Mayor to Take LAUSD Case to the Stae Supreme Court
By Naush Boghossian
LA Daily News
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa decided Friday to ask the state Supreme Court to determine the legality of his legislation to assume significant control over the Los Angeles Unified School District.
If the court agrees to hear the case, which is scheduled to be filed next week, its decision will be the final word on the constitutionality of Assembly Bill 1381, which was signed into law in September.
Meanwhile, the state appellate court approved his request for an expedited hearing, and a date is ex-pected to be set Tuesday. If the Supreme Court agrees to hear the case, it will bypass the appellate court.
The mayor's chief legal counsel, Thomas Saenz, said they are trying all options to reach a final decision as quickly as possible.
"There's an urgency around implementing the law. We're trying to get the quickest way to a final deci-sion,'' he said.
The Mayor's Office appealed one day after Superior Court Judge Dzintra Janavs ruled Dec. 21 that the legislation is not legal and blocked its Jan. 1 implementation.
Both sides are currently fighting in court on whether the appeal filed by the Mayor's Office automatically stayed Janavs' decision.
Kevin Reed, Los Angeles Unified's general counsel, said district officials are not opposed to getting an expedited ruling on the legality of the legislation, but he questions the urgency of implementing the mayor's proposed cluster of schools -- the district's lowest performing campuses he would directly oversee under AB 1381 -- on July 1.
"We're confident the Court of Appeal will affirm Judge Janavs' decision and we would expect the same treatment from the Supreme Court should they decide to take the case, which by no means is guaranteed,'' Reed said.
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LA Daily News
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa decided Friday to ask the state Supreme Court to determine the legality of his legislation to assume significant control over the Los Angeles Unified School District.
If the court agrees to hear the case, which is scheduled to be filed next week, its decision will be the final word on the constitutionality of Assembly Bill 1381, which was signed into law in September.
Meanwhile, the state appellate court approved his request for an expedited hearing, and a date is ex-pected to be set Tuesday. If the Supreme Court agrees to hear the case, it will bypass the appellate court.
The mayor's chief legal counsel, Thomas Saenz, said they are trying all options to reach a final decision as quickly as possible.
"There's an urgency around implementing the law. We're trying to get the quickest way to a final deci-sion,'' he said.
The Mayor's Office appealed one day after Superior Court Judge Dzintra Janavs ruled Dec. 21 that the legislation is not legal and blocked its Jan. 1 implementation.
Both sides are currently fighting in court on whether the appeal filed by the Mayor's Office automatically stayed Janavs' decision.
Kevin Reed, Los Angeles Unified's general counsel, said district officials are not opposed to getting an expedited ruling on the legality of the legislation, but he questions the urgency of implementing the mayor's proposed cluster of schools -- the district's lowest performing campuses he would directly oversee under AB 1381 -- on July 1.
"We're confident the Court of Appeal will affirm Judge Janavs' decision and we would expect the same treatment from the Supreme Court should they decide to take the case, which by no means is guaranteed,'' Reed said.
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