Wendy Greuel Visits Camino Nuevo Charter High School

Los Angeles City Controller and mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel spent about an hour Wednesday at Silver Lake's Camino Nuevo Charter School Wednesday, visiting with students and also taking the chance to highlight her ideas about school reform for reporters.

She was flanked by Los Angeles Unified School District board president Monica Garcia and former trustee Yolie Flores, who also spoke on her behalf at a short program at the end of the tour.

Camino Nuevo,  highly-performing charter school on Temple Street in Silver Lake, is run by the same organization that manages Echo Park's Sandra Cisneros Learning Academy and several other elementary and middle schools that serve primarily newly-immigrated families. 

Emphasizing her own experience as a single parent with a child in LASUD, Greuel talked about commitment to local control and teacher accountability.

"Reform to me is at every single level but most of all it means reforming the decision-making process [at LAUSD] so it's for every kid," she said

She also took the opportunity to rib her opponent, who she claimed turned down her invitation to discuss education with her at the school.

The Greuel campaign issued the invitation midday Wednesday. Garcetti held his own press event at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Barnsdall Park. 

A reporter at the event noted that Greuel herself has been accused of failing to confirm her availability for a debate on education being organized by radio station KCRW. 

According to a staff member, Greuel has visited Echo Park and Silver Lake of number of times.

The staff member said she had talked to the Silver Lake Chamber of Commerce, visited Logan Elementary School and participated in several neighborhood cleanups.

The staff member also said Wednesday's visit was scheduled long before Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa urged the candidates in his State of the City address to address the issue of education.