Contest tightens for LAUSD school board seat in San Fernando Valley; school bond well ahead

By Howard BlumeStaff Writer

Published Nov. 5, 2024 Updated Nov. 6, 2024 12:25 PM PT

A key race for a Board of Education seat in the San Fernando Valley has tightened, with two-term incumbent Scott Schmerelson’s lead over challenger Dan Chang shrinking to less than three percentage points Wednesday morning.

In a high-cost contest, Schmerelson was heavily backed by the teachers union. Chang, a math teacher at a Valley public middle school, had even more financial support — from backers of charter schools and those allied with them.

In ballot counting that ended early Wednesday, Schmerelson had 51.9% of the vote and Chang 48.1%. That translated to 89,674 votes for Schmerelson and 83,256 votes for Chang.

The other school board races are not as close.

In District 5 — which makes an arc north and west of downtown and takes in several Southeast L.A. County cities — longtime teacher Karla Griego remained solidly ahead of Graciela Ortiz, a school district counselor supervisor.

Strong results were emerging in District 1 — covering south and southwest L.A. — where veteran educator Sherlett Hendy Newbill had a commanding lead over Kahllid Al-Alim, a community activist and parent.

The seven-member school board sets policy for the nation’s second-largest school district, which educates about 420,000 students and employs some 74,000 teachers, administrators and other staff. The school board is accountable for the district’s $18.4-billion budget. Members also hire and evaluate the superintendent.

The District 3 and District 5 races for the Los Angeles Board of Education became high-spending campaigns between two competing political interest groups, but the groups were not the same in each race. Total outside spending through Monday for both races was approaching record levels set in 2017 of more than $15 million.

When the outcomes are known, the district’s evolving leadership could swing either more strongly or less favorably to charter schools, while also affecting the future of school police and the level of support for initiatives of L.A. schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho.

District 3

This contest attracted the most outside spending — more than $7.8 million — because it pitted the teachers union against a coalition of teacher-union critics and charter-school supporters.

The Schmerelson campaign deferred comment on the election results until more of the votes are counted, but Chang expressed hopeful optimism.

“If there is a campaign anywhere that can come back from an 11 point deficit, while taking on a 2-term incumbent, the entire LAUSD bureaucracy and the entire Los Angeles County Democratic party establishment to win, it could only be us,” Chang told his supporters. “So hold on tight friends!”

Schmerelson has not been hostile to charter schools but has been a reliable vote to place more restrictions and increased oversight on charters when those proposals have come before the school board.

Chang had courted Valley charter school parents and portrayed Schmerelson as a threat to their interests.

United Teachers Los Angeles — which represents the district’s teachers, counselors and nurses — has put in virtually all of the $2.4 million in independent spending on Schmerelson’s behalf in this San Fernando Valley race.

Although he currently teaches in public school, Chang has spent much of his career as a charter-school organization senior manager or with pro-charter groups.

The top funders of independent campaigns on behalf of Chang are retired businessman Bill Bloomfield and California Charter Schools Assn. Advocates. Combined independent spending on Chang’s behalf has surpassed $5.4 million, a spending advantage of more than 2 to 1 over the outside spending for Schmerelson.

District 5

The winner of this contest will replace school board President Jackie Goldberg.

The 20 percentage point gap separating Griego and Ortiz will be difficult for Ortiz to overcome.

“I think we’re doing really well,” Griego said Wednesday morning.

In this contest, the district’s two most powerful unions — which are frequently allies — faced off in an effort to gain a political edge in their leverage with the Board of Education.

United Teachers Los Angeles supported Griego, who finished ahead in the primary. A UTLA political action committee has spent virtually all of about $2.4 million in outside spending to boost Griego.

Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union backed Ortiz, providing most of more than $2.2 million in independent spending on her behalf. Local 99 members include custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, teacher aides and security aides.

Other unions, the Democratic Party and charter school backers kicked in comparatively small contributions. Ortiz ran unsuccessfully against Goldberg in the past but is an elected member of the Huntington Park City Council — a position she is giving up up to run for the L.A. school board.

District 1

The race that appears all but settled is the contest between Hendy Newbill and Al-Alim, with Hendy Newbill, who maintained a commanding lead Wednesday, claiming 70.5% of the vote. Hendy Newbill is poised to replace George McKenna, who is retiring after having served two full terms and part of another.

With McKenna stepping aside, the contest was wide open and could have become another battlefront between pro-teachers union and pro-charter forces. But charter backers never effectively organized.

UTLA’s candidate, Al-Alim had been strongly positioned in the primary. But evidence surfaced that he reposted or “liked” social media posts with content that was antisemitic, pro-gun or pornographic. He apologized, but UTLA dropped its support just before primary election day.

However, UTLA’s previous blitz of pro-Al-Alim materials — spending that surpassed $735,000 — helped propel Al-Alim into the runoff.

UTLA belatedly endorsed Hendy Newbill, but contributed less than $1,000 in spending on her behalf. McKenna had backed Hendy Newbill all along. She had recently worked for him as a senior policy advisor and had a long career as a teacher, dean and coach at Dorsey High. She’s also a parent of current district students.

She is regarded as a political moderate within the context of liberal Los Angeles — and she owes her apparent victory to no special interest group. Her stances are closely aligned with McKenna’s.

LAUSD bond has strong early support

In returns through early Wednesday, Measure US is strongly ahead. It needs a 55% majority to pass and it had support from 66% of voters.

The measure would provide $9 billion in school construction bonds for the Los Angeles Unified School District. The dollars would pay for repairs and the modernization of buildings, equipment and technology. The funds would be repaid over time by increases in property taxes at a rate that would average about $25 for every $100,000 of assessed valuation on residential properties.

Redistricting overhaul leads

Charter Amendment LL — which would create a new process for drawing school board district boundaries —was leading strongly, with 74.1% of the vote through early Wednesday.

The charter amendment would move control of redistricting away from current elected officials to a citizens commission that is designed to be independent.

Backers hope the new system will lead to districts that are fair for voters and limit the ability of elected officials to wield power in an unscrupulous way.