Carl J. Petersen
Bio
Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for students with SpEd needs and public education. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Opinions are his own.
Stories (308)
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Misplaced Optimism: A Year of Accountability Promised — and Withheld at LAUSD
“We must hold the Superintendent accountable” – Karla Griego (2024) Ten years ago, I ran for a seat on the LAUSD Board of Education to change the district I believed was failing its students, especially those with Special Education needs. My opponent was Tamar Galatzan, an entrenched incumbent who was backed by the charter school industry. I achieved the lowest cost per vote, just 69 cents, in the entire city during that election cycle. While it wasn’t enough to win the seat, our campaign helped knock Galatzan out of office. This helped to clear a pathway for change and raised expectations that accountability might finally follow.
By Carl J. Petersenabout 18 hours ago in Education
Trump’s Response to Tragedy Shows How Moral Decay Spreads in American Politics
“this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.” - Barack Obama
By Carl J. Petersen2 days ago in The Swamp
On the Record: Dr. Rocío Rivas on Promises, Progress, and What’s Next
“Our kids deserve a school system funded with dignity, not leftovers.” - Dr. Rocío Rivas In 2026, the three Los Angeles Unified School District Board Members from the even-numbered board districts will ask the voters to re-elect them. Nick Melvoin, Kelly Gonez, and Dr. Rocío Rivas were each sent four questions that would allow them to let voters know how they felt about their work so far.
By Carl J. Petersen8 days ago in Education
If This Is the Future, We’re F**ked: When AI Decides Reality Is Wrong
“ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.” - Warning below ChatGPT’s prompt This was the first time I knowingly entered an exchange with a machine—and realized it could not tell fact from fiction.
By Carl J. Petersen11 days ago in Futurism
He Couldn't Hold His Tongue
“An illegal immigrant is a criminal.” - Gene Simmons No band in the history of rock and roll has mastered branding better than KISS. For more than five decades, the group has parlayed a catalog of largely mediocre songs into the upper reaches of superstardom through trademarked makeup, a legendary live show, and an army of talented merchandise strategists. The band has not released an album since 2012, which failed to go gold, yet loyal members of the KISS Army continue to empty their wallets on thousands of licensed products, including, infamously, a KISS-branded casket.
By Carl J. Petersen20 days ago in The Swamp
Throw the Bums Out?
“Politics is stuck on repeat.” - Run For Something The members of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board demonstrated their disregard for the voters who elected them when they unanimously voted to extend Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho’s contract without public input. The item was not listed on the agenda of the closed-door session in which the vote occurred, raising questions about whether they violated California’s Brown Act, the state’s open-meeting law.
By Carl J. Petersen22 days ago in The Swamp
Echoes of Missing Men. Top Story - December 2025.
“Whatsoever I've feared has come to life And whatsoever I've fought off became my life Just when every day seemed to greet me with a smile Sunspots have faded, now I'm doing time” - Soundgarden, "Fell on Black Days"
By Carl J. Petersenabout a month ago in Humans
When Power Targets the Vulnerable
“I exploit you, still you love me I tell you, one and one makes three.” - Living Colour My first inclination that a Trump presidency had the potential to descend into a cult of personality occurred a few months after he descended his golden escalator to announce his candidacy. I had criticized the mocking of Serge Kovaleski, a reporter with the New York Times, by imitating his physical disability. Even though the act was caught on tape for the whole world to see, I was attacked by a Facebook friend for spreading “fake news.” As we went back and forth, she insisted that there was nothing out of the ordinary about the candidate’s flailing arms and broken speech; these were things Trump did all the time and had nothing to do with the reporter’s congenital condition.
By Carl J. Petersenabout a month ago in The Swamp
A Shutdown of Compassion: The Latest Assault on Obamacare
“This is a big fucking deal.” - Vice President Joe Biden on the passage of Obamacare The record-breaking shutdown of the federal government was not the first time that vital services have been paused as our elected representatives argued over the future of Obamacare. In September 2013, three and a half years after the groundbreaking law was passed with a party-line vote, Republicans held the government hostage for 16 days in an attempt to delay the implementation of the law, which was designed to give more people access to healthcare. This was despite Republicans having successfully added 188 amendments to the proposal as it progressed through Congress.
By Carl J. Petersen2 months ago in The Swamp
