Incumbents Take Early Leads In Race for LAUSD Board Seats In Primary

LOS ANGELES, CA — Incumbents Scott Schmerelson and Tanya Ortiz Franklin jumped to early leads Tuesday evening in races for the Los Angeles Unified School District board, while Kahllid Al-Alim and Graciela "Grace" Ortiz were ahead for the seats left vacant by retiring board members Jackie Goldberg and George McKenna.

Four of the seven LAUSD board seats are on the primary ballot. There are seven candidates running to represent District 1, with McKenna retiring after a more than 50-year education career. The District 1 seat covers areas including Palms, South Los Angeles, Baldwin Hills and Koreatown.

With early results tallied, Al-Alim grabbed 23.2% of the vote, with Sherlett Hendy Newbill, an education policy adviser for McKenna, snaring 22.8%. DeWayne Davis, an educational strategist, was third at 19.4%, while Didi Watts, chief of staff to Ortiz Franklin, placed fourth at 15.1%. Rina Tambor, a tutor, was fifth with 8.4%, followed by Christian Flagg, a community organizer, in sixth place with 6.6%, and John Aaron Brasfield, an educator, placing seventh with 4.2% of the vote.

Al-Alim, a community activist, is calling for more parent engagement and ending the "school to prison pipeline." He was endorsed by the influential United Teachers Los Angeles teachers union, but he came under fire recently for re-surfaced social media posts, including one that suggested assigning an antisemitic book to students. The candidate apologized for the posts.

"There is a very long history of Jewish and Black people backing each other and working in solidarity for justice. I want to continue that important work," he said in a Feb. 20 statement.

In response, UTLA's Board of Directors voted to suspend campaign activities in District 1.

In District 3, which covers much of the northern and western San Fernando Valley, voters elected Schmerelson to represent the district in 2014 and again in 2020. He is facing four challengers: Dan Chang, Elizabeth Badger, Andreas Farmakalidis and Raquel Villalta.

Eearly returns showed Schmerelson taking 44.1% of the vote, with Chang, a math teacher, capturing 30.5%. Villalta, a teacher, was a distant third at 10.7%, while Badger, founder and CEO of Minority Outreach Committee, placing fourth at 8.4%. Farmakalidis -- co-owner of California MusicBox, which provides private music lessons to students -- was fifth with 6.1%.

During his campaign, Schmerelson vowed to improve student safety and equip schools with current technology, air conditioning and air filtration.

In District 5, which stretches from the East Hollywood and Eagle Rock area to southeast Los Angeles, four candidates -- Ortiz, along with Fidencio Joel Gallardo, Karla Griego, Victorio R. Gutierrez -- are trying to replace the retiring Goldberg.

The early returns showed Ortiz taking 34% of the vote, with Griego, an LAUSD educator, snaring 30.5%. Gallardo, the mayor of Bell, was third at 24.8%, while Gutierrez, a former teacher, placed fourth with 10.5%.

Ortiz was removed in February from her job as an L.A. Unified counseling administrator pending a confidential investigation, school district officials confirmed to the Los Angeles Times. A school employees union, Chapter 500 of California School Employees Association, withdrew its endorsement of her.

The investigation began after a civil lawsuit was filed alleging Ortiz and a political ally are liable for the actions of a campaign worker, who pleaded no contest to sexual misconduct with an underage volunteer, according to The Times.

An attorney for Ortiz demanded in a letter to the plaintiff's attorney that the case be dropped, calling the allegations "malicious and defamatory," The Times reported.

Ortiz's top priorities include fully funding schools and reducing class sizes in all grade levels.

In District 7, which covers an area including Carson, San Pedro, Gardena and parts of South Los Angeles, incumbent Ortiz Franklin is facing only one challenger: Lydia Gutiérrez, a Long Beach elementary school teacher.

Ortiz Franklin grabbed 56.9% of the vote, with Gutiérrez capturing 43.1% in early returns.

According to her campaign, Franklin's priorities include ensuring more students get to choose college and prioritizing student safety.

If a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, they will secure the office. Otherwise, the top two vote-getters will proceed to the November runoff.

The Board of Education governs policy for LAUSD, the second-largest school district in the nation.

City News Service