When I ran against union"'foe Monica Garcia in 2017, I tried to convince UTLA to issue an endorsement in BD2. The union refused, arguing that they did not want to spend money on a campaign with only a long"'shot chance of success. I could not persuade them that the credibility of an endorsement mattered more than the size of the campaign budget. The failure to endorse likely made the difference in the inability to force Garcia into a runoff. That, in turn, allowed the charter school industry to concentrate more resources on electing Nick Melvoin in BD4, costing pro"'public"'education incumbent Steve Zimmer his seat.
The union made this same mistake again four years later in BD6 when it refused to endorse a member of its own union and instead supported Kelly Gonez, the incumbent that the charter school industry had backed in the previous election.
The missed opportunity was highlighted on Election Day when Gonez bested Marvin Rodriguez by only about 2,500 votes. Just giving the Spanish teacher the credibility of the union's endorsement might have been enough to push him over the top, providing the union's supporters an overwhelming majority on the school board.
Finally, the lack of engagement by the electorate cannot be ignored. How many of those voting for Melvoin did enough research to understand that he voted to renew a school where only 3.26% of students met state standards in math? Or that he approved of an oversight regime that allowed a charter school executive to embezzle $3.1 million? Or that he provided insider information to the charter school industry to help them in a lawsuit against the district?
The policies of the LAUSD school board are extremely unpopular. In addition to unanimously extending a superintendent who is under federal investigation, they have done nothing to resolve allegations that the district is illegally using arts funding provided under PROP-28. It cared so little about its constituents that it reduced the time they are permitted to speak at public meetings by a third. They have refused to fire a career bureaucrat who lied to them about why the district provides some Special Education services in stairwells and closets. And still all three incumbents will continue to serve through the next term.
Score one for the status quo.
Carl Petersen is a former Green Party candidate for the LAUSD School Board and a longtime advocate for public education and special needs families. Now based in Washington State, he writes about politics, culture, and their intersections at TheDifrntDrmr.
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