Written by LA School Report contributor HIllel Aron, The Woman Who May Change L.A. notes that Coalition for School Reform campaign veterans charged with defeating Ratliff in last month’s runoff may have been limited by “wildly naive” Coalition donors who didn’t want to attack Ratliff. They also believed erroneous poll projections putting Sanchez safely in the lead and ignored Ratliff’s controversial positions on teacher dismissal.

Of particular note are some juicy quotes from former Mayor Richard Riordan, who’s quoted saying the Coalition picked a political hack as its candidate (in large part because of SEIU opposition to another candidate, Iris Zuniga), “had the wrong people running our campaign” (a reference to losing campaign consultants SCN’s Ace Smith and Sean Clegg), and failed to focus on making losing candidate Antonio Sanchez more likable.

*Correction:  The original version of this post mis-identified the District 6 candidate who was opposed by SEIU as Nury Martinez.  See the corrected sentence above.

Previous posts: Board Member-Elect Highlights Vocational Training; Campaign 2013: What Next for the Coalition for School Reform?; Endorsements, Garcetti — and Race

Meant to shine a light on the Mayor’s race, the map is also pretty useful in trying to figure out what happened in the District 6 School Board race.

In essence, the map seems to indicate that precinct-level turnout may have played a larger role than previously understood.

We walked precincts with Antonio Sanchez on the Saturday before the election, starting in the City of San Fernando (where there was no Mayor’s race, and therefore had roughly 4 percent turnout), but later crossed over to the City of Los Angeles. About 15 percent of voters in that precinct cast ballots (not including outstanding ballots yet to be counted).

Monica Ratliff went walking in the Sunland-Tujunga area, close to where she lives. Voter turnout in that precinct was 28 percent. Voters in the area have a long history of being politically engaged — at least compared to the rest of the city.

“We’re very politically active,” said Mark Seigel, President of the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council. “We have many people that come out for issues for our community.”

The discrepancy in voter turnout was born out of a confluence of events including a Mayor’s race that did not include a candidate that excited the Latino base like outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, as well as overall low turnout rates that seemed to have affected Latino voters more than it effected white voters.

Although the majority of District 6 voters are Latino, they generally vote in smaller numbers than white voters. In 2009, Nury Martinez defeated her opponent, Louis Pugliese by just 500 or so votes.

Previous posts: Cheers — and Confusion; How Ratliff Won (& Reformers Lost); Ratliff Scores School Board Upset

Sanchez has now conceded the race.* Ratliff couldn’t be reached for comment. The Daily News’ Barbara Jones reported earlier this morning that Ratliff was at San Pedro Elementary teaching, as she has been throughout the campaign.

Turnout in the race was roughly 16 percent, although according to the City Clerk, there are still more than 82,000 votes left to be counted citywide. It is unknown how many of those uncounted ballots are from District 6.

Observers, to say the least, are shocked. Recriminations within the so-called “school reform” community have already begun, with one pro-reform insider calling the result “an utter disaster.”

The small clique of UTLA activists that helped Ratliff win, on the other hand, are ecstatic.

“Am I surprised? Yes,” said Brent Smiley, vice chair for UTLA’s political action committee. “I’m truly floored. I think, ultimately, [voters] saw [Sanchez] as a politician. And they viewed [Ratliff] as what she was – a classroom teacher.”

Those involved in the race are crediting Ratliff’s poise as a candidate, her ballot designation as a classroom teacher, and a small but devoted group of volunteers; they blame Sanchez’s loss on his lack of familiarity with education issues, the ineffectiveness of the campaigns on his behalf, and low voter turnout.

At least one observer credited UTLA’s endorsement of both Ratliff and Sanchez, which conventional wisdom credited as a major advantage for Sanchez, as having had the completely unintended effect of protecting Ratliff.

While Ratliff’s campaign was greatly outspent, local know-how may have played a part in her victory.

