Greg Russell for UTLA Pres 2023

June 3 was Cecily Myart-Cruz’s last UTLA House of Representatives (HoR) to chair - and boy was it a doozy!

The first hour wasn’t so unusual but there was a different parliamentarian, Tami Dunning, there in place of Lorenzo Cuesta. I asked why no Lorenzo and for an introduction to Tami. UTLA Secretary Jennifer McAfee explained Lorenzo had a family engagement he couldn’t get out of, 6pm to 9pm. What a coincidence, I thought, because when I’d sent in a complaint on him, 5 weeks earlier, I needed his address but couldn’t find any listing for him on parliamentarians.org. I assumed he’d lost his credential. Stay tuned.

Tami was introduced and she did upstanding work.

I asked a parliamentarian question about the last meeting. That when debate occurs on a motion it should be about the motion and not the author. I explained how Wil Page said negative things about me during the debate on my motion, even flipping me off.

Cecily said Tami wouldn’t know much about that since she didn’t attend the prior meeting. She continued, asking if I wanted Wil to apologize.

I said that there’d been too many apologies and it made things toxic. Cecily quoted back some of my Facebook post on the NEA/CTA Service Center and became quite animated.

While Wil confessed to flipping me off, many heart emojis floated up the screen. However, he ended by saying his hand gesture in no way came close to the harm I had caused UTLA, and referred to the NEA/CTA Service Center meeting 6 days prior.

And Cecily too concluded that I needed to be more careful in how I spoke since I offended so many at the NEA/CTA Service Center meeting the previous week.

I believe a member of the HoR, Andrea Shaloo, expressed discomfort in how Cecily had been addressing me, even though she was sure there was a history of grievances against me. I guess it was her first time seeing how the HoR treats me as their target of blame.

Cecily thanked her but soon Mallorie Evans spoke and told Andrea that my offenses were innumerable, with all of my racism and doubling down. How I get off on the discord I bring. How she has never seen me do any real work for UTLA. And before Andrea should chastise Cecily, she needs to get the full backstory.

I wonder how long before Andrea speaks up again? 🤔

Chris Wenell wanted my undertones and innuendo addressed because I had been using “brother” and “sister” and more racism must be at the bottom of that. I guess he is unfortunately unfamiliar with the use of those words within unionism.

At no time did any of these many people question the endless charges of racism and some charges of misogyny against me. They are accepted facts in UTLA. The Sun rises in the East and Greg Russell is a racist. The Sun sets in the West and Greg Russell is a misogynist.

Maybe a half hour later, Luis Mora said he wanted Amy Leserman removed from the meeting because she made him and others feel unsafe. This is where Tami was made to work in finding the correct way to handle this problem. Several spoke against Amy. Scott Mandel tried to have due process observed. His cautioning of a slippery slope that could also get me, Greg Russell, removed in the future, failed to get any support. Naturally.

After about 30 minutes, it went to a vote. Cecily dismissed my party popper, which signals a question or a point of order. I wanted there to be debate and a chance for Amy to speak. Amy was ejected.

Cecily was dismayed at how this could have happened. After her encouraging the past few years of apologies for anyone’s feeling offended, and earlier in this very meeting saying how bad I was for offending others, while love was given to the person that flipped me off, Cecily couldn’t figure out why the big hubbub over this offensive person needing to be removed.

Cecily, UTLA, and all union brothers and sisters, the reasons for Amy Leserman’s removal are likely her equating pro-Palestinian with anti-Jew. Conversely, the HoR members asking for her removal are likely equating her pro-Jew with anti-Palestinian. Both sides are adept at pointing out the other’s faults but neither is adept at self-criticism.

When it comes to my treatment within UTLA, it’s a matter of my holding Truth above all else. This can shake both the pro-Black bias and unquestioning loyalty to authority figures in our union. The charges against me are easily dismissed when objectively judged against the facts. However, that takes a dedication to selflessness, which requires effort. It’s much easier to follow your feelings.

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NEA-CTA, affiliates of UTLA, held their service center meeting last night at UTLA.
At the end of that meeting they held UTLA’s meeting and a motion was made to endorse UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz for the NEA Executive Committee.

Only I spoke. I said how she’d darkened the hallways of UTLA for a dozen years. How I’d exposed the previous president and parliamentarian as liars in September 2015, and how no one had done anything about it. Mel House said I couldn’t do personal attacks and couldn’t make accusations without proof.

I asked who’d been to the February House of Representatives meeting. I didn’t see any raised hands. I asked what happens when a quorum call is made. Again, I didn’t see any hands raised. I said you count the people in the meeting and Cecily can’t do that. There is your proof.

Time was called and I sat down.

What do you think happened next?

A person got on the mic and said they were troubled by my usage of the word “darkened.”
No, I’m not joking. I point out corruption by their union leaders and they want me to apologize for offending them with my racist language.

On the mic, I told them they were overly sensitive and this would continue to occur unless they changed. I was going to point out that this routine of offended people asking for apologies was something curated by Cecily but some bearded and tattooed man came for my mic and told me to f-ing sit down and how I was a small person. I said that this person was personally attacking me.

Mel House took the mic and had everyone take their seats, a line had formed on the other microphone.

