California March 5 elections are less than a day away: school board, local measures and mayoral elections
March 4, 2013
SACRAMENTO, California: California's March 5 elections are less than a day away. A total of four counties - Alameda, Los Angeles, Napa and San Bernardino - will head to the polls tomorrow.
Voters will cast their votes on local ballot measures, mayoral elections and three seats for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The Los Angeles Unified School District election, in particular, has drawn nationwide interest. A total of three seats are up for a vote - District 2 • District 4 • District 6.
As of March 1, "Coalition for School Reform" has raised $3.5 million, including $1 million from billionaire Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City.[1] Independent expenditures, including those from the Service Employees International Union and United Teachers Los Angeles, have already exceeded $4.2 million and may eclipse the $4.5 million record set in 2009.[2][3]
In a guest post for LA School Report on February 13, 2013, Jason Mandell, Director of Public Affairs at United Way of Greater Los Angeles, listed three reasons why everyone, including those without school-age children, should care about the outcome of the LAUSD elections:
- "The school board has way more power than you think." In LA, the school board, not the mayor, has final authority over all district matters, including the superintendent's contract.
- "A city is only as strong as its schools." LAUSD is an important part of developing the Greater LA area's workforce and economy.
- "Education is a civil rights issue and the school board makes the rules." The LAUSD board "ha[s] an incredible opportunity to bridge the civil rights gap in our schools and make sure Latino and African-American students get the education they deserve."[4]
The campaign for the 3 seats up for election has been heavily influenced by two rival groups:
- Coalition for School Reform (CSR)
- United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), the union for public school teachers in LAUSD
See also
- Los Angeles Unified School District elections (2013)
- March 5, 2013 election in California
- California
- Local ballot measures, California
- Los Angeles County, California ballot measures
References
- ↑ Vanessa Romo, KPCC, "LA Unified school board races attract millions; will they draw voters?", March 1, 2013
- ↑ Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, 2013 Municipal and LAUSD Election Disclosures
- ↑ Southern California Public Radio, "LA Unified school board race could break fundraising records this election," February 14, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
- ↑ Jason Mandell, LA School Report, "Three Reasons You Should Care Who Wins the School Board Races," February 13, 2013
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