Books
Road to Belmont
New English Class
Opinions
LAUSD’s ‘good guy’ list a rogue’s gallery, Sep 1, 2002, Los Angeles Daily News
LAUSD Disavows Standardized Testing, Jun 11, 2002, Los Angeles Daily News
Rip-off Artists could Teach Scam Seminar, Mar 17, 2002, Los Angeles Daily News
Politics Help Belmont’s Stink Linger, Mar 10, 2002, Los Angeles Daily News
Cleaning Up Belmont is No Job for the LAUSD, Feb 18, 2002, Los Angeles Times
US Rhetoric on Illegal Drugs Confused, Jan 12, 2001, Los Angeles Daily News
Belmont Resurrection Not about the Children, Dec 10, 2000, Los Angeles Daily News
Belmont Five Get their Jobs Back, Corruption Clings, Nov 17, 2000, Los Angeles Daily News
Foregone Conclusion: Skimpy Data, Early Deadline Force Belmont Overseers to Hasty Decision, Oct 13, 1999, Los Angeles Daily News
Belmont, Test Scores Symptoms of ‘Cancer’, Sep 19, 1999, Los Angeles Daily News
Surprise! You Can Be Politically Correct and a Critical Thinker Too, Jun 30, 1991, Los Angeles Times
Dannemeyer is a Homophobe, Apr 10, 1989, New University, University of California, Irvine
Toning Down Israel’s Violence in the Middle East, Jan 13, 1989, New University, University of California, Irvine
News
LA School Officials Dodge State Auditors, Mar 20, 1998, LA Weekly
Special Inquiry at LAUSD, Feb 13, 1998, LA Weekly
A Principal Case: Teachers, Parents Stage Demonstration Over School Official, Dec 19, 1997, LA Weekly
Abuse of Process: Principal Accused of Filing False Child-abuse Reports, Nov 21, 1997, LA Weekly
LAUSD: Oral Exams?, Nov 14, 1997, LA Weekly
Witnesses Dispute Officers in Police Shooting, Nov 7, 1997, LA Weekly
Sex Ed?, Oct 31, 1997, LA Weekly
Hysteria Lesson, Oct 24, 1997, LA Weekly
Not According to Form, Aug 22, 1997, LA Weekly
California Legislature: Reports and Laws
Bryan Steele is a former Education Consultant to a committee of the California Legislature, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Steele was the Committee’s lead investigative analyst where he conducted original investigations, co-chaired legislative hearings and authored reports vetted and published by the Legislature. Four of these seven-reports served as the starting-point for four new laws being drafted, passed and signed into law. These four-reports are held today by dozens of law and university libraries (see below: Worldcat.org).
Legislative Report #1
A Special Report of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. 1999, California State Legislature, Sacramento
Worldcat Listing
Held by (16) university and law libraries, including the US Library of Congress
ERIC Listing
Eric Abstract:
The California legislature’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee has issued a report concerning the Belmont Learning Complex (BLC) and the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD’s) propensity for engaging in a series of school construction projects on contaminated land. The analysis suggests that the LAUSD was made aware of the BLC site’s toxic problems as early as 1989, yet apparently had not followed applicable regulations by seeking state approval of the site prior to ensuring that the wastes had been removed. The LAUSD may have also violated their own California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines and appears to have failed to satisfy many aspects of the California Code of Regulations that govern the CEQA process. Additionally, the LAUSD may have violated the Health and Safety Code by failing to contact the Department of Toxic Substances Control prior to construction when they had “probable cause to believe” the land was contaminated. It is believed that, due to this failure of communication, the state may “pursue feasible civil and criminal actions against” offending individuals. The BLC, reported to be the most expensive high school in California history, may cost tens of millions of dollars more as remediation efforts to rid the toxic wastes from the site get underway. (GR)
Report PDF
California Law:
AB 387, Wildman. School facilities: site contamination
Approved by Governor, October 10, 1999
Legislative Report #2
A Report of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. 1998, California State Legislature, Sacramento
Worldcat listing
Held by (25) university and law libraries, including the US Library of Congress
Eric Listing
Eric Abstract:
The California legislature’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee has issued a report on the design-build versus the design-bid-build process and offers a hybrid approach combining the two systems as a way of achieving the greatest cost efficiency at the least risk on public agencies. The cost benefits of faster delivery of the design-build method may also be attainable in the longer design-bid-build process by making certain potential adjustments to design-bid-build methodology. Examples of these adjustments include: (1) modifying existing law to allow owner selection of pre-qualified general contractors based on the three lowest bids with a percentage cap on the spread between the lowest and highest bids; and (2) allowing for Department of State Architect approval of plans that are “performance” based so that in cases where a firm price is agreed upon, the independently contracted architect/engineer could work collaboratively with the general contractor to design the project’s systems. The basic components and competing attributes of both building approaches are examined, including discussions on each method’s structure, level of accountability, checks and balances, risk levels, and cost savings. Concluding sections present an analysis for selecting one of these competing systems and recommendations for creating the hybrid system. (GR)
