Cudahy School Adds Gore to Its Attendance Sheet

Vice President Al Gore sat cross-legged on a classroom floor at the Elizabeth Learning Center in Cudahy on Thursday, playing a word game with a group of 6-year-olds--and losing.

“I’m just getting clobbered here!” exclaimed the vice president, scrunching his face in frustration as a giggling Aleena Gonzalez repeatedly beat him in matching words with their contractions.

The 3,000-student elementary school campus in a poor community southeast of downtown Los Angeles was the fifth campus Gore has visited in his “School Days” tour around the country.

“I have fallen in love with this school today, because this school has given me the [caring] feeling that it has given these students. . . ,” Gore said at a forum with teachers, parents and students. “This is a family. The connection that bonds you together is what gives meaning to the lives of these young people.”

The students also questioned Gore, sometimes pointedly.

He was asked his opinion about the medicinal use of marijuana, responding that the decision should be “based strictly on the science.”

“Right now, it is my belief and understanding that there’s no reliable evidence that it is a superior, effective treatment for pain,” Gore said. “But if the science ever shows that it is, that should determine the outcome.”

In the past, Gore has appeared equivocal about medical marijuana. He said in December that doctors should have more “flexibility” to prescribe the drug for pain relief. But he hastily corrected himself the same day, insisting that science has not yet proven that marijuana is an effective pain reliever.

Students also asked Gore if he was prepared to select a woman or a minority as a running mate. The vice president responded that diversity will be one criterion in the selection.

Gore praised the innovative relationship the Elizabeth Learning Center has with its community.

The center has a strong emphasis on community involvement, with daytime adult classes for parents, a community health clinic and a strong cadre of parent volunteers. High school students regularly mentor the younger students and volunteer in their classes.

“It’s no longer bad to be nerdy,” Principal Emilio “Ed” Vasquez told Gore. “Here, you’re in the in-crowd if you study and do your work.”

The vice president was told that the presence of parents on campus has helped facilitate communication with students, contributing to a 94% graduation rate.

Later, Gore attended fund-raisers--one in Beverly Hills and the other in Bel-Air--that were expected to raise about $750,000.