Thursday, May 28, 2026

Guest Opinion | Elbie J. Hickambottom Jr.: Turning Al Lowe’s Legacy Upside Down

Sierra Madre Mayor Kristine Lowe, niece of Al Lowe, who served as PUSD Board President during the 1970s conflict over busing, invoked his legacy at last week’s PUSD Board meeting. Mayor Lowe presented herself as in tune with her uncle’s legacy as she leads the charge to recall current PUSD President Tina Fredericks. The irony is that Mayor Lowe turns her uncle’s legacy upside down from what he stood for.

What Al Lowe stood for

When Al Lowe passed away, Larry Wilson in the Pasadena Star-News described him as “the man who saved Pasadena.” Al Lowe deserves that accolade because he was Board president at the most difficult time in PUSD history. PUSD was the first northern school district ordered by federal courts to integrate its schools through busing. Reactionary forces in the district’s constituency wanted to follow the George Wallace recipe for resisting racial integration.

Without hesitation, Al Lowe made the hard choice to assemble a board majority, implement a plan to integrate through busing and comply with the court order. As he explained it, “we had to do what we had to do.”

The price Al Lowe paid — recall elections

The price Al Lowe paid was being subjected to recall elections during one of the district’s most divisive political periods. In the first attempt, he narrowly survived the recall effort. He was later reelected, but subsequently removed in another recall election. But he never regretted doing the right thing.

My father, ideologically Al Lowe’s compatriot, brought the racial equality forces back to power 10 years later and was spared the burdens from noncompliance with court orders that threatened PUSD’s future when Al Lowe was president.

How Al Lowe’s legacy is turned upside down by his niece

Tina Fredericks is now standing in the shoes once filled by Al Lowe. PUSD is facing an existential crisis as deep as the one he faced — local governance of PUSD potentially being replaced by Los Angeles County Office of Education receivership because the district has not taken the hard steps necessary to remain financially solvent in the face of declining enrollment.

President Fredericks has made the hard choice to confront the laws of economics by consolidating schools in an effort to prevent that outcome. In this context, Mayor Lowe chooses to side with those seeking to avoid hard choices. In doing so, she turns her uncle’s legacy upside down.

The laws of economics President Fredericks is facing

In an era of declining enrollment and rising operating costs, the district faces a critical juncture that demands bold, strategic thinking. The district’s 2023 Facilities Master Plan documented significant underutilization across PUSD campuses. Operating too many schools for current enrollment hinders the district’s ability to achieve its goals for students.

Supporters of consolidation argue the process could provide a more robust educational experience, improve financial stability and make better use of available resources. By consolidating students into fewer schools, resources could be redirected to enhance programs and avoid combination classes. Fewer physical sites could also reduce operating costs and allow maintenance funding to be concentrated on improving learning environments.

Fiscally, consolidation represents a pragmatic solution to PUSD’s ongoing budget challenges, supporters argue, including potential savings in extracurricular programs. District consolidation modeling has projected substantial savings tied to athletics and extracurricular consolidation. Advocates also argue the district should strategically invest its $1.4 billion in Measure O and Measure R bond funding across fewer campuses so each school receives transformational improvements.

Perhaps most urgently, supporters say consolidation could help prevent the risk of receivership by LACOE, which would mean losing local control of schools to county authorities. Consolidation, they argue, offers a proactive, community-driven approach to demonstrating fiscal responsibility while preserving local governance over educational decisions.

The path forward requires careful planning and community engagement, but supporters contend the benefits are clear. The district has an opportunity to create a school system that is both educationally strong and financially sustainable. By embracing strategic consolidation, advocates say the district can ensure students receive high-quality education while responsibly stewarding taxpayer resources and investing bond funds where they can have the greatest impact.

Consolidation is not about closing schools, supporters argue, but about creating stronger educational institutions capable of serving Pasadena students for generations to come. The district’s future, they contend, depends on the board’s willingness to make difficult decisions prioritizing educational quality, fiscal responsibility and local autonomy.

The NIMBY-KIIMBY politics of subverting democratic dialogue through recalls

What Al Lowe faced in the 1970s can be described as a NIMBY response — recalling a board president and saying to African Americans, “not in my backyard.” What President Fredericks is facing is best described as a KIIMBY response — “keep it in my backyard.”

The NIMBY and KIIMBY responses are twin sides of the same coin, in which a small group’s short-term preferences trump the long-term health of the entire system. KIIMBY politics reflects an ostrich-head-in-the-sand approach that refuses to acknowledge problems in the hope they will disappear.

The democratic method of solving problems involves civic dialogue that identifies problems and seeks rational solutions. Recalls, the author argues, interrupt that dialogue and seek to silence a voice rather than participate in debate. Recall efforts invite ad hominem attacks in service of silencing opposing views rather than encouraging an honest dialectical process that produces solutions.

Mayor Lowe’s embrace of recall again turns on its head the legacy of Al Lowe.

Elbie J. Hickambottom Jr. is a civil rights attorney and the son of former PUSD Board President Elbie J. Hickambottom Sr.