As you may recall, I got interested in charter schools in Los Angeles during the recent UTLA strike, and after learning that they are subject to the California Public Records Act I submitted a bunch of requests, and after a little amateurish obstructionism the goodies are starting to trickle in.¹ Today’s installment is this small set of emails between Johnathan Williams, founder and head honcho of charter school empire The Accelerated Schools, and various people associated with zillionaire terrorist front group The Central City Association.

And one thing I’ve been learning recently, confirmed by these emails, is that there’s an extensive nexus of relationships among BIDdies and Charterites. BIDdies and their hired guns, like e.g. Jessica Lall and Noel Hyun of the CCALA, serve on many a charter school board. Their companies fund charters, arrange their real estate deals, introduce their executives around in the local zillionaire communities, and so on. Ultimately this shouldn’t have been a surprise to me, although it was.

Both BIDs and charter schools serve the zillionaire privatization agenda. Both are attacks on the public realm, seeking to destroy it so that it can be replaced with private institutions even more firmly under direct zillionaire control. The emails at hand give the tiniest glimpse into this world, just consisting of zillionaires and charterites passing names and email addresses around trying to find a place where the staff of one of Williams’s schools, the Wallis Annenberg High School, can hold a two day retreat.

But don’t be turned off by the triviality of the subject. The real story here is the existence of the network that allows such transactions as these to be negotiated seamlessly, effortlessly, genially, without friction. The shared presupposition of the value of charter schools revealed by the fact that no one questions it. That’s ultimately what we’re learning about, and such knowledge, like all knowledge worth having, comes a speck at a time. Until a vast panorama is revealed, like pointillism. Turn the page for transcriptions and links to the emails!

The backstory starts in 2016, when, it seems, Johnathan Williams encountered CCALA lobbyist and confessed criminal Marie Rumsey at zillionaire-favorite sushi upseller Katsuya.² And every accomplished bootlicker knows what to do in such cases. Since you, my readers, are not bootlickers,³ I will fill you in! Send a damn follow-up email! And here’s what Williams wrote to Rumsey:

From: Johnathan Williams <jwilliams@accelerated.org>
To: “‘mrumsey@ccala.org'” <mrumsey@ccala.org>
Subject: Katsuya!
Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2016 19:03:01

Hi Marie,

So good to see you last week, and please keep us in mind when opportunities to be involved for kids or me arise.

All the Best,

Johnathan

Johnathan Williams, Co-Founder and CEO
The Accelerated Schools
116 Martin Luther King Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90011

And it’s for just this kind of nonsense that Marie Rumsey gets paid her zillion dollars in the sweat of her brow. Here’s her answer, and one can just smell the grease being slathered on the wheels of whatever vehicle is being maintained.

From: Marie Rumsey <MRumsey@ccala.org>
Sent Friday. October 14. 2016 4:35 PM
To: Johnathan Williams <jwilliams@accelerated.org>

Subject RE: Katsuya!

Hi Johnathan. It was great to see you too!

And. I will definitely keep you in mind. Also, please let me know when we can help TAS.
Have a great weekend.

Marie

And a mere nine months later, well, Marie Rumsey did have occasion to help Johnathan Williams. The story opens with this email from Carl Cade, exceedingly creepy looking member of the Board of Directors of Carol Schatz’s nightmare horror show wet dream, the Central City Association, to Johnathan Williams, on which Marie Rumsey was CCed. It seems that one of Williams’s charter schools, the Wallis Annenberg High School, needed a place to hold a retreat:

From: “Cade, Carl” <ccade@tribunemedia.com>
To: Johnathan Williams <jwilliams@accelerated.org>
CC: Marie Rumsey <MRumsey@ccala.org>
Subject: Possible retreat space for 2 days, thirty people for the faculty of Wallis Annenberg High School
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2017 10:44:14

Hey Johnathan,

Last week after we talked I reached out to Marie Rumsey at Central City Association (whom you probably know from when she was Planning Director in Jan Perry’s Council Office) and she had some great ideas.

1. Ratkovich Company – The Bloc (formerly Macy’s Plaza) – contact Kathleen Miller -I talked to Kathleen and she thought they might have some white boxed future office or retail space you could use. Kmiller@ratkovich.com

2. Tom Gilmore – The Main Museum and Vibiana

3. Adele Yellin – The Bradbury Building

4. Steve Needleman – Anjac Fashion Buildings

Marie is happy to make an introduction to the remaining three.

Best,
Carl

So Carl Cade, a corrupt Downtown LA Developer and member at one time of yet another bullshit Garcetti-driven commission, is helping Williams find a venue for a thirty person two day retreat. And unlike normal people in normal workplaces, who would normally go to like a hotel or something, Carl Cade circled in⁴ Marie Freaking Rumsey, who spieled off a list of Downtown zillionaire power elites. This might ordinarily be interpreted as a look whose metaphorical rolodex radiates more metaphorically phallic power move, but I don’t think that’s what’s going on here.

In this limited case I really think Marie Rumsey is creating more connections between zillionaires and Johnathan Williams, this witting or unwitting servant of the zillionaire agenda. Everyone wins⁵ when the network gains connections, not least Rumsey who’s paid in part to create connections between zillionaires and those who would serve them. And it might be worth taking a little detour⁶ here and talking about these worthies on Marie Rumsey’s list.

• Wayne Ratkovich — Lead bossman of the Ratkovich Company, a developer of super-large-scale projects of the sort creamed over by dumbass urbanists in every corner of the City and disdained by human beings.

