Two leading candidates for a Los Angeles school board are struggling with blows to their campaigns, one over an anti-Semitic tweet and the other temporarily removed from his counseling job. Meanwhile, outside groups continue to pour money into campaigns to gain influence over the nation's second-largest school system. .
In the election to be held by March 5, voting will be for four seats, which is the majority of the seven-member Board of Education. The top two candidates in each race will be voted on in November.
Confusion in two competitive races in the final stages of the campaign complicates the situation.
Khalid Al Alim, who is running for the District 1 seat representing much of South Los Angeles and Southwest Los Angeles, has posted social media posts that promote anti-Semitic content and glorify firearms. I've been dealing with the revelation that I retweeted and liked for over a week. Famous pornographic images.
On Tuesday, he spoke again about his social media activity in a statement that appeared to represent a different position than his previous statements. series of apologies.
Good news came this week for Graciela Ortiz, who is campaigning in District 5, which runs north-south along the eastern part of the school system. She has returned to her job as a counseling administrator for LA Unified as of Tuesday, the district confirmed. Authorities removed her from her job pending a confidential investigation into her. Ortiz declined to comment on the matter.
It is unclear why the school district began the investigation, but the investigation began shortly after the incident. a civil lawsuit was filed In January, Ortiz and political allies claimed responsibility for the actions of a campaign worker who pleaded no contest to sexual misconduct with an underage volunteer. A spokesperson for Mr. Ortiz called the lawsuit frivolous and politically motivated.
Ortiz also declined to answer questions about the incident.
Ortiz and Al Alim remain strong candidates thanks to the money spent on them.
Both have benefited from campaigns run by political action committees that have long been a major influence on the selection of Los Angeles school board members.
Unions and charter school allies had spent a total of more than $5.1 million through Wednesday, about seven times more than candidates spent on their own campaigns.
The two races, Districts 1 and 3, are head-to-head battles between charter schools and teachers unions, and the stakes are high. Charters are private public schools that compete for students with traditional public schools. Most charters are non-union.
Game 3 will pit the teachers union against the union that most represents non-teaching workers.
“There are four seats, Charter is defending one, and the unions are defending three,” said Fernando Guerra, a political science professor at Loyola Marymount University and director of the Los Angeles Research Center. “The Charter has an opportunity to significantly shift the balance of power.”
District 1
The teachers' union has suspended its campaign on Al-Alim's behalf and may formally withdraw its support on the night of March 4, the day before voting closes.
On Tuesday, al-Alim reiterated his apology in an online campaign forum, but also appeared to backtrack on his earlier tweets positive about the Nation of Islam book, which is widely said to be anti-Semitic. .
“The Nation of Islam apologizes for offending our Jewish brethren with a book we wrote about the transatlantic slave trade,” Al-Alim said at a forum hosted by the Los Angeles chapter of the United Black Women's Federation of 100. Ta. “A lot of people were offended by this and thought it was anti-Semitic. I misspoke when I said it should be included in the Black Student Achievement Plan.”
He also spoke about his preference for posting porn: It's not the history of porn. ”
He goes on to say, “I'm out here right now, basically doing damage control.'' Some people may find this book offensive, but again… This is my point of view. I believe I have the right to say this. I want everyone to know without any qualms that I am not an anti-Semite and will continue my campaign. I want you to do it. And I'm not ashamed of anything.”
United Teachers Los Angeles is “in a very difficult position” because of its past investments in Mr. Al Alim's campaign, he said in a comment before Mr. Al Alim's remarks Tuesday night, adding said UCLA education professor Tyrone Howard, who supported the claim. candidate. “Now they've reprimanded him. So that leaves room for other candidates to advance to the runoff.”
UTLA spent about $661,000 to elect Mr. Al Alim before suspending on-the-ground campaigning, and he was not officially elected until at least the outcome of Monday's emergency meeting of the 250-member House of Representatives. He continues to be a candidate supported by .
“UTLA may have stopped campaigning for Mr. Al Alim, but many voters are already hearing from them,” said Robert Al-Alim, professor of political communication at the University of Southern California, Berkeley, and Pepperdine. Dan Schnur says. “Unless we do some very big last-minute advertising to make a deal with him, he could be in the runoff.”