Smiley (who does not speak for UTLA) was part of a small group of teacher-activists who worked tirelessly on the Ratliff campaign, posting on list-serves and on Facebook and going door-to-door, targeting likely voters.

“Because there are so many of us who have done these campaigns before, we know how to do this,” he said. “We know which voters to focus on.”

Ratliff won the early mail-in vote by roughly four percentage points, which was not much of a surprise given the past performance of other UTLA-supported candidates like Steve Zimmer.

Much more surprisingly, Ratliff came close to breaking even on ballots cast on election day, marking a stunning loss for the field organizations of both the Coalition for School Reform and SEIU Local 99, which were both supporting Sanchez.

“Antonio Sanchez’ understanding of the needs of our communities made him a strong voice for our schools,” said SEIU Local 99 head Courtni Pugh in a statement. “While we are disappointed that he was not elected to the LAUSD School Board, we look forward to working with Monica Ratliff.”

The Coalition and the SEIU spent over $2 million to elect Sanchez. Ratliff, meanwhile, spent roughly $50,000 and had no special interest support.

The defeat may prove to have some long-term benefits for LA’s school reform movement.

“It’s stunning, but in way, it’s good,” said the pro-reform insider we spoke with. “It shows you can’t buy an election.”

Many will, no doubt, blame the candidate himself.

“Sanchez was definitely a bad candidate,” said the reform insider.  “I don’t think he had any affinity for education. This was just a stepping stone for him.”

Others may blame the recruitment and selection of the candidate by the Villaraigosa team.

The Coalition for School Reform appeared confident in the days before the election. Multiple sources said they had internal polls showing Sanchez up by as many as 20 percentage points.

And the independent expenditure campaign appeared to be saving up hundreds of thousands of dollars for the next elections, in 2015, rather than spending down as they might have done if they’d expected a close race.

Now the reform movement in LA faces the reality of having spent roughly over $4 million (once all the bills are paid) only to lose two out of three 2013 School Board races.

Making matters worst, its driving force, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, is out of a job and his replacement — Eric Garcetti — is by many accounts unlikely to be as devoted to the reform approach to education as his predecessor.

One of the biggest oddities of the race was the teachers union’s dual endorsement of both Ratliff and Sanchez, which tied UTLA’s hands when it came to supporting Ratliff.

That strategy, harshly criticized by pro-Ratliff activists like Diane Ravitch, now looks like it may have worked out.

Even though Smiley supported Ratliff, he was also an architect of the dual endorsement strategy, saying that both candidates were perfectly acceptable, and arguing that it would be better to have teachers decide who to vote for themselves.

If this meant that UTLA couldn’t spend any money on Ratliff, it also meant that the Coalition couldn’t attack Ratliff for being beholden to the union, of which she was a chapter chair and House of Representatives member.

“We took away from the Coaltion the one thing they desperately needed — a negative message,” said Smiley. “We didn’t let them hit the teachers union. They had absolutely nothing negative to say.”

Indeed, there was no negative campaigning whatsoever in the runoff — neither by Sanchez, the Coalition, or the underdog Ratliff.

Not that Smiley planned it that way: “I’m not gonna lie to you and say that was the plan. It wasn’t.”

The Coalition for School Reform congratulated Ratliff on her victory.

“Although thousands of votes remain uncounted, it appears that Monica Ratliff has won the District 6 runoff for Los Angeles School Board.  The Coalition for School Reform congratulates member-elect Ratliff and looks forward to working with her.”

For most of the morning, the Sanchez campaign was not prepared to give up.

“The turnout was 16.76%, and in extremely low, I would say historically low-turnout elections, anything can happen,” said Sanchez spokesman Mike Shimpock in an email statement. “Unfortunately, anything did happen and Antonio finds himself behind. But there still are many outstanding ballots to be counted, and anything could happen again, only in our favor. I think we need to wait and see what the clerk says their timeline for completing the canvass is before we make any decisions.”

