In response to recent OC Register articles regarding the failure of Santa Ana schools, two former SAUSD alumni have started a Facebook page aimed at gathering Facebook members who are either parents or alumni of SAUSD in order to organize and galvanize them to help bring change. The group is called Santa Ana “Education First” which was once the original motto of the City of Santa Ana. The founders of this page are Robert Sanchez and a long lost friend I recently reconnected with, Gerry Rodriguez, who I was in MEChA with at Santa Ana College a long time ago.
One thing I remember about Gerry, when a lot of the members of MEChA would gripe how bad the world was, he would always pose the question “What do you plan to do about it?” It seems to me he is living by these words and reacting accordingly. Personally, he has jumped to the front of my list to run against Audrey Noji and win creating a true reform alliance with John Palacio and Roman Reyna. Gerry is a parent, who grew up in this community, who better to represent the masses and fix this school district.
If you are on Facebook and are interested in this ongoing issue, I encourage you to join this group. I believe 2010 is going to be a year for real change in this city. We need to give Alfredo Amezcua a team who can bring real change. When we elect a mayor, we don’t elect an absolute ruler. It is time for change in this city, and the amount of members this group has is now at over 200 and growing fast. Please join and make your voice heard. Be a part of the year of change in Santa Ana.