Report PDF
California Law:
AB 1402, Simitian. Public works: design-build contracts
Approved by Governor, October 01, 2001
Legislative Report #3
Report of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. 1998, California State Legislature, Sacramento
Worldcat Listing
Held by (28) university and law libraries, including the US Library of Congress
Eric Listing:
Eric Synopsis:
A public hearing of California’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee examined land acquisition policy and practice in relation to new school construction projects during which the following two areas of concern were identified: (1) acquiring land for new schools in congested urban settings; and (2) managing the conflict that may arise from local, state, and federal environmental regulation. This report focuses on the Los Angeles Unified School District and San Diego City Unified School District’s approaches to acquiring urban land for new school construction, the role of the State Allocation Board, and the complexities of asserting Eminent Domain. Also addressed are the collaborative problems and administrative misadventures that contributed to one California school, the Jefferson Middle School, being built on contaminated land. Appendices present witness testimony, environmental reports, and state agency action concerning Jefferson Middle School. (GR)
Report PDF
California Law:
SB 162, Escutia. School facilities: contamination
Approved by Governor, October 10, 1999
Legislative Report #4
Special Report of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. 1998, California State Legislature, Sacramento
Worldcat Listing
Held by (30) university and law libraries, including the US Library of Congress
Eric Listing
Eric Synopsis:
A special report of the California Legislature’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee addresses the school site acquisition process to attempt to discern how the system has allowed a minimum of nine Los Angeles public schools to be built on toxic lands. The report examines two such sites, the Jefferson Middle School (JMS) and the combined elementary and high school complex in the South Gate (California) community. The state’s school construction site approval process was determined to be sufficiently enough flawed that it contributed to the California Department of Education’s (CDE’s) decision to not stop the JMS acquisition process. It also reveals that a willingness to act with due diligence to ensure that new schools are built on clean sites is lacking in both the Los Angeles Unified School District and CDE despite evidence suggesting that CDE practices and procedures may have resulted in other toxic sites being acquired for schools. The report recommends suspected toxic sites be reassessed and, if necessary, cleaned up; that the CDE immediately modify its internal site approval protocol to ensure local compliance with the law; and that districts with a history of failing to ensure that their school sites are toxin free be placed under strict state oversight. (GR)
Report PDF
California Law:
AB 2644, Calderon. School facilities: contamination
Approved by Governor September 13, 2000
Advocacy Mission Statement
Advance the understanding of the existing technology and financing options currently available to create a national all-renewable energy grid.
Technology
Advocate for High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) as a proven means of moving large quantities of power over long distances in order to bring distant renewable energy sources to population centers. An all renewable national energy grid is technically possible where HVDC combines solar, wind, geothermal and hydro-power for a balanced 24-hour source of power.
Finance
Advocate for the combining of municipal retirement pension funds with a public corporation, like the Tennessee Valley Authority, for the construction and operation of a publicly held/operated national all-renewable energy grid.
2009 Winner of the
SunPower Intelegant Award
Steele has held an active California teaching credential since 1994 and earned his CLAD Single Subject credential in 1997. Steele continues to hold an active Clear California credential
Steele taught for a total of 5-years in 3-schools, all serving at-risk students:
- Bell High School, Bell CA — a Latino immigrant community
- Hoopa Valley High School, Hoopa, CA — Serving the Hoopa and Yurok American Indian nations
- John Muir Charter School, Stockton, CA — serving students recently released from the California Department of Corrections (CDCR) Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).