School Board candidates Antonio Sanchez (left) and Monica Ratliff (right)

If you haven’t already read Hillel Aron’s profiles of the District 6 candidates Monica Ratliff and Antonio Sanchez on the campaign trail this past weekend, be sure and do so here and here.

Did you know, however, that one of the two candidates was in a 2012 Nazi revenge film (straight to DVD) and the other was an antiwar protester whose image was featured by the LA Times?

Click below for the images and some of the details.

First, there’s a young Antonio Sanchez, protesting against the war in Iraq in 2003 and captured by the LA TImes:

School Board candidate Antonio Sanchez, in red Bob Marley t-shirt, circa 2003 (via LA Times)

Next, there’s Monica Ratliff, playing Maria the maid in a Lionsgate DVD feature called “Battle Force:”

School Board candidate Monica Ratliff (right) as Maria in “Battle Force” (Lionsgate 2012)

Reporting by Amy Silverstein.

Sanchez’s Latino surname and fluency in Spanish is also a built-in advantage (though Ratliff’s mother is from Mexico).

“You’re looking at a very Latino district,” said Mike Shimpock, Sanchez’s campaign consultant. “And this is a district where ethnic identity voting still makes a difference on election day.”

Internal polls are said to show a decisive advantage for Sanchez, but voter turnout could play a huge role.

“If the turnout is above 15 percent, Sanchez wins running away,” said Brent Smiley, a teacher and vice chair of UTLA’s political action committee. “If it’s below 15 percent, then things get interesting.”

The Ratliff campaign has been hampered by the fact that the candidate has kept her day job, teaching at San Pedro Elementary, leaving her fairly little time to raise money and talk to voters.

“For better or worse, School Board districts are huge, and it’s almost impossible to win if you have no opportunity to campaign in front of voters,” said Shimpock.

He’s predicting a 10 point victory for his client — roughly the same margin of victory that Sanchez held over Ratliff in the primary.

A source close to the Coalition for School Reform’s campaign on behalf of Sanchez said a recent internal poll had Sanchez over the 50 percent threshold, but declined to say what the margin was.

The Coalition, which has spent $3.8 million on three 2013 School Board races, has run a decidedly low-key campaign in the primary, running no TV ads, sending out only positive mailers, and spending less money than it did during the primary.

“The plan was always to have money in the hopper for the next race, in case the next mayor doesn’t raise money,” said one pro-school reform insider.

Even so, the Coalition and SEIU Local 99 have spent over $2 million on behalf of Sanchez. Ratliff, by comparison, had spent $55,000 as of May 14, much of it on a handful of slate mailers and direct mail — as well as some rulers identifying her as “Mònica” Ratliff — in an attempt to remind voters that she’s half Latina.

Though she has made remarks about wanting to get rid of “big money” from the School Board race, Ratliff has not gone on the attack against her opponent.

District 6 turnout in the primary was 17.6 percent, about 3.5 percentage points lower than city-wide turnout, which is expected by many to rise by a few points, perhaps to about 25 percent, in the runoff.

“Historically, there’s a five to eight percent boost in turnout [from the primary to the runoff],” said Shimpock. “I think it’s gonna be even less this time. And this district would behave similarly.”

Smiley, who’s volunteering for Ratliff’s campaign, issued a bold prediction:

“I think [turnout’s] gonna be less than 15 [percent]. I’ve been knocking on doors. The most common response is, ‘Sanchez who?’ and ‘Ratliff who?’ Neither side has reached enough voters.”

The Coalition source told us that based on early returns, the number of absentee ballots was expected to be roughly the same as it was in the primary.

One wild card is the City Council primary, which includes sitting School Board member Nury Martinez. If voters are excited about that race, it could push turnout up.

But even if turnout does drop tomorrow, Sanchez still remains the slight favorite, if for no other reason than he’ll have a field campaign run by the SEIU Local 99, the union which represents classified workers (and went undefeated in the primary).

