"In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve."
-- - Alexis de Tocqueville
If the results hold, this will be the new LAUSD Board majority
(Image by Sherlett Hendy Newbill, Scott Schmerelson, Rocio Rivas, and Karla Griego) Details DMCA
The Charter School Industry spent an obscene amount of money trying to reclaim control of the Los Angeles Unified School District's Board. Backed by billionaires like Bill Bloomfield, supporters of these publicly financed private schools poured at least $6.127 million into campaigns that supported Dan Chang in BD3 and Graciela Ortiz in BD5. They just needed a win by one of these candidates to achieve a majority on the seven-member board.
That win does not look like it will come from BD5, the seat currently held by the retiring Jackie Goldberg. The $1.4 million spent to convince voters to elect Ortiz was not enough to compensate for the baggage held by the candidate. This included allegations of financial improprieties similar to the ones that got Ref Rodriguez booted from the board and a lawsuit by a former student alleging that the school counselor did not do enough to protect her from a sexual assault at gunpoint.
In the first report from the Los Angeles County Clerk, Ortiz secured only 38.6% of the vote. This morning that margin had increased slightly to 39.83%. Of the 106,384 votes counted, Special Education teacher Karla Griego has a 21,648 vote lead and is the likely winner.
These results should not be surprising. Griego came in first in the March primary securing 36.72% of the votes. She was then endorsed and enthusiastically supported by third-place finisher Fidencio Gallardo who had trailed Ortiz by only 2,750 votes. In the general election, Goldberg, who had endorsed Gallardo in the primary, urged voters to choose Griego as her successor.
In the San Fernando Valley, the results are much closer. Despite spending 77% of its budget on Dan Chang in BD3, the Charter School Industry's candidate was behind in last night's first reporting. The $4.7 million they spent had only bought them 45.13% of the vote.
This morning's results show a tightening in the race as Chang has increased his share to 48.14%. So far, 172,930 votes have been counted and incumbent Scott Schmerelson holds a 6,418 vote lead. Unless subsequent releases from the County Clerk show a reversal in the overnight trend, this will be a nail-biter.
The results for BD1 have been known since just before the March primary when Charter School Industry operative Michael Trujillo released damaging Tweets from Kahllid A. Al-Alim, whom the teachers' union had endorsed. Trujillo had held on to this information as long as possible, hoping that it would give UTLA little chance to react and give his preferred candidate, Didi L. Watts, an easy win in November.
Trujillo's strategy fell apart when Sherlett Hendy Newbill beat his candidate in the primary. As he had expected, Al-Alim was in first place after the initial results, which included mail-in ballots returned before the disclosure was released. However, as newer votes were counted Newbill pulled ahead 25.73% to 20.14%.
No money was spent for the benefit of Al-Alim during the general election race but initial returns showed that 24.38% of the electorate still voted for him. What does it say about these 17,870 voters that they would still put a person on the School Board who advocated making a book required reading even though it is widely regarded as being anti-Semitic? While Al-Alim did originally apologize for this Tweet, he has since retracted the apology.
In the latest returns, Al-Alim has increased his share to 29.47%, with 35,692 voters supporting a candidate who has expressed anti-Semitism. However, with a deficit of 49,734 votes (out of 121,118), there is no chance Al-Alim will prevail. Sherlett Hendy Newbill will be Dr. George McKenna's successor.
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