• Tom Gilmore — It’s hard to know where to start with this guy, who has done more to destroy the living soul of Downtown Los Angeles in any number of ways than any known human other maybe than Carol Schatz, who was Marie Rumsey’s boss at the time these emails were sent, but is despite his soul-destroying ways nevertheless the subject of uncritical adoration from the usual crew.

• Adele Yellin — Former owner of Grand Central Market, which she’s responsible for destroying. She is or was really involved with the Historic Core BID and the Downtown Center BID. Not a supervillain but definitely a villain.

• Steve Needleman — This guy owns many buildings on Broadway and is a big player in the Fashion District BID, run-of-the-mill zillionaire.

These are the kind of people whose economic interests, and when one has that much money economic interests are the only interests left, can only be served by destroying the human interests of normal people. Which is why this episode, of Marie Rumsey and Carl Cade tapping them to help the charter school people find space for their retreat, reveals something important. The zillionaires want something from the charterites, and what they want is not good for the rest of us.

But back to the emails! Johnathan Williams is all over this! And strikes just the right tone of cheerful sycophancy! And see how he takes care to mention that he already knows at least one of the zillionaires, because to he who has it shall be given! So it’s crucial to make sure that people in a position to give know you’re one who has!

From: Johnathan Williams <jwilliams@accelerated.org>
To: “Cade, Carl” <ccade@tribunemedia.com>
CC: Marie Rumsey <MRumsey@ccala.org>, Rene Quon <rquon@accelerated.org>
Subject: Re: Possible retreat space for 2 days, thirty people for the faculty of Wallis Annenberg High School
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2017 14:25:28

Thanks Carl and Marie!

What a small world! I’m copying my HS principal, Rene Quon for his consideration.

So funny that in addition to knowing Marie, I’ve had the chance to hang out with Ratcovich, as he’s also working with my Board chair, Eric Johnson on the Ports o’Call Village re-do in San Pedro.

Look forward to connecting with you both soon.

Best,

Johnathan

But the cheerful sycophancy of Johnathan Williams is nothing at all when placed next to the quantum leapingly manic sycophancy of Annenberg High School principal Rene Quon in his response:

From: Rene Quon <rquon@accelerated.org>
To: Johnathan Williams <jwilliams@accelerated.org>, “Cade, Carl” <ccade@tribunemedia.com>
CC: Marie Rumsey <MRumsey@ccala.org>
Subject: Re: Possible retreat space for 2 days, thirty people for the faculty of Wallis Annenberg High School
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2017 14:55:32

Hello Carl and Marie,

Thank you so much for your suggestions! These are extremely helpful, and I look forward to empowering and inspiring our teaching staff to serve our students with passion and dedication in the upcoming school year.

Last week I reached out to the first contact (Kathleen Miller) by email, but unfortunately haven’t heard back. Could you please arrange an introduction with the last three, or forward their contact information? That would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you sincerely for your time and support,

Rene Quon

Interim Principal
Wallis Annenberg High School
The Accelerated Schools
Office: (323) 235-6343, Ext: 2555
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rene-quon-6a634965

It’s beyond cute, isn’t it?! How Rene Quon actually thinks that any of these people actually care about statements like “I look forward to empowering and inspiring our teaching staff to serve our students with passion and dedication in the upcoming school year.” As if zillionaires are paying zillions to have anyone but themselves empowered. Not likely.

There’s no dramatic ending here. Later that day, the deal not being closed quick enough for the refined taste of Carl Cade, he sent a hurry-up email to Marie Rumsey and she responded mere minutes later with details of what she’d worked out. Presumably Rene Quon went on to inspire with passion and dedication, and everyone lived happily ever after. And in honor of there having been no dramatic ending to the story, I’ll have no dramatic ending to this post, which is essentially just a slice of life in Zillionairelandia. Pointillism.

Image of Marie Rumsey is ©2019 MichaelKohlhaas.org.

1. I’m facing some much more serious obstructionism as well. Not serious in the sense of being well-designed and therefore defensible under the law. Not any of that. Serious in the sense of creating liability for six figure judgments against some of these crybabies who won’t just give me the damn emails like God and the Legislature intend them to do. Stay tuned for details, of course.
2. Click on that link to learn the following vital news: “Katsuya’s Japanese kanji symbol “Katsu” means “victory” or “to win” and it’s fitting considering the loyal following of Hollywood A-listers and Zagat critics the restaurant has won over with its inventive combination of Japanese and Californian cuisine.”
3. Although obviously you’re accomplished! Just not at that. And listen, as long as you’re down here reading the footnote, let me just mention that I stand by my statement that my readers are not bootlickers even though it’s pretty well established that 34% of you, my readers, are actually BIDdies and BIDdie-adjacent folks, like lawyers, gathering evidence for whatever ridiculous weapons you think you’re stockpiling against me. Y’all are bootlickers but I discount you from the statistics.
4. I know these murderers of the language would typically say “looped in” because “circling” is done “back” rather than “in”, but fuck ’em and why don’t they go back to Hell where they came from if they can’t learn to speak English, or Spanish for that matter. Any human language would do.
5. By “everyone” I mean “those who win.” If one picks the meanings of the words carefully everything the zillionaires say is true. Everyone wins! A rising tide lifts all boats! With liberty and justice for all!!
6. I admit that pretty much everything I write is a detour. A detour looking for a destination, my English teachers would have written on everything I ever turned in if such a felicitous phrase had ever occurred to them.