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Election Day: Voter Turnout Will Determine Outcome
In today’s School Board District 6 election, Antonio Sanchez remains the strong favorite over his opponent, Monica Ratliff, thanks in part to the overwhelming advantage in campaign contributions to both Sanchez’s campaign and two independent campaigns on his behalf. Sanchez’s Latino surname and fluency in Spanish is also a built-in advantage (though Ratliff’s mother is from Mexico). “You’re...
By Hillel Aron | May 21, 2013
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Deasy’s School Breakfast Gambit Confuses Supporters
On Thursday, LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy unexpectedly announced that he was putting a controversial classroom breakfast program’s fate in the hands of the School Board. The possible elimination of a program Southern California Public Radio described as “a political hot potato” presumably pleased the teachers union, which has long called for its end. But Deasy’s plan to remove...
By Samantha Oltman | April 29, 2013
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SEIU Local 99 Wins Highlight Value of Field Operations
Unlike the closely watched Coalition for School Reform and the teachers union, SEIU Local 99 — which represents LAUSD classified employees like cafeteria workers and custodians — came out of Tuesday’s election an unequivocal winner. The union was two for three on election night, having backed both Monica Garcia and Steve Zimmer — and could...
By Hillel Aron | March 7, 2013
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Update: Outside Spending Tops $2 Million, Grows Negative
The latest independent expenditure (IE) committee numbers posted on the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission website show an eye-popping $2.2 million in spending by outside groups thus far. That number is sure to grow in the next two weeks before the March 5 primary election date. The messaging has already gone negative in the more contentious...
By Samantha Oltman | February 19, 2013
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Update: UTLA-PACE Spends, Bloomberg Donates
New independent expenditure (IE) numbers posted late yesterday on the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission website show a spike in spending on behalf of supported candidates, including $138,000 spent by UTLA-PACE, the political arm of United Teachers Los Angeles, the first such spending that’s been posted. In the meantime, the Coalition for School Reform has...
By Samantha Oltman | February 12, 2013
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The Decline and Fall of Iris Zuniga
The steep decline of District 6 candidate Iris Zuniga’s campaign — and her sudden withdrawal earlier this week — were vivid examples of the sudden twists and turns that part of any political campaign. Things can and do change quickly during campaign season, and no doubt there are many more twists and turns before we...
By Alexander Russo | January 25, 2013
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Update: SEIU Spends Big On District 4’s Zimmer
School Board Steve Zimmer’s campaign fundraising has been less than stellar in terms of direct contributions, but it got a big boost this week courtesy of an Independent Expenditure (IE) from SEIU Local 99, which represents classified LAUSD employees. According to the latest expenditure reports, SEIU Local 99 has thrown down $68,688 to support Zimmer,...
By Hillel Aron | January 25, 2013
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Local 99, LAUSD’s “Other” Labor Union
The media tends to pay a lot of attention to UTLA, the powerful local union that represents classroom teachers. LA School Report is no different. But there’s another union that arguably just as influential when it comes to LAUSD issues: SEIU Local 99, which represents non-certificated school employees (also called classified employees) such as teacher assistants, bus...
By Hillel Aron | December 14, 2012
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District 6: SEIU & UTLA Endorsements*
SEIU Local 99 has endorsed Antonio Sanchez for school board in District 6, which covers the East San Fernando Valley, according to a longtime politico. The endorsement isn’t a huge surprise since Sanchez, a former employee of the LA County Federation of Labor, was always expected to be a union-friendly candidate. In addition to Sanchez, the...
By Hillel Aron | December 5, 2012
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UTLA-PACE’s Robust Campaign Chest
As the 2013 race for three LAUSD School Board seats heats up, so will the political fundraising that pays for the candidates’ campaigns. Just as they have in recent elections, independent expenditure (IE) committees are again likely to eclipse direct donations to candidates’ campaigns. At least one IE committee is ahead of the game: UTLA-PACE,...
By Samantha Oltman | December 5, 2012