There was no more discussion. They voted on Cecily’s endorsement, which may have been more than 80. And they only counted my negative vote, although another told me they too raised their hand.

I’m sure the bearded and tattooed man will soon be asked to apologize. Aren’t you?

If you remember my post on the UTLA House of Representatives in February, perhaps you thought things couldn't get any worse.

Tonight I moved the following motion:

HOR Motion #4
4/28/2026 Moved by Greg Russell, Seconded by: Hiral Bhakta
I move that the dispensation of all motions of the House of Representatives on February 11, 2026 be declared out of order due to the improper handling of a quorum call. Confirmation that a quorum was not present can be deduced from the fact that the only logical reason for counting signatures instead of persons was to avoid a failed quorum. Counting signatures instead of persons, once a meeting has begun, is not in Robert's Rules, has never before been done by the House of Representatives, and cannot be accurate when there is no sign-out column.
Rationale: UTLA often repeats that it is democratic but when quorum is failed then there is no fair representation. Instead, what you have is a privileged club of elites. The House of Representatives created a new method of determining quorum in adopting the Revision Constitution in December 2022. To not follow it is hypocritical. This is the House of Representatives' third chance at redemption for the improper handling of the quorum call on February 11, 2026. Those who want to be on the right side of History will vote in favor of this motion.

UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz only read the motion and not the rationale. I ended my pro statement just before Cecily called time after 1 minute. I said for the members to imagine themselves in front of the students in their classroom and telling them how the UTLA House of Representatives had a member tell the chair that there were enough sign-in signatures but not enough people. That the chair then counted the signatures and refused to count the people. What would those students think?

I also said how I had another motion for a constitutional change to remove the requirement of a quorum and they needed to make up their minds. Either they'll pass this motion, in favor of quorums, or they'll pass the coming one, against quorums.

Wil Page spoke against my motion. For some reason he got two minutes. Maybe it was to honor the opening of the new "Animal Farm" movie and the quote, "Some are more equal than others."

But Wil Page didn't address my arguments. Instead, he said how right things operated that night. How my chosen words proved ill intent. Three times he said how I'd disrespected the chair, Cecily Myart-Cruz, the area chairs, and other members of the House. He ended with how I seek to delegitimize and destabilize the House.

I sought redress for his ad hominem attack but Cecily cut me off after just a few words She had been saying she thought she knew why I wanted to speak. She explained that all Wil had said was written in my motion. Could someone point out to me all of this disrespect in my motion for me, please?

No one else wanted to speak.
My motion got 11 votes and 103 voted against it.
That's your Leadership. Happy?

Last night, UTLA's House of Representatives confirmed their untrustworthiness. We met in-person, instead of on Zoom. There was a delay while a quorum was established. 113 is quorum. Before new business began, I noticed only 92 members present. I called for a quorum. I told the chair, UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz, my concern was not with the signatures of attendees, which I counted to be exactly 113, but with the number of bodies in the room. She proceeded to ask each UTLA Area for their number of signatures. It totaled 120. I asked for the bodies to be counted. I was denied. No one else spoke up.
At the conclusion of the meeting, I made a parliamentary inquiry, "What is the proper procedure when a quorum call is made?" The parliamentarian answered that the committee report is trusted. This is a non-answer. He should've quoted from Robert's Rules. I explained how the bodies should be counted instead of the signatures and asked for a list of the attendees. Myart-Cruz refused to provide attendees personal information. I argued that there would be no personal information but only a list of attendees. She refused. The UTLA Board of Directors regularly provides the list of attendees to their meetings. I announced that the meeting was fraudulent and that people's silence was consent. No one spoke up.
A signature gatherer asked for an apology because I had called the signature gatherers fraudulent. I explained I had no problem with the signature gatherers or their lists but only with the meeting not having 113 members present.
UTLA's actions and inaction can leave no doubt about their failure to be honest and protect the interests of their 37,000 members. The other 3 candidates were all in attendance and failed to speak up: Gloria Martinez, Ingrid Villeda, and Wil Page.

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/Kt9dsieAmUfEXAubaodZaJvz8RGQHk5LHBW4ea0fOdZ-dr6OGl5Ipv5-MTtc4TUCuQN-YbXSypcprd4W.0qesVtgIm9FkUSeC?eagerLoadZvaPages=&accessLevel=&canPlayFromShare=true&from=share_recording_detail&continueMode=true&componentName=rec-play&originRequestUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fus02web.zoom.us%2Frec%2Fshare%2FoIptn9seIi6nw0aEcUv3HH6DNhRhjg9eN-FNQeDrTehtM3-vF3qiFfkauyFd9ygf.HgRclxbhQSRnRWbw

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At the end of Washington Week’s latest episode on the book “Original Sin,” co-author Jake Tapper stresses how we can’t take politicians at their word. I’ve been telling people this for years about UTLA, my obviously corrupt teachers’ union.

Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, 5/23/25 Presidential legacies tend to be debated for decades, but in the four months since Joe Biden left office, a consensus seems to have emerged that his decision to stand for a second term all but guaranteed Donald Trump’s return to power and that efforts to hide his infirmities were disastrous and di...