Ethics & Professionalism

SHAME ON YOU

Everyone who has been "taught" by Bryce Yokomizo knows he likes to tell a particular story, and attempts to use additonal 20 minutes of classtime to tell it twice. He even comments that he tells this story to each of his classes. Standing at barely 5 feet with noticeable shoe lifts, Yokomizo delivers his class lectures like he is in the pulpit, preaching about his glory days and what he got away with. His "teaching" style includes writhing, throwing his arms in the air and speaking at the top of his lungs.

The story is about when he first started working for LA government and he would sneak out in the middle of the work day with two friends to Klassy Kitty, a then strip join in The San Fernando Valley, for cheap pitchers of beer. He comments that 25 years later, certain other government workers tell him they know about his indiscretions.

Yokomizo is highly involved in his local churches: preaching about Jesus and family values. Here are links naming him and his sermons:
http://www.dave-lee.com/indx_worship.htm
http://www.sfvhc.org/blog/?feed=rss2
http://www.omsholiness.org/english/announce/100dayprayer2009e.pdf

Here is Yokomizo's Adult Friend Finder info:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/20584783/adult-friend-finder-worddoc--Cached
BRYCE YOKOMIZO: MR. MAYOR

Yokomizo has been accused of civil rights violations:
http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-cacdce/case_no-2:2007cv05007/case_id-393496/
Michael Duane Harris v. Bryce Yokomizo

Yokomizo assigned a 62.5% grade to a 3.9 GPA student who is a civil rights activist, whistleblower who has stood up to the LAPD and others, while Yokomizo encouraged another student to make fun of civil rights associations.

Yokomizo changed the term paper prompt for the one student in particular, as evidenced by other student term papers on which he did not use the same grading system. He then removed evidence from Blackboard.

Same Sex Prom Date Ban

ACLU takes it on:

http://bit.ly/9CdHBK

Denying communication is un-American

http://ga1.org/campaign/signAB1510/step1

A few years ago, an 11th grader in California was on the brink of being expelled from school. His mother, a Chinese immigrant still struggling with English, scheduled a meeting with school officials to discuss the problem, and asked her son's former teacher to accompany her and serve as her interpreter.

Although the teacher agreed, the school prohibited this young man’s mother from bringing her own interpreter to the meeting, claiming that the school would provide its own.

This person was not a certified interpreter and provided a vague translation of this extremely important conversation about her son’s life.Compelled by this disturbing incident, the ACLU is working to make sure no parent is denied the right to bring his or her own interpreter to any meeting with school officials.

Parents deserve to have someone who is competent and whom they can trust when dealing with important decisions affecting their child’s education. Take Action NOW and urge the governor to sign AB 1510 into law.

This bill will allow parents Limited in English Proficiency (LEP) to bring an oral language interpreter to parent meetings.Parents given language access are stronger advocates for their children, who may otherwise fall through the cracks.

A child’s education and future are too important to leave parents lost in translation. Urge Governor Schwarzenegger to sign this bill into law today.

It's that time for the Valley's ACLU Essay Contest

Tell any high schoolers you know-

News & Events

Student Scholarship Essay Contest

The San Fernando Valley Chapter of the ACLU of Southern California has partnered with the Arts in Education Aid Council to sponsor an essay contest for high school students in the San Fernando Valley.

Our goal is to promote students’ thoughts on difficult current political issues, with special emphasis on diversity and relevance to student concerns and issues. Applicants will respond to one of three questions. At least one of this year’s questions will relate directly to the arts.

Essays will be judged by a panel of SFV Chapter members, based on a variety of criteria, including: originality, clarity, writing style, depth of analysis, spelling, and grammar. The essay shall also demonstrate the student’s serious reflection on the question he or she has selected.

The top three essays will be awarded prizes: $300 for first place, $200 for second, and $100 for third. In addition, the classroom teacher of the first prize winner will be awarded $200 to be used towards classroom teaching materials and/or supplies.

Awards will be presented at the ACLU-SC SFV Chapter’s Garden Party in June, where the first prize winner will read his essay aloud. If the winning essay responds to the arts related question, the essay will also be published in the AEAC’s quarterly newspaper. Local organizations, businesses and individuals will be invited to donate money for the prizes and to attend the event and show support.

Applications will be distributed and available on-line by early February, 2009. We hope you will encourage your students’ participation in the essay contest by distributing applications and discussing the contest with fellow faculty members. If you or your students have any questions or concerns about the contest, feel free to
drop an email to Ken Ronney, scholarship essay program coordinator.

San Fernando Valley

Contact:
Drop us a note, or call Ken Ronney, 818.996.1630 or Norm Beal, 818.344.9241.
Email is: SFVChapterACLU@aol.com

Meeting Info:
Monthly chapter Board meetings are held in Reseda, on the third Monday of each month, at 7:00 p.m. Contact Ken Ronney, 818 996-1630 for address information.