Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Save the Academic Decathlon
By Bill Boyarsky
In a city where some of the very rich are willing to pay $1 billion-plus for the bankrupt Dodgers baseball team, why can’t anyone spare $500,000 to. . .
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Voters vs. Sherman, Berman
By Bill Boyarsky
Always interested in the gritty and unpredictable side of participatory politics, I dropped in on Reps. Howard Berman and Brad Sherman, both of whom. . .
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Opinion: Iran an issue for valley’s 30th district voters
By Bill Boyarsky
No doubt Reps. Howard Berman and Brad Sherman will be confronted with questions about Iran as they campaign in the new West San Fernando Valley 30th. . .
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Taking the pro-Israel pulse of GOP candidates
By Bill Boyarsky
The race for the “Who Loves Israel Most” title has been one of the most interesting developments in the Republican presidential election. It’s. . .
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Opinion: L.A. Sukkah sit-in shows Jews' passion for politics
By Bill Boyarsky
As I stopped at the sukkah in the Occupy L.A. encampment outside City Hall, I thought of the Jews’ role in the upcoming presidential election,. . .
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Opinion: Obama’s numbers could swing 30th district race
By Bill Boyarsky
Rep. Brad Sherman doesn’t intend to follow Rep. Henry Waxman’s advice to give up his San Fernando Valley congressional race against Rep. Howard. . .
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Opinion: Prep for costly fight as Berman, Sherman keep gloves on
By Bill Boyarsky
The Howard Berman-Brad Sherman story is loaded with angles — Jewish, Latino and, what may be most important, financial.. . .
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Bill Boyarsky: LAUSD reaches out to middle class
By Bill Boyarsky
Los Angeles’ new school superintendent, John Deasy, says one of his top goals is to persuade middle-class families, including Jewish parents, to. . .
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
School Is in Session for Villaraigosa’s Critics
By Bill Boyarsky
“A great school is an anchor for a neighborhood,” Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. “A great school district is an anchor for a. . .
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Galatzan’s Concern for Public Schools Is Personal, Too
By Bill Boyarsky
Much of the recent history of the Los Angeles Unified School District is also part of the past of Tamar Galatzan, who now sits on the governing board. . .
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Yaroslavsky observes Nigeria’s democratic process
By Bill Boyarsky
Zev Yaroslavsky’s latest nation-building assignment wasn’t easy. Dispatched to Nigeria as part of an international corps of election observers,. . .
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
State budget crisis calls for action
By Bill Boyarsky
If there was ever a time for Jewish parents to fight for Los Angeles public schools, this is it.. . .
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Public libraries face crucial funding vote
By Bill Boyarsky
When Susan Kent was a child in Westchester County, N.Y., she read her way through the public library children’s section and then headed over to the. . .
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
‘Value-added’ teacher ratings add little value
By Bill Boyarsky
The teacher evaluations recently posted on the Los AngelesTimes Web site deserve acareful but skeptical reading.. . .
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
New school to honor legacy of Jewish justice Stanley Mosk
By Bill Boyarsky
In 1947, Stanley Mosk, then a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, was confronted with a case that divided the city. Three African American. . .
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Unemployment and Its Effects Linger
By Bill Boyarsky
When this recession is a memory, the Jewish community’s unemployed and their children — just like the rest of the country — will still feel the. . .
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
An Advocate for Jewish Interests in L.A.’s Diverse Public Schools
By Bill Boyarsky
What’s the place of Jewish life in the multiethnic mixing bowl of the Los Angeles public schools? It’s a complex question in a district where. . .
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Pursuit of Justice
By Bill Boyarsky
I’ve covered the ugly side of race relations in Los Angeles for many years. Among my memories are the Watts Riots, the 1992 riot, the public school. . .
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Parent Power
By Bill Boyarsky
“Raw power, an unabashed transfer of political power to parents.”. . .
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Give Innovation a Chance
By Bill Boyarsky
Looking for clues to help save public schools, I visited teacher Ellie Herman’s drama class at Animo Pat Brown Charter High School.. . .
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A Different Kind of Fighter for 5th District
By Bill Boyarsky
L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz hustled into his fourth-floor office suite followed by two aides, just after he finished a long council session. I. . .
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Unite, Take Over the Schools
By Bill Boyarsky
Los Angeles Schools Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines has a strong message to Jewish parents and others nervously considering public school education. . .
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
A Time for Action
By Bill Boyarsky
Karen Bass, speaker of the California Assembly, looked remarkably calm, considering that she’d just arrived to speak at The Jewish Federation in. . .
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Will recession fuel a return to public schools?
By Bill Boyarsky
Throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District, the recession is prompting middle-class parents to take a look at public middle and high schools. . .