Twelve Local Elected Officials Demand LAUSD’s Deasy Fire James Roybal

Roybal entering Teacher Jail, photo by HMG-CN

By Randy Economy and Pete Parker

In a letter sent to LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy, a dozen local elected officials have demanded that embattled Central Basin Municipal Water Board Member James Roybal be fired from his position as a teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The letter to Deasy was obtained by Hews Media Group-Community Newspaper.

See letter click here.

Roybal has been enrolled in the controversial program known as “Teacher’s Jail” for several months, as first reported by HMG-CN back in November, 2013.

“The undersigned are writing to demand that the Los Angeles Unified School District take immediate action to prevent the continued illegal practice being perpetrated by LAUSD employee James Roybal,” the letter states.

The signers of the five paragraph letter are Pico Rivera City Councilman Bob J. Archuleta, Downey Mayor Pro-Tem Luis H. Marquez, Bell Gardens City Councilwoman Jennifer Rodriguez, Commerce City Councilwoman Denise Robles, Montebello Unified School Board Members Benjamin Cardenas and Hector Chacon, El Rancho School Board President Dr. Aurora R. Villon, Pico Rivera City Councilman Gustavo V. Camacho and Montebello City Councilmembers Art Barajas and Vivian Romero.

Copies of the demand letter was also sent to all to Central Basin Municipal Water District, the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors, the LAUSD Board of Education, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Rep. Grace F. Napolitano, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, Rep. Linda Sanchez, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, Assemblymember Cristina Garcia and Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.

“Mr. Roybal, an elected member on the Central Basin Municipal Water District (CBMWD) board of directors, has routinely and consistently attended CBMWD meetings and received per diem payments and financial benefits in violation of LAUSD’s rules,” the letter states.

“Mr. Roybal has received tens of thousands of CBMWD ratepayer dollars while in teacher’s jail, while still drawing LAUSD salary and benefits, and continues to attend CBWMD meeting with impunity, blatantly disregarding LAUSD rules,” the officials state in the letter to Deasy.

The elected officials also stated that “it is LAUSD’s duty to ensure that Mr. Royal abide by the rules or suffer consequences.” They also state that they recognize that “the actions of Mr. Roybal reflect negatively on the vast majority of good, hard-working teachers and staff employed by LAUSD.”

“However, given that LAUSD has allowed Mr. Roybal to leave teacher’s jail and continue to draw an additional salary for over a year demonstrates that LAUSD is either unwilling or unable to properly manage this program, and now appears to advocate Mr. Roybal’s poor behavior,” the elected officials tell Deasy in their letter.