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The polls open remain open until 8 pm tonight to cast ballots in four Los Angeles Unified School District Board elections, as well as in some LA City Council seats, Trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District seats and two proposed charter amendments that would give this year’s winners 5 1/2 year terms.
Here’s a quick cheat sheet on the school board elections:
District 7
Three candidates are vying for this seat. Click here to get an overview of the district race and here to read about the only District 7 forum.
Richard Vladovic (incumbent)
A veteran educator, Vladovic is a former social studies teacher, principal and Superintendent of West Covina Unified School District with two terms under his belt on the LAUSD school board.
Click here for a profile Vladovic.
Lydia Gutierrez
A teacher in the Long Beach Unified School District since 1995, Gutierrez is perhaps better known for her recent run at replacing Tom Torlakson as state Superintendent of Public Instruction last year, where she finished with 25 percent of the vote.
Click here for a profile of Gutierrez.
Euna Anderson
A former teacher and current pre-school principal, Anderson has spent most of her 20-year career as an educator focused on early childhood, including as a principal at two LAUSD early childhood centers.
Click here for a profile of Anderson.
District 5
There are three candidates vying for this seat. Click here to get an overview of the race and here to read about the District 5 forums.
Bennett Kayser (incumbent)
A former middle school science and health teacher, Kayser was first elected to represent District 5 in 2011 in a narrowly won race with help of $1.4 million spent by the teachers union super PAC. He is considered one of the teacher’s union staunchest allies on the board.
Click here for a review of Kayser’s positions as a board member.
Rodriguez is the founder of 15 Los Angeles-based charter schools called Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC), which have grown to serve about 5,000 students in northeast LA and in northeast San Fernando Valley.
Click here for a profile of Rodriguez.
Andrew Thomas
Thomas is a professor of education at the online Walden University and operator of a research company that consults with school districts, including LA Unified.
Click here for a profile of Thomas.
District 3
There are six candidates vying for this seat. Click here for an overview of the race and click here and here to read about the two candidate forums.
Tamar Galatzan (incumbent)
Galatzan was first elected to the board in 2007 and has also worked as a prosecutor for the city of Los Angeles since 2002.
Click here for a profile of Galatzan.
Badger is a parent of two LAUSD students, owns an automotive business in the San Fernando Valley and is CEO/Founder of Minority Outreach Committee, Inc. a nonpartisan non-profit.
Click here for a profile of Badger.
Gonzalez is a parent of two LAUSD students and founder of SoCal Impact Consulting, a Woodland Hills-based consulting firm that specializes in non-profit fundraising and community outreach.
Click here for a profile of Gonzalez.
Ankur Patel
Patel is a graduate of LAUSD’s North Hollywood High School and ran for city controller in 2013.
Click here for a profile of Patel.
Carl Petersen
Petersen is a LAUSD parent who has four children enrolled in the district. He has spent most of his career in the private sector.
Click here for a profile of Petersen.
Scott Schmerelson
Schmerelson has served as a longtime LAUSD educator, counselor and administrator.
Click here for a profile of Schmerelson.
District 1
Board member George McKenna is running unopposed. He won his seat in 2014 in a special election to serve out the term of the late Marguerite LaMotte.