There are seven candidates on the District 1 ballot. Two of them quickly and forcefully spoke out against al-Alim.
“There is no room for this dangerous speech and ideology in our community, and there is certainly no room for this dangerous speech and ideology on the Los Angeles Unified School Board,” Dwayne Davis said in a statement. “The poison of anti-Semitic ideology consumes us all.”
“We must keep Khalid al-Alim away from the school board and away from our children,” Sharlette Hendy Newbill told supporters in an email.
Most candidates in this race have few of the campaign resources that Al Alim benefited from to get their message across to voters.
One of them is Didi Watts.
Two Sacramento-based PACs called Kids First and a charter school PAC spent $486,866 on Watts. Watts has emphasized the breadth of leadership roles in traditional, charter, and private schools. She currently serves as chief of staff to Tanya Ortiz-Franklin, a board member who will be voting in District 7.
Watts did not comment on the situation at Al Alim.
Despite limited financial resources, Davis and Hendy Newbill may have a chance to get noticed beyond the big-money noise if voters and teachers turn against Al Alim.
both seem like that According to figures compiled by PDI, a firm specializing in election data and analysis, Black voters have higher ranks within Black community organizations and are more likely to vote in the first election, according to figures compiled by PDI, a firm specializing in election data and analysis. It is the largest voting group in the district.
Davis has served as principal and senior administrator in LA Unified and other school systems. Hendy Newbill had a long career at Dorsey High School as a teacher, dean, and dean. Davis also has useful support, including support from law enforcement and several other labor unions. Hendy Newbill is supported by four current board members, including District 1 incumbent George McKenna, who serves as his senior aide.
Christian Flagg, a homeschool parent, is also on the ballot. He is a behind-the-scenes figure in community and student movements to promote the district's Black Student Achievement Plan and eliminate school police, efforts in which Mr. Al Alim is also involved.
Rounding out the candidates for District 1 is John Aaron Brasfield, a longtime special education assistant, track coach, tutor and former teacher Lina Tambor.
district 3
In the western San Fernando Valley, two well-funded candidates have an overwhelming advantage over the other three. Two-term incumbent Scott Schmerelson has benefited from more than $580,000 in independent campaign funding from UTLA. A competing PAC spent $870,080 on behalf of Dan Chan, a middle school math teacher and former charter school executive.
Pro-Chan funding comes from a Sacramento-based political action committee also known as Kids First, which is separate from the committee supporting Watts in the 1st District. This PAC is primarily funded by retired businessman Bill Bloomfield, who typically supports the same things. Candidates as Charter Defenders.
Although the race has a typical structure of charter school advocates versus teachers unions, Bloomfield has consistently said he is considering more than just candidates' positions on charter schools.
District 5
The big money at stake here is union versus union. UTLA spent approximately $670,000 supporting teacher Carla Griego. The International Union of Local 99 Service Employees spent nearly $760,000 supporting Ortiz. Local 99 members include custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, teacher aides, and security aides.
Charter supporters appear to support Ortiz, as does the Kids First group, which operates in District 1.
At a Monday election forum hosted by Eagle Rock's parent group, Ortiz, who is also a Huntington Park City Council member, deflected from direct comment about the LAUSD investigation and civil lawsuit related to the job.
“This is political season, right?” Ortiz said. “The reality is that you shouldn't believe everything you read on the news. That's always the case when you're doing a great job. I've been an elected official for nine years, and that's always the case during the COVID-19 pandemic. In southeast Los Angeles County. The media never came. They never came to talk to us, but they're here now.”
Bell City Council member and longtime high school teacher Fidencio Gallardo has the support of some rank-and-file teachers and parents of union supporters who have split from UTLA. Gallardo recently served as a senior aide to outgoing District 5 board member Jackie Goldberg, who supported him.
Local 99 launched a negative campaign against Gallardo, spending $38,441.
Retired school principal Victorio Gutierrez is the fourth candidate and describes himself as pro-union but opposed to anti-special interest policies.
district 7
District 7 runs from South LA to the port. Only one candidate has the backing of big money: one-term incumbent Tanya Franklin. Ms. Bloomfield has spent more than $1 million on Ms. Franklin's behalf, including nearly $350,000 in a negative campaign against Ms. Franklin's only opponent, teacher Lydia Gutierrez. , has raised $3,484.