“[Steve] Zimmer wouldn’t have won without the SEIU on his side,” said one former consultant aligned with UTLA. “Monica [Ratliff]’s got none of that.”

Previous posts: Walking San Fernando with Antonio Sanchez; Door-to-Door in Sunland with Monica Ratliff; East Valley Power Politics Shaped District 6 Runoff; Reform Coalition Focuses Massive War Chest on Mailers

District 6 candidate Antonion Sanchez walking on Saturday.

Antonio Sanchez always introduces himself to voters the same way, telling them within ten seconds that he grew up in Pacoima, went to San Fernando High School, and graduated form Cal State Northridge before going on to UCLA.

And so when he canvases precincts in San Fernando on Saturday, he knows most of the streets. He even knows some of the voters — both from growing up in the area and from working on a number of political campaigns, from as far back as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s election in 2005 and Cindy Montanez’s failed State Senate run in 2006.

Although he’s a first-time candidate, the 31-year-old Sanchez also enjoys a panoply of political connections to labor groups, State legislators and East Valley community groups. As a result, nearly $2 million has been spent on Sanchez’s behalf by outside groups, making him the clear favorite in the race.

Spending a couple of hours this past Saturday walking a precinct with Sanchez and his friend, Pete Brown, it’s clear that the connections are an advantage about which Sanchez is unapologetic — but also something he has to answer for.

Sanchez and his friend Pete Brown

An ally who worked with Sanchez on previous campaigns, Brown is  just one of a number of volunteers walking precincts that day — many of whom are young politically active Latinos.

Many of the residents instantly recognize Sanchez when he knocks on their doors.

“You look older in the picture!” says one woman in Spanish, laughing. Sanchez laughs and replies in Spanish.

Like many others in the East Valley, she’s gotten scores of glossy mailers with his face on them — some sent by his own campaign but more often than not by either SEIU Local 99, which represents LAUSD classified employees, or the Coalition for School Reform, a group of wealthy donors that includes New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and developer philanthropist Eli Broad.

Some voters are wary of this kind of backing.

“I’m gonna vote for you ’cause I know you went to San Fernando High School,” says a voter. “The only thing that’s suspicious is, where are you getting all this money from? I’m getting all these flyers, all these people coming to the door.”

Sanchez calmly explains to her that many of these are paid for by outside expenditure groups whose campaign is independent from his.

“It’s a lot,” says the woman, clearly sick of her mailbox getting stuffed with campaign literature.

“There has been a lot of money,” admits Sanchez, who then seeks to reassure her: “I’m gonna be fair, I’m going to have an open door policy.”

The northeast boundaries of the country’s second-largest school district extend all the way to the San Gabriel Mountains. San Fernando — its own city, independent from Los Angeles — sits in the shadow of the massive mountain range.

Unlike the City of Los Angeles, which is also choosing a new Mayor on Tuesday, there isn’t much else on the ballot in San Fernando — just a Community College race and Sanchez’s runoff against Monica Ratliff.

Some precincts here had a voter turnout of around 4 percent in the March primary. But it’s still fertile ground for Sanchez, because of its high concentration of Latino voters, and because off Sanchez’s roots in the area — although he only sort of grew up in Pacoima.

His parents grew up on the same block in Michoacan, Mexico. His dad was one of 15 children, his mom was one of 12; Sanchez says he has hundreds of cousins in Mexico. His parents moved to Chicago, where Sanchez was born. The family moved back to Mexico, and then to North Hollywood (where Sanchez lives now). When Sanchez was about 10, his dad, a bus driver for the MTA, bought a house in Pacoima.

“It’s what I remember,” he said. “I went to Pacoima Middle School. And I spent every summer in Mexico.” He credits his fluent Spanish to those summers.

