Entitled Career Politicians

“Lastly, to the disruptors and protesters…in their own words, I yield the rest of my time and fuck you.”

- Former City Council Member Paul Koretz

With term limits ending his time on the Los Angeles City Council, Paul Koretz decided that his next government paycheck would come from the City Controller’s office. The only thing that stood in his way was a movement propelled by a young upstart, Kenneth Meija. Apparently having lost touch with the electorate, the veteran politician went negative in the campaign by condemning his opponent for rallying against the status quo, which was the very thing that was propelling his following. Meija won nearly two-thirds of the vote, getting more votes than even Mayor Karen Bass.

Koretz’s bitterness at his loss was apparent as he said his goodbyes at his last City Council meeting. Instead of sailing away quietly into the sunset, the Councilman used his last seconds of power to tell his constituents: “Fuck you.” The ruling class on the council’s dais cheered this vulgar act, jointly giving us all the middle finger.

This display of disdain for the public by the city’s leaders should not be surprising to anyone. Our city council has become a den of corruption where too many of its members feel entitled to the seats they hold. They are supposed to be representing us, but any attempt to hold them accountable is looked at with disdain. The city council chamber has become a war zone with police clad in riot gear regularly used to quiet any dissent.

Not to be outdone, embattled and disgraced City Councilmember Kevin De Leon was caught on tape in a violent altercation later that same night with a protester who dared to confront him. De Leon, who refuses to resign his seat despite being caught participating in a conversation where bigoted rhetoric was casually spewed, was at a community event as he attempts to re-enter public life.

“Who do they belong to right now?”

- Kevin de Leon

Years of receiving a public paycheck have jaded the councilman to the point that he has forgotten that he is supposed to be a servant. In the infamous tape, De Leon suggested that constituents “belong” to officeholders as new districts were drawn. The public is nothing more to him than a way to hold onto the trappings of power. Protesters are an obstacle to him keeping that power, explaining why he is clearly unhinged as he violently attacks the man in the video.

When the new iteration of the City Council is seated, the citizens of three of the 15 districts will not be represented:

• As shown at the last meeting of the City Council, De Leon cannot participate without causing chaos.
• Nuri Martinez did the right thing and resigned after being caught in the same conversation as DeLeon.
• Mark Ridley Thomas was suspended after being indicted on corruption charges. He successfully sued to force the controller to pay him for doing no work.

Additionally, John Lee has refused to give up his seat despite participating in a trip illegally paid for by lobbyists that resulted in a criminal conviction of his former boss, Mitch Englander. Lee, who refuses to confirm that he is City Staffer B as named in Englander’s indictment, has so little respect for the honor of public service that he has registered to run for re-election in 2024.

The LAUSD School Board, where Martinez got her political start, also displays the animosity towards the public that they are supposed to serve. Despite narrowly winning re-election by just 2,559 votes, current Board President Kelly Gonez continues to ignore parents and other community members during the public comment period required by law. When parents strayed away from speech that she deemed to be acceptable, Gonez has had them muted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6i1zlH6V4o

The new crop of representatives being sworn into office this month brings hope that change is obtainable. The public has placed their trust in Rocio Rivas, Kenneth Mejia, Eunisses Hernandez, and Robert Luna to break open the status quo. Will they respect the constituents who are responsible for their holding office or will they squander the opportunity and become part of the system they promised to change? Politics is not a spectator sport; it is up to the public to hold them accountable before they leave office with a big “fuck you.”

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Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for students with special education needs and public education. He was elected to the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and is the Education Chair. 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.