Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has raised the possibility of a legal challenge for the misuse of bond funds by the Los Angeles Unified School District
(LAUSD) on the latest Full Disclosure Network 8482; video blog to be launched on Monday, October 17, 2005 on the Internet website page
http://www.fulldisclosure.net/flash/VideoBlogs/VideoBlog14.php
This ten minute video blog is moderated by Emmy Award winning host Leslie Dutton and raised questions as to the legality of the LAUSD use and method of repayment of non-voter approved
Certificates of Participation (COP) bonds currently amounting to almost one billion dollars that funded the notorious Belmont Learning Center and other unknown projects. Others appearing
on the video blog with Coupal, discussing little known facts about the LAUSD and the proposed $3.95 billion bond (Measure Y) on the November 2005 ballot are:
David Tokofsky: L.A. School Board Member reveals the LAUSD unreported plan to use proceeds from the $3.95 billion bond (Measure Y) to pay off non-voter approved bonds called COPS,
Certificates of Participation. (These little known bonds were used to build the now $400 million Belmont Learning Complex after the LAUSD Bond oversight committee objected to using the BB
Bonds for the controversial Belmont project.) Also he describes how the District intends to "swap funds" to free up money for salaries and benefits, books and supplies where COPS cannot
be used
Jon Coupal: President Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. He told Full Disclosure 8482; that his organization would consider legal action if the LAUSD attempted to use general obligation bond
money to retire the outstanding Certificates of Participation (COPS).He also described the LAUSD as the "poster child for school mismanagement and bad use of taxpayer funds" and that his
organization removed their representative from the LAUSD BB Bond oversight committee because the District has a practice of "outright lying" to the oversight committee.
Don Mullinax: Former LAUSD Inspector General told Full Disclosure 8482; that after six years the District is still paying off the Certificates of Participation (COPS) on Belmont after the
new and never occupied buildings were demolished in December 2004. He added that LAUSD has approximately $1 billion in outstanding COPS.
Anthony Patchett: Former Special Assistant District Attorney, Head of the Belmont Task force Investigation of LAUSD's Belmont Learning Complex disclosed that ($17 million ) of COPS were
used for the retail portion of the project in violation of IRS rules. Patchett was removed as Head of the Task Force after submitting a draft indictment and scheduled a Grand Jury. D.A.
Steve Cooley, issued his own report, later claiming there was no wrong doing. Experts are now predicting the unfinished Belmont will cost over half a billion dollars and will never be
safe for use as a school due to the toxic hazards, even after remediation which could cost up to $114 million.
Visitors to the Full Disclosure 8482; video blog are invited to participate in an Interactive survey on the topics and to leave comments for discussion on the blog. Full-length programs
can be seen on 40 cable systems and on the Internet. A channel guide and airtimes where the programs are featured on regular times slots can be viewed on the website.