The Courage to Lead

Karlo Silbiger

For the past 2 school board meetings, the board has been overwhelmed by parents asking and/or demanding that the board protect the parents' right to raise money and spend that money as they see fit by hiring employees to work in the schools. While the message has been both consistent and direct, the criticism that I and my colleagues have received has been a bit more confusing.

I have had people say that the board is too active and that we should stay out of oversight decisions that should be made by our staff. I have had people say that we need to be more active, to take a stand that would, supposedly, protect our students and their education. I have been told that I am personally biased based on my friendship and strong working relationship with Debbie Hamme, a dedicated employee of our district, Culver City resident, and parent of a CCUSD graduate (in addition to being the President of the Culver City Association of Classified Employees). I have been told that I am staying TOO NEUTRAL (if that is possible) and that I need to take a more active role in picking a side. Sometimes all of the above statements have come from the same person!

Obviously some members of the public are confused about what they want in an elected official, they just know that they want to be in agreement with them on this particular issue. It has been an interesting learning experience for me as a relatively new elected official and I know that in the end it will help to make our district stronger and our board more cohesive.

It is within this context that I sat last Sunday through the 60th anniversary Installation Luncheon of the Culver City Democratic Club, an organization in which I have been heavily involved over the past 5 years. I pulled 2 lessons from that event. First, I learned that I was still a newbie when it came to being a political activist. Because I grew up in a political family where we were always running campaigns out of the living room and attending meetings each weekend, I assume that I am ready for anything that can be thrown at me. However, listening at the luncheon to Steve Gourley, a leader in our community and state for over 30 years (and a speaker as the former Club President), reminded me that being a leader and policy-maker is a constant learning experience.

The second lesson learned, is that while good elected officials set policy based on past practice and formal votes, great elected officials just lead. They sometimes throw the rules aside for the betterment of the people they serve and always think of the end result over the short-term political consequences of their actions. It is not that I didn't know this before (I've been outspoken for as long as I've been speaking!). But there's something about listening to State Controller John Chiang, one of the best elected officials that California has ever produced, that reinforces just how much of a difference 1 person can make.

For those who don't know Controller Chiang's history he has been helping to set fiscal policy in our state for over 13 years. He sits on a variety of boards and signs our tax return checks, as his job description specifies. However, as the chief financial officer of the state, Controller Chiang sees it as his personal mission to do all he legally can do to protect taxpayer money from corruption, corporate greed, and non-transparent decision-making. And sometimes that means taking a stand that is unpopular to some.

Controller Chiang is best known for 2 actions taken during his 5 years in this position. He is the one who refused on pay all state workers at minimum wage levels (regardless of their contractually-guaranteed pay) when ordered to by then-Governor Schwarzenegger. The Controller argued that it was completely unfair and illegal to change peoples’ income unilaterally when they had been created through negotiations. Many were mad, arguing that the Controller was substituting his own political beliefs for the direction of the Chief Executive. Others argued that during crises, one must throw the agreements out the window and focus on keeping the state solvent. I saw that move as politically-risky, but completely in keeping with Chiang’s sole motivation: don’t allow the political environment to alter one’s sworn duty to uphold the law.

A few years later, when the legislature and Governor passed a phony budget just before June 30th in order to protect their own pay, the Controller refused to hand out checks until a true balanced budget was passed, not one that relied on gimmicks. He is still in court defending that action. People in his own party were furious, but Chiang knows that his allegiance can’t be to any group other than the entire constituency of the state. The law says that a balanced budget must be passed and he had yet to see what he considered a balanced budget. Another gutsy move from a true leader.

What people generally don’t know about Controller Chiang is that he has spent the past 5 years behind the scenes doing exactly what we need in Sacramento: auditing every cent that comes in or goes out of the state treasury to independently ensure that no money is wasted. In just those 5 years, he has $3 billion in savings. Imagine how many more billions have been saved because corporations know not to mess with our state. He spoke on Sunday about using fiscal policy to enact social policy, a concept that only a true leader would develop.

So after listening to and reflecting on the Controller’s work, I feel better about the criticism that I have been getting. I am sure it is similar to the reaction that Mr. Chiang has received each and every time that he has tried to push the boundaries of his position beyond the status quo for the betterment of the people he serves. Sometimes it is not alright to sit back and just vote every other week, sometimes you have to actively work, sometimes you have to take a stand. Leadership does not always mean being popular. But even in the midst of lawsuits from his fellow democrats and threats from former Governors, John Chiang has managed to be elected overwhelmingly 4 times and was honored by the Culver City Democratic Club, so that’s something.

Karlo Silbiger is the Co-Editor of the Culver City Progress Blog, the President of the Culver City School Board, and the former President of the Culver City Democratic Club.