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 (309)
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The Kids Are Watching
“Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr. Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) School Board members are the politicians who directly affect the daily lives of our children. Some, like BD3’s Scott Schmerelson, take this responsibility seriously, visiting school sites regularly and meeting with the students they were elected to represent. For others, the children seem to be an afterthought; they only show up to pose for the television cameras or to take pictures for their campaign websites.
By Carl J. Petersenabout a year ago in The Swamp
2024 LAUSD School Board Endorsements
"God made the Idiot for practice, and then He made the School Board." – Mark Twain The LAUSD School Board is going to look a lot different next year. After serving the students of Los Angeles for a decade as the BD1 School Board Member, Dr. George McKenna decided not to run for reelection. He will be joined in retirement by BD 5 representative Jackie Goldberg who is ending her second stint on the Board after serving five years. Since none of the candidates secured over 50% of the vote in either of these board districts during the March primary, voters will decide on November 5th who will replace these two veteran public servants.
By Carl J. Petersenabout a year ago in Education
For Those Who Have Blocked Out The Memory Of Trump's Presidency
“There is no such thing as stupid questions, only stupid people.” – Mr. Garrison on South Park Any casual watcher of hurricane coverage can tell you that the greatest danger comes at high tide. As the water levels rise, the sea reclaims the land and devours oceanfront property. Unfortunately, former President Trump seems ignorant of this basic fact and, therefore, does not understand one of the most basic threats of global warming. While the one-two punch of rising oceans and more frequent extreme weather events, both caused by climate change, have wiped out island communities and threatened the existence of entire countries, Trump perceives a positive outcome. Ignoring the prediction that most of his Mar-a-Lago resort “could be underwater by 2100,” he often says that a rising sea level will somehow create “more oceanfront property.”
By Carl J. Petersenabout a year ago in The Swamp
That Brand New Arena Smell
“What the f*ck is different?” – Slipknot, “Prosthetics” Outside of their appearance at the 2001 edition of Ozzfest, I had never had a chance to see Slipknot. A slot on a festival stage playing before Marilyn Manson and Black Sabbath gave a good indication of what the band sounded like live but did not allow me to see the full spectacle they are known for. I, therefore, jumped at the chance to see them during my birthday weekend for a stop on their tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their self-titled first album. The fact that they were playing at the recently opened Intuit Dome heightened my interest.
By Carl J. Petersenabout a year ago in Beat
Checking The Math
“Whoever is detected in a shameful fraud is ever after not believed even if they speak the truth.” – Phaedrus When appearing at the Northridge East Neighborhood Council’s candidate forum, LAUSD BD 3 candidate Dan Chang answered a question about the budget by citing his qualifications. “Having a math teacher,” he said, “and a budget expert and someone who really loves the numbers is just an important part of providing oversight in LA Unified.”
By Carl J. Petersenabout a year ago in The Swamp
School Board Candidates Face The Voters
“My goodness, great question.” – Dan Chang On Saturday, September 14, 2024, the Northridge East Neighborhood Council’s Education Committee hosted a forum for the two candidates in the November 5th runoff election. The videos posted below are the answers provided by Scott M. Schmerelson and Dan Chang broken down by question. While some banter between questions and housekeeping is not included, the candidates’ answers are presented in full.
By Carl J. Petersenabout a year ago in The Swamp
