Austin Beutner | |
|---|---|
 Beutner in 2020 | |
| Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District | |
| In office May 1, 2018 – June 30, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Michelle King Vivian Ekchian(interim) |
| Succeeded by | Megan K. Reilly(interim) Alberto M. Carvalho |
| 1stDeputy Mayor of Los Angeles | |
| In office January 11, 2010 – July 1, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office Abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Austin Michael Beutner (1960-04-08)April 8, 1960 (age 64) New York, US |
| Spouse | Virginia Woltz Beutner |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Dartmouth College (B.A.) |
| Occupation | Investment banker, publisher, businessman |
Austin Michael Beutner (born April 8, 1960) is an American businessman who served asLos Angeles Unified School DistrictSuperintendent from May 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021. He previously served as the first deputy mayor of Los Angeles from 2010 through 2013, and briefly ran in the2013 Los Angeles mayoral election. Prior to entering politics, Beutnerwas an investment banker and would later become the publisher and CEO of theLos Angeles Times andThe San Diego Union-Tribune.[1][2][3]
Beutner was born in New York and raised inGrand Rapids,Michigan, the son of German immigrants who came to the United States in the 1920s for economic opportunity. His mother was a schoolteacher and his father was a manufacturing engineer.[4] His mother was Jewish and his father was Roman Catholic, although he did not find out that his father's family was Christian until he was an adult.[4][5] He is a graduate ofEast Grand Rapids High School, and graduated fromDartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in economics.[6]
Beutner has lectured at theUniversity of Southern California Bedrosian Center on Governance,[7] theUCLA Anderson School of Management,[8] and theColumbia University Graduate School of Journalism.[9] Beutner is a senior lecturer atHarvard Business School.[10] In 2016, Beutner gave the commencement address[11] to the 2016 graduating class of theUSC Price School of Public Policy.
Beutner is married to Virginia Woltz Beutner. They have 4 children.
In 1994 Austin Beutner founded The Beutner Family Foundation with a focus on philanthropy and education for economically disadvantaged people.[12]
In 2012 Beutner foundedVision to Learn,[13] a; non-profit that provides children with free eye exams and free glasses by bringing its mobile eye clinics to schools and to other neighborhood youth and community organizations.[14] Since 2012 Vision To Learn has helped more than 100,000[15] school kids with free eye exams and glasses. In 2019 U.S. SenatorsChris Coons (D-Del.) andJoni Ernst (R-Iowa) led a bipartisan coalition of Senators in recognizing national nonprofit Vision To Learn.[16] In 2023Health and Human Services SecretaryXavier Becerra joined Beutner and emphasized the critical role of vision health in academic success and how programs like Vision To Learn can help address widespread disparities in access to care.[17]
In March 2016, Beutner signed anamicus brief in support of TheDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) expansion and theDeferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) which would provide relief for millions of immigrant families and their communities.[18]
On November 8, 2022, California voters approved Proposition 28: The Arts and Music in Schools Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act. The measure requires the state to establish a new, ongoing program supporting arts instruction in schools beginning in 2023–24.[19] Beutner authored the bill and spent nearly $4.2 million of his own money to support the bill.[20] Hollywood entertainers and "A" list actors supported Prop 28.[21] Californians overwhelmingly passed Proposition 28, which will bring a windfall of arts education funding to California schools.[22]
After graduating in 1982 he went to work atSmith Barney as a financial analyst. At the age of 29, he became partner atThe Blackstone Group.
In 1996 Beutner co-foundedEvercore Partners, an American independent investment banking advisory firm, with formerDeputy Secretary of the TreasuryRoger Altman. When Evercore went public (NYES-EVR)[23] in 2006, the IPO reportedly made Beutner more than $100 million.[24][25]
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Beutner went to work for theU.S. State Department. TheClinton administration tapped him to lead a team into Russia and help transition them from communism to a free-market economy, including the decommission of weapons and other material.[26][27]
In January 2010, Beutner was appointed byAntonio Villaraigosa to be the first deputy mayor of Los Angeles, with oversight of twelve city agencies, including thePort of Los Angeles,Department of Water and Power and the Housing Authority, with over 17,000 employees.[28] As deputy mayor he focused on making the city more business-friendly and streamlining permitting processes.[29] In 2013, with Villaraigosa's term ending, Beutner launched a campaign to run forMayor of Los Angeles, but dropped from the race after a year having captured only 2% of likely voters.[30] Theelection was a year away when Beutner suspended his efforts.