Much has been made of Sanchez’s political connections. But Sanchez also has a history of political activism that started when he went to CSUN.

“I used to protest the war, and tuition hikes,” he says. “My dad made me cut my hair when I graduated.”

Indeed, Sanchez isn’t ashamed or embarrassed by his many political connections — like his friends up in Sacramento, or the fact that he Councilman Jose Huizar’s appointee to the Los Angeles redistricting commission, which fell under heavy criticism for it back-room deals and cynical gerrymandering to reward and punish various council members.

“I don’t think my campaign should be considered less legitimate because I’ve been involved,” he says. “I think it’s a good thing. I walk into neighborhood council meetings and I know half the people there.”

Asked if he’s thought about running for higher office after serving as School Board member, he replied, “I have no idea. I don’t think it would be wise to plan anything.”

Would he promise to serve out his first four-year term?

“Oh come on! Of course!” he says. “After Tuesday, it’s the next four years, making sure I have a strong staff, making sure I visit one school a week.”

Just who Sanchez picks as his staff members has been the subject of much rumor and innuendo. Sanchez says he hasn’t thought much about it. But people have been bringing it up: “I’ve had people mention, ‘Hey, you should give me a call.’ From all levels.”

He says his criteria for choosing staff won’t be ideology; it’ll be work ethic.

“I’m used to working seven days a week,” he says. “They’re gonna have to get used to working 7 days a week.”

Sanchez is by all accounts a tireless worker. He says he’s spent the first five hours of every day making fundraising phone calls, has campaigned full-time for the last two months, visiting schools, talking to parents, and going to fundraisers.

Since Thursday, it’s all about making calls and going door-to-door, reminding voters to vote.

He admits: “Dude, I’m mentally drained.”

Previous posts: East Valley Power Politics Shaped District 6 Runoff; Reform Coalition Focuses Massive War Chest on Mailers; Sanchez Supports Classroom Breakfast & Teacher Dismissal Initiatives; Why the Coalition’s Going All Out to Elect Sanchez

Candidate Ratliff walking in Sunland on Saturday.

Going door-to-door in the Sunland section of the East Valley one evening this past weekend, District 6 School Board candidate Monica Ratliff‘s pitch to voters goes something like this:

“Hi, my name is Monica Ratliff. I’m a teacher, and I’m running for the Board of Education. Do you have any questions or concerns about the school district?”

Most voters are startled by this; it’s unusual for a politician to ask voters for advice three days before the May 21 election.

But then, Ratliff is no politician.

That’s been both a strength and a weakness in the campaign. When speaking, Ratliff comes off as an authentic person with real opinions often based on 12 years of teaching in a classroom.

But her lack of political savvy has also caused her some grief — most notably in her shifting positions on the leadership of LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy.

On Saturday, Ratliff seems more interested in hearing from voters about what’s on their minds rather than telling them her own views.

Questioned by the candidate at their homes, voters’ first reaction is usually one of reticence. Then, perhaps they think of something.

“I know something — put the food back!” says a woman watering her lawn. “A lot of my daughter and her friends won’t eat the food… You know, the healthy stuff. The Obama stuff.” (LAUSD has recently changed its menu to offer healthier options).

“I’ve tasted some of the stuff,” says the District 6 School Board candidate, sympathetically. “Now, it would be nice to make it more…” She pauses, and says: “Palatable.”

Asked later about new, healthier school food options, Ratliff says that she’s not in favor of the district going back to the old menu.

She also supports Breakfast in the Classroom, the nutrition program that’s been pilloried by the teachers union in recent months (and was recently re-approved by the School Board over UTLA protests).

In fact, as a 5th grade teacher at San Pedro Elementary, a high-performing school in one of the cities poorest areas, her students actually participate in the program.

“I support breakfast for hungry children,” says Ratliff, almost implying that to do otherwise would be idiotic. “But I think we should tweak it in a number of areas.” For example: “We give the students a lot of muffins. I think it would be great it had more protein. The kids love omelette day.”

