Having just read the latest opinion letter by Oscar de la Torre, I am not surprised. Like the parable of the scorpion and the frog, the scorpion must sting as it is his nature, even if that sting leads to his eventual demise. But as he cannot seem to keep my name out of his mouth, or his letter, I will follow his lead and take a moment of “personal privilege”.
Oscar, you should know better than throwing stones in a glass house. And you should know better than trying to cash false receipts.
1) You admitted to me that you made the antisemitic remark. We went over to the PYFC so you could introduce me to the new exec director, Alex, and then we sat at Starbucks on Lincoln for close to two hours. We had a long discussion and at first you tried to deny what you said and then you made excuses and then finally we had an honest discussion. I’m sorry that you say you don’t remember it. Because you literally told me you said it, I don’t think it’s hearsay.
2) Rabbi Comess-Daniels has already told people that he has backed away from his letter supporting you after you immediately turned it into a political ad.
3) The entire school board agreed to have a consultant come in to do a “board building” exercise to find some common areas of interest so that we could work more effectively. As VP I was tasked by the entire board, including you, with finding the consultant. I originally asked a person I had worked with for a period of three years who was unavailable and she suggested the person we eventually hired. My wife had worked with this person earlier and maybe that is the relationship you think existed.
4) Muralist Jane Golden came to Santa Monica in January of 2020 without charging us a penny for her time or her team’s time. That was incredibly generous of her and it was solely because of the relationship I was able to form with her. That saved our district thousands of dollars. The only thing she asked is if she could get reimbursed for their flights within her credit card billing period. Getting reimbursed would have been a financial burden on her and her organization. We can’t turn around reimbursements that quickly in the district so I did “front” the expenses for her. And then, months later was paid back.
5) While we are talking about paying back bills, don't you still have an unpaid insurance bill?
6) I was not on the school board when the PCB concern in Malibu happened and the legal issues began. It was only after things had escalated that I was elected so I do not think I could have retaliated against anyone as I wasn’t there.
7) Our early education staff made the decision to leave Head Start and they were correct in doing so. Had we not left we would have been kicked out in a year as we just didn’t have enough families to serve. I was merely the liaison to that committee so I was supporting their decision. It is ironic that the year after we left and actually increased families served by almost 30% that you sat on the dais and said that the data and the report proved that you were wrong by doubting this move. Our staff’s foresight has allowed us to increase services to all families and actually increase our capacity.
I think that is it for personal attacks on me. You go on to attack some of your former colleagues but I won’t address that.
Oscar, it’s too bad that you continue to fail to do your homework. I sat next to you for two years on the dais and back in the days of the manila envelopes with our board materials inside I saw you rip the tape off of yours for the first time once you sat down for a meeting on more than one occasion. In fact, I doubt that you even read the original letter I wrote. If you had, you would have seen that I never called you an antisemite but that you had said something antisemitic. Almost all people have said things that they regret and when they do they apologize. That’s all you had to do, ask for forgiveness and then make an effort to learn. That’s the key to restorative processes. And yes Oscar, If I felt you were sincere, I would have embarked on that process with you. If you have received a hateful email or two that is indeed terrible. But I’ve gotten them too. I’ve gotten them for years. In fact, a group of people tried to recall me and accused me of things that you coincidentally listed above. Those of us in public service have to report to a higher standard and people will inevitably go after us. You understand that. You often said when you engaged in some less than friendly behavior that things were just politics.
No matter what happens in the election, I do hope that you try to take some sincere restorative measures. This city deserves leaders who are honest. Honest with themselves and honest with us, the residents. The first step is accountability.
Jon Kean