In 2013, Beutner and formerU.S. Secretary of CommerceMickey Kantor co-chaired the 2020 Commission[31] to study and report[32] on the financial matters in Los Angeles. One of the report's recommendations was to reform theLos Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP). In 2016 Beutner and Kantor penned anop-ed in theLos Angeles Times aimed at bringing about reform and changes to the DWP, noting that "The city deserves a public utility that is operated in the long-term best interests of its customers, employees and our environment."[33] In July 2017, Buetner created a task force for theLos Angeles Unified School District to look for solutions for declining attendance and other problems. Beutner co-chairs the task force with SEIU PresidentLaphonza Butler. "We are here to support Michelle King, and offer suggestions," Beutner said in an interview withLA School Report.[34][35]
On May 1, 2018, the Board appointed Austin Beutner and was met with criticism byUnited Teachers Los Angeles, who said that Beutner did not have any experience managing a school or a school district.[36][37] In 2019, UTLA authorized astrike against LAUSD that lasted six days.[38] About 30,000 teachers strike and only a third of about 500,000 students showed up to school, with the District losing $15 million on the first day.[39][40] The strike ended after a deal between LAUSD and UTLA was reached.[41] In 2020, theCOVID-19 pandemic had forced the schools to shut down.[42] Beutner developed an online platform and distributed laptops and internet service to keep students engaged in remote learning[43] He pushed for the schools to become vaccination sites and for the district to do testing on students and faculty.[44][45][46] Beutner also led one of the largest food distribution programs during covid.[47] Beutner introduced Primary Promise which provides K-3 students with the individual attention they need to learn to read and help students build a foundation in math.[48] In 2021, Beutner announced that he would step down on June 30.[49][50]
In March 2013, a group led by Beutner andEli Broad announced their intent to purchase theLos Angeles Times from its parentTribune Publishing.[51] They were unsuccessful.
In 2014, Beutner took over as publisher and CEO of theLos Angeles Times whenEddy Hartenstein left to become the non-executive chairman of the board of Tribune Publishing.[52] When Tribune Publishing acquired theSan Diego Union-Tribune in 2015, Beutner was named its CEO and publisher, as well as CEO of the newly formed California News Group.[53]
He was fired as publisher and chief executive officer of theLos Angeles Times on September 8, 2015. He wrote onFacebook that the dismissal was not voluntary: "I am not departing by choice, nor is this some 'mutual agreement' on my part and Tribune Publishing".[54] Beutner's firing was protested by a number of prominent community leaders.[55][56] Media analyst Ken Doctor called Beutner's departure "a small tragedy for American journalism."[57][58]
During Beutner's 13 months as publisher, theTimes won twoPulitzer Prizes — for cultural criticism and for feature writing — along with other national journalism awards for coverage of the California drought, the plight of Mexican farm workers and other stories. TheCalifornia Newspaper Publishers Association awarded theTimes its 2015 general excellence award.[59]
In 2016, Beutner was invited to speak about the role of the media in homeland security and his experiences in the media and public service at theU.S. Naval Postgraduate SchoolCenter for Homeland Defense and Security.[60] His keynote address[61] was published inWatermark, the quarterly magazine of the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School – Center for Homeland Defense and Security.
In September 2017, Beutner was the keynote speaker of theLos Angeles Fire Department Chief Officers Association[62] and United Firefighters of Los Angeles City[63] first Leadership Symposium.[64]
In 2018, the Los Angeles Downtown News[65] journal recognized Beutner "as a visionary with extensive political and business connections."
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