with the tools to become entrepreneurs. KPCC
Legislature Moves to Protect Career Tech
When Gov. Jerry Brown unveiled his new education spending plan as part of his January budget, Christine Hoffman, who oversees one of the largest career preparation programs in California, knew she – and arguably, the rest of the state – had a problem. SI&A Cabinet Report
Commentary: Don’t Let Preconceptions Decide School Funding
When it comes to setting education funding policies for California, preconceived notions have long-held at least as much sway as actual reality. Santa Monica Mirror
Viewpoints: Resist Urge to Delay Common Core Testing
Across California, teachers, parents and school administrators are working to make the transition to the new Common Core State Standards. They are asking an understandable question: Are schools ready? Sacramento Bee
Commentary: California Must Remove Barriers to Getting Rid of Bad Teachers
Not enough is being done to address the abundance of underperforming public school teachers. The Reporter
Pasadena Center at Forefront of Early Math Programs for Young Children
While many preschools struggle to integrate math into their programs, an early education center housed at the California Institute of Technology has long made math a central pillar in a program that uses the scientific method to engage children as young as 6 months old. EdSource
Rewards for Schools Key Facet of NCLB Waivers
One of the chief complaints about the No Child Left Behind Act has been that districts and schools that fail to meet achievement targets face serious sanctions, while schools that do a good job of closing the gaps between traditionally overlooked groups of students and their peers essentially get little in return. Education Week
Mental Patient Who Threatened Elementary School Back in Custody
A mentally ill man who had threatened to terrorize a Garden Grove elementary school was back in custody Saturday night, about 24 hours after escaping from his Santa Ana mental health facility, officials said. Los Angeles Times