Ratliff’s opinions about the district come directly from her 12 years of experience as a classroom teacher. She’s seen first-hand the effects of budget cuts — she says her kids only get P.E. once a month — and suspending kids for willful defiance, a practice that some teachers view as a critical option for maintaining classroom discipline that the Board just voted to end.

“The problem is that when you suspend kids, they don’t learn,” she says.

We spent two hours on Saturday evening walking door-to-door in Sunland, one of the more affluent sections of District 6, an area dominated by horse farms and stables. The tracts are big, the houses are big, and many have big fences.

Ratliff chose the precinct because it’s close to her house but also because most of its residents voted for Ratliff during the primary.

According to her campaign manager, a screenwriter named Chuck Kanganis, her campaign has 33 volunteers making phone calls and walking precincts this Saturday.

Ratliff, with UTLA chapter chair Matthew Kogan

One of them is Matthew Kogan, a teacher and UTLA Chapter Chair at Evans Community School, who accompanies Ratliff as she goes door-to-door.

She walks up to a large fence and calls the phone number of the house, which is usually provided on lists of registered voters made available to candidates for a small fee.

“Hi, my name is Monica Ratliff,” she says over the phone. “I’m a teacher, and I’m running for Board of Education, and I’m actually standing outside your gate right now.”

For some, this might sound a bit creepy. But Ratliff delivers the line with a kind of friendly confidence that seems to put voters at ease. When she solicits their opinions, it usually leaves them impressed, perhaps even flattered.

“They’re electing me to be their representative, so it’s essential to know what they’re concerns are,” says Ratliff.

When voters aren’t home, she writes a short message on glossy campaign flyers, which have her personal email and cel phone number printed.

Many of the Sunland homeowners — especially those in the hills — say they send their children to private school.

“I wouldn’t have my kid go to public school in LA,” says one woman bluntly. “It’s sad. I wish there was a public school that I felt safe sending my kids to. But it feels like a lost cause.”

Ratliff handles voters like this (we meet three others) smoothly. She listens sympathetically and thanks them. Sometimes, she doesn’t even ask for their vote. For a political neophyte, Ratliff is surprisingly comfortable talking to voters and talking incisively about issues on the fly.

But there’s one topic that can make Ratliff squirm.

“I want you to support Mr. Deasy and the changes he’s trying to make,” says one woman Ratliff encounters, who says she already voted for Ratliff on her absentee ballot. “It’s difficult in the district and it needs to be better.”

“I’ve heard that,” says Ratliff, nervously.

Ratliff’s position on the Superintendent has shifted over the last few months. Initially, she refused to commit to keeping him. Then, in a phone interview with LA School Report, she said she would vote to fire Deasy, but that he’d be allowed to re-apply for his job, much like teachers at reconstituted schools. Her reasoning, at the time, was that no other candidates had been interviewed when Deasy was originally hired.

The move appeared to be an attempt to curry favor with the teachers union, which has endorsed both Ratliff and her opponent. The union has stayed neutral, although Ratliff has gotten the support of UTLA activists like Kogan and Brent Smiley, as well as New York University education historian Diane Ravitch, who has criticized the union’s stance.

But Ratliff’s pivot made others wary. The LA Times, which had endorsed her in the primary, called her in for a second interview, where Ratliff assured them that she would not vote to fire Deasy after all.

“It appeared that his appointment — there’d been no search process,” she says now, walking down the street, tension building in her voice. “After I said that, I spoke to a number if people about previous searches. It became clear that the search doesn’t matter… What became clear is if School Boards want to buy out [the superintendent’s contract], they’re going to do it.”

She also says “the purpose was to get this money out of the School Board race,” suggesting that since Deasy has the support of the Coalition for School Reform, an independent expenditure (IE) committee that has poured $3.8 million into the three Board races, a vote against Deasy is a vