Dear Culver City: Most Ezidore campaign funding comes from outside

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By Steve Siegal

The vast majority is from outside of Culver City and much of it is from the construction industry — unions and developers — followed by other special interests and political insiders. It brings up obvious questions about why all this funding for a School Board position and whom Ezidore is beholden to.

We need School Board members that are knowledgeable, experienced, and above all, focused on the task of efficiently assisting students in maximizing their academic and extracurricular achievement.

Ezidore is 23 years old, so he is quite low on outside experience. He has never been an educator, so he is low on knowledge in that area. His business experience is minimal, so creating and managing a budget is not his expertise.

Also, he has no children and has not put children through a school system. One would think the latter would be a base requirement for being on a School Board. How can a School Board member possibly speak with authority without this experience? What is Ezidore doing here? 

One could easily argue that any candidate who has put kids through the school system will be a superior performer on that board than someone who has not. Going through school yourself is not a qualification. In the case of this particular Culver City race, indeed, all of the other candidates are far more qualified than Ezidore.

Ezidore has previously cited the Culver City politicians who took him under their wing, however just because people helped him get elected, that does not mean he is the best person for the position.

There is nothing personal here, we’re just trying to understand why we wouldn’t vote in outstanding members of the community who at least check the basic boxes for being on a School Board.

The Culver City school system is excellent in many ways. The teachers are outstanding and parental support, creativity, and volunteer work is highly generous and a true gift for students from TK through high school. The potential exists for CCUSD to be extraordinary. We need a School Board where every slot is maximized to accomplish this.

Steve Siegal has lived in Culver City for 10+ years, and is an author, advertising writer, and parent of recent Culver City High School graduates.