SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, Calif., Feb. 8, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Executive Board of AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) Local 1083, Supervising Child Support Officers voted unanimously to endorse Brian C. Johnson in his bid for the Valley's newly drawn 46th Assembly District.
AFSCME Local 1083 President Irene Hernandez-Blair stated, "Our board's unanimous decision was not only based on Brian's commitment to bringing new, good paying union jobs to Los Angeles, but also based on Brian's ongoing efforts as a champion for education and our children."
"I am truly honored to have the support of AFSCME Local 1083 and their President, Irene Hernandez-Blair," responded Johnson. "These working men and women shoulder a tremendous responsibility every day advocating for and improving the quality of life for thousands of California's children. I am thankful for the work they do and humbled by their endorsement."
Johnson campaign consultant Harvey Englander points to the endorsement as an indication of Johnson's broadening coalition of support. "Brian's support is coming from an incredibly diverse base. Labor groups, small business owners, parents and teachers are all responding overwhelmingly positively to Brian's message. He is committed not only to creating jobs today, but also making sure our children are prepared for the jobs of tomorrow."
The newly drawn 46th Assembly District includes the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Sherman Oaks, Toluca Lake, Studio City, Valley Village, Valley Glen, Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Panorama City, North Hills, Lake Balboa and the Hollywood Hills.
Brian C. Johnson is a Democrat, the former Executive Director of Teach for America in Los Angeles, and the current Executive Director of the Larchmont Charter Schools, a network of high-performing and racially and socio-economically diverse public schools in Los Angeles.
ABOUT BRIAN C. JOHNSON:
Brian has devoted his entire professional life to helping reform our schools and providing greater control of our schools to parents, teachers and principals. In Baton Rouge, Brian began his career as a first grade teacher with Teach For America. After receiving his MBA and law degree from Stanford, Brian became the Executive Director of the Los Angeles chapter of Teach For America, a non-profit national service organization dedicated to improving the quality of education in public schools.
During his time there, Brian increased revenues by $5 million annually and tripled the size of his team so that Teach For America could bring in over 700 of the nation's top college graduates to serve as public school teachers in Los Angeles. These teachers have made a dramatic impact on the lives of 50,000 students throughout our city, including an emphasis on teacher placement in the San Fernando Valley.
Brian currently serves as the Executive Director of the Larchmont Schools, a network of high-performing and racially and socio-economically diverse local public schools. In times of massive state budget cuts, Brian has worked with parents and teachers to build a new middle school, grow the schools by 300 students, and create new jobs as the school has grown.
In the midst of this growth, Brian has led the schools in the Larchmont Schools network to be named among the highest performing schools in Los Angeles by the state department of education. He credits this incredible growth and success during tough economic times to strong fiscal responsibility, a commitment to putting kids first, and actively working with teacher and parent input.