“If the dems don’t learn they need to fight for us, we keep losing. Period” - Pilar Schiavo

One of the saddest parts of watching the Republican Party complete the transition from the liberal Party of Lincoln to the far-right party of Trump is their cult-like devotion to personalities over principles. Anyone who questions the Dear Leader is deemed to be a Republican in Name Only (“RINO”) and subject to eviction from the party. Hypocrisy and moral failings are ignored; the only thing that matters is maintaining power.

While the Democrats claim to have a big tent, there has been tension building between the Berniecrat and Establishment wings of the party since at least the 2016 elections. There are still Hillary Clinton supporters who blame Bernie Sanders for their candidate’s loss to Trump despite the fact that Sanders actively campaigned for Clinton after she became the official nominee. Perhaps it is easier to blame others than to accept the fact that Clinton failed.

Apparently, California State Assembly candidate Annie Cho is one of those still stuck in 2016. Instead of concentrating her firepower on the Republican incumbent, Suzette Martinez Valladares, Cho is attacking her fellow Democrat, Pilar Schiavo. Ironically, one of Cho’s complaints is that Schiavo tweeted before the California primary on May 27, 2016, that “a vote 4 Hillary is a vote 4 Trump!” Schiavo did not cause Clinton to lose in 2016, but she did accurately predict the outcome.

The most concerning part about Cho’s campaign flyer is that she does not understand the history of the 2016 primary election and why it alienated so many Bernie supporters, some so much that they took the #DemExit. She equates the accusation that “Democrats rigged the 2016 primary election” with “Trump-like conspiracy theories.” This ignores the fact that Donna Brazille, a  DNC official, passed debate questions to the Clinton Campaign. Brazille has also alleged that the DNC was “fully under the control of Hillary’s campaign”. This does not even touch upon the party’s use of Super Delegates who could overrule the wishes of the party’s voters.

Despite the fact that Democrats overwhelmingly control the state government in California, universal healthcare has failed to pass, the gas storage facilities in Porter Ranch are still operating and every meaningful attempt to hold charter schools accountable for the public funds that they receive has either been diluted or defeated. Is it any wonder that Republican Suzette Martinez Valladares currently holds the District 40 seat? Schiavo is correct: “If the dems don’t learn they need to fight for us, we keep losing.”

I am not sure of Cho’s stances on any of these issues because she chose to prioritize her resources for a personal attack against an opponent from her own party. While Cho slings mud based on Tweets, Schiavo is actively involved in the community fighting to end the housing crisis. She was vocal in the fight to have John “City Staffer B” Lee come clean about his role in the trip to Vegas that ended up with his boss at the time, former City Councilmember Mitch Englander, pleading guilty in Federal Court. Her leadership is why I have endorsed Pilar Schiavo in this race.

Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for students with special education needs and public education. He is an elected member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and serves as 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.