School board race: the players, the stakes, the skinny

If two candidates backed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa prevail in today’s two school board runoff elections, the mayor will for the first time work with a school board that contains a majority of close allies. Meet the candidates and their primary patrons: the mayor and the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles.

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District 3

South and west San Fernando Valley

Jon M. Lauritzen, 68

Profession: One-term incumbent, retired teacher.

Supporters: Overwhelmingly from United Teachers Los Angeles, at least $1.15 million, with fraternal help from other local unions. Official total $1.3 million, but union get-out-the-vote drive adds more.

Record: Supported all-day kindergarten, vocational education, set up first field office in the Valley. Willing to vote for bold measures, usually if first supported by UTLA.

Philosophy: Openly take cues from union leaders on salaries, benefits and disputes pitting teachers against administrators because he believes what’s good for teachers is good for students.

What critics say: A teachers union puppet. Only tepid support for charter schools, utterly lacks sense of urgency.

Wild card: Does his ongoing battle with brain cancer make him unlikely to serve a full term or likely to need medical leave?

Tamar Galatzan, 37

Profession: Neighborhood prosecutor, city attorney’s office.

Supporters: A Villaraigosa-controlled committee has ponied up more than $2.26 million, with late support from the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce ($70,000) and a moderate Republican political action committee ($114,979), adding up to more than $2.77 million. Also support from fellow attorneys and the Jewish community through past work for the Anti-Defamation League.

Record: No significant education experience but, as a prosecutor, dealt with crime near schools. Two children nearing school age. Inspired to run by Times’ stories on Birmingham High dropouts.

Philosophy: Similar to Lauritzen’s: shrinking bureaucracy, minimizing scripted teaching. But enthusiastically supports charter schools and, like the mayor, focuses on the high percentage of dropouts. Pledges to bring a sense of urgency.

What critics say: Her lack of education experience matters, and she’s too beholden to the mayor.

Wild card: Does hardball campaign solidify her as a union foe or does she mend fences with the union, whose endorsement she had sought? Does her marriage to Brendan Huffman, executive director of Valley Industry & Commerce Assn., a business group, suggest a political base and source of district aid?

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District 7

Watts to the harbor area. Two-term incumbent Mike Lansing is retiring.

Richard Vladovic, 62

Profession: Retired superintendent.

Supporters: The mayor’s funding ($511,536 of $757,404 total) and non-UTLA union support allowed him to outspend opponent by nearly 13 to 1.

Record: Over more than three decades in L.A. Unified he rose to local area superintendent. Was superintendent of West Covina Unified for about three years before retiring.

Wild card: Once worked out union disputes for L.A. Unified, with then-unknown Villaraigosa representing UTLA. Vladovic’s good relations with UTLA suggest he’s not an automatic mayoral ally.

Neal Kleiner, 60

Profession: Retired principal.

Supporters: Former staff, colleagues, family and some outside organizations: $58,331.

Record: Starting as a teacher, rose through L.A. Unified over nearly four decades until retiring last fall as principal of Muir Middle School.

Wild card: With the mayor choosing Vladovic and UTLA staying neutral, Kleiner crafted an independent message for cities outside of L.A. and parts of L.A. where Villaraigosa’s school intervention isn’t popular. The mayor’s team worried enough to launch negative mailers against him; it would be awkward later if Kleiner pulls off an upset.

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The patrons

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

What supporters say: A new majority would allow him to press for needed reforms in a system complacent with academic mediocrity and high dropout rates. Other cities have reaped gains when mayors asserted more authority.

What critics say: The mayor’s blanket verbal assault on the district -- and hostility toward school board -- were counterproductive. He should focus on city issues vital to schools, such as fighting gangs.

Record: The mayor talked of outright control over L.A. Unified, then settled for legislative compromise of partial authority, which has, so far, been invalidated by courts. Hostility between the mayor and school board hampered but didn’t halt certain cooperative efforts, such as improving security around some campuses and tracking dropouts more precisely.

Wild card: The mayor’s donors include business leaders with matters before the city and civic leaders who applaud him for risking political capital on schools. Some see unions as an impediment to reform, wanting to end frequent union dominance of school-board elections. Villaraigosa, a former union organizer, talks of a partnership that includes teachers. If he gets a board majority, he will have to navigate between his traditional union allies and civic forces who view unions as the problem. He will also have no direct control over the votes of his endorsed winners.

United Teachers Los Angeles

What supporters say: Leadership -- representing rank and file -- is concerned about all aspects of education reform and deserves influential role.

What critics say: Union focuses inevitably on salaries, benefits and saving jobs -- protecting ineffective teachers. True reform means less UTLA power; more for other stakeholders.

Record: Opposed mayoral takeover, then brokered power-sharing deal in Legislature that fizzled in courts. In prior election, it backed a staffer who proved an embarrassing dud. In this round, UTLA supported reliable incumbents who, some union leaders acknowledge, have hardly been in the vanguard of reform.

Wild card: Hoping to spawn local political juggernaut based on teachers working their own communities and campuses. But rank and file are restless and their loyalty divided.

In a referendum, members voted against the power-sharing deal with mayor.

howard.blume@latimes.com