That is easy. Gang Violence is self perpetuating absent the real opportunities of a solid education. Fund LAUSD, give these kids an engaging education with real possibilities for their future and I’d be willing to bet gang enrollment would drop.

My vote is for gang violence. However the real reason why both of these abominations exist is poverty.

Easy, since the poor quality of the one contributes to the proliferation of the other.

Gang violence can be eradicated. Stupid and ignorant, not so much.

[...] of yesterday’s bloodmatch to determine the absolutely worst thing about Los Angeles- still time to vote on [...]

[...] timing! LAUSD makes the final bloodmatch in our “64 Worst” series during the same week as California’s Day of the [...]

This is pretty much a perfect matchup, since each scourge is systematically ruining the future of a good percentage of young Angelenos.

In fact, they’re so close, I’d be unable to vote but for the fact that gang violence does mortal damage, while the LAUSD is merely condemning some of its least-helped charges to lifetimes of crushed hopes, blown chances and shattered dreams. Wait – that almost sounds worse.

No, not quite, I suppose.

But you have to admit, this pairing is a pretty grim case of kismet.

LAUSD by a long shot.

I support budget cuts. Why would you give money to something that is underperforming?! I could throw money at a bag of hammers all day long – it’s not going to recite the Pythagreon Theorem.

PUSD (Pasadena Unified) is pretty bad, too.

- AP
http://www.proctorformayor.com

Just to reiterate, we’re trying to determine the worst thing about LA, not the worst social ill affecting the world.
Gangs kill, of course, and do damage to neighborhoods, but LAUSD’s poor management may have farther reaching repercussions that influence far more people.

Right on the money, David. The sorry state of the LAUSD is one of the main reasons people like me with kids leave LA — more so than housing costs.

[...] classrooms remain overcrowded, unsafe, and plagued with inexcusable dropout rates. (by the way, LAUSD very narrowly beat out Gang Violence in the last round by 2 votes, 51% to [...]