Last week the mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, while speaking in front of?loads of legislators?at a public forum of the Public Policy Institute of California, said this: ?At every step of the way, when Los Angeles was coming together to effect real change in our public schools, UTLA [United Teachers Los Angeles] was there to fight against the change and slow the pace of reform.? Union leaders, he continued, have been ?one unwavering roadblock to reform.? Serious stuff. (?Pointing fingers and laying blame does not help improve our schools,? said UTLA President A.J. Duffy. Of course, that's wrong?in this case pointing fingers and laying blame may be precisely the?catalyst of?improvement of L.A.'s schools.) The mayor later admitted that he knew his remarks would be controversial, but he has received some applause for making them. Today, for?instance,?the Los Angeles Daily News editorialized about Villaraigosa's comments, ?It's starting to seem as if Los Angeles might have its mayor back.?
?Liam Julian, Bernard Lee Schwartz Policy Fellow