A rift in the Democratic Party over education policy comes into sharp relief one day before California’s primary election as a record $28 million has been spent by outside groups on state races, one-third coming from groups supporting charter schools. On one side, traditional Democratic players, including the California Teachers Association, are aligning themselves with candidates who have committed...

It appears that a former LA Unified worker who received little press or campaign contributions may have pulled off a huge upset and narrowly defeated incumbent Raul Bocanegra, D-Pacoima, for the District 39 seat in the California State Assembly. Patty Lopez, who is also a Democrat and a resident of San Fernando, worked at LA Unified’s North...

The teacher dismissal bill awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown‘s signature includes no specific language for streamlining the process of removing teachers for sexual and physical abuse, which had been the focus of earlier bills. The final version simply creates protocols to govern any dismissal case. Brown has until Oct. 13 to sign it. Assembly Bill 375,...