Marshall High and LAUSD’s Unethical Power Play: Forcing Out Los Feliz Flea to Profit from Their Own Market

Hello,

We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with Phillip and Shelly Dane, founders of the Los Feliz Flea and long-time residents of Los Feliz, who have worked tirelessly to support local vendors by creating and operating the flea market at John Marshall High School, even during the most difficult days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through their dedication, they provided a vital platform for vendors to sustain their livelihoods, contributing significantly to our local community.

Despite their hard work and commitment, the very market they built is now under threat. Principal Juan Puentes, Vice Principal Laura Martinez, school counselor Josue Lopez, and Paulo “Ed” Ayala, the principal owner of Los Fleas, Inc., have conspired to force the Danes out and re-open the flea market for their own benefit. Ayala, who was also the coffee vendor at the Los Feliz Flea under Grannos Coffee, partnered with his long-time friend Josue Lopez to sabotage the Danes’ market and capitalize on the community and vendor relationships the Danes established.

Lopez, who held student detention during the weekends while the flea market operated, was scheming alongside Ayala and the school’s administration to profit from the Danes’ hard work and connections. This underhanded and unethical behavior is not just an injustice to Phillip and Shelly—it directly targets the vendors and the community they worked so hard to support.

Josue Lopez is currently the School Climate Advocate, responsible for student detention on weekends—the same weekends the Los Feliz Flea operated. While serving in this role, Lopez conspired with Ayala and school administrators to pull off this scheme, all while benefiting from the very market that the Danes built.

In an email dated July 22, 2024, newly appointed Principal Juan Puentes reached out to Phillip Dane, stating, “I understand there were some issues with the flea market before, so the contract was canceled. I am willing to meet with you to review those issues. As I’m preparing to start the new school year I will not have time to meet with you until probably late August or early September. Please send me a list of the issues that were problematic and your possible solutions.”

However, Josue Lopez had already publicly announced on June 2, 2024—nearly two months earlier—that Principal Puentes had approved his flea market. This shows a clear intent to deceive and mislead the Danes while Lopez and Ayala secretly planned to open their own market.

Adding to these unethical practices, Lopez has been misleading the public about where the funds from the new flea market are going. He falsely claims that the funds go directly to the principal. In reality, the funds are paid to the District, which gives a portion to the school, with most of it allocated to pay custodians. Josue Lopez and Paulo “Ed” Ayala retain profits for themselves under their privately held corporation, Los Fleas, Inc. This further exposes the unethical and deceptive practices by school staff, who are abusing their authority for personal financial gain.

When Phillip and Shelly were first notified that the school wanted them to leave, they gathered over 2,000 petition signatures from community members to save the flea market. These petitions were dismissed by the school, with the administration claiming they didn’t want a flea market at all because it interfered with student activities. This has now been proven false, as the school is moving forward with its own flea market, scheming to capitalize on the hard work and vendor relationships built by the Danes while misleading the public about its true intentions.

Why This Matters:

 • Exploiting Vendor Relationships: The new flea market will cause significant harm to the Danes’ current flea market, as it is specifically designed to recruit the very vendors who helped build the Los Feliz Flea.

 • Unethical Use of School Resources: It undermines the principles of fair competition and community integrity by allowing school staff and outside parties like Paulo “Ed” Ayala to use public resources for personal financial gain.

 • Devastating Impact: If allowed to continue, this unethical market could force the Danes to shift the direction of their new flea market location, damaging the entire vendor community they’ve nurtured.

 • Broken Trust: Initially, Principal Puentes emailed the Danes, claiming he was open to discussions about re-opening the flea market. However, without any explanation, he later refused their return. Now it’s clear why.

We Demand:

 • Immediate Halt: LAUSD and Marshall High School must immediately halt all plans to open this new flea market.

 • Investigation: We call for a full investigation into the unethical actions of Principal Juan Puentes, Vice Principal Laura Martinez, Josue Lopez, and Paulo “Ed” Ayala, including their misrepresentation of where funds are going and their inappropriate use of school resources for personal gain.

 • Accountability: We demand that those involved be held accountable and that justice be served for Phillip and Shelly Dane, who have always acted in good faith to support the local vendor community.

In a recent interview with Los Angeles Magazine, Vice Principal Martinez falsely claimed that the decision to cancel the original flea market was “100% about the students,” citing scheduling conflicts with sports and other school activities. You can read her statement here.

In reality, Ms. Martinez, Mr. Lopez, and Paulo “Ed” Ayala had been planning this scheme from the beginning, taking advantage of their positions to unfairly push the Danes out. Mr. Lopez’s false claims about where the flea market funds are going, along with Ayala’s involvement as the principal owner of Los Fleas, Inc., further demonstrate the unethical nature of this operation. They are profiting personally through their private company at the expense of the community. The Ethics Committee at LAUSD is aware of this situation, yet they have allowed the new flea market to move forward, despite the Danes’ imminent legal action.

We cannot let LAUSD, Laura Martinez, Juan Puentes, Josue Lopez, and Paulo “Ed” Ayala steal what Phillip and Shelly have built with their heart and soul as residents of Los Feliz. This is not just a betrayal of the Danes—it’s a betrayal of our community.

Sign the Petition Now to Help Us Stop These Unethical Actions!

%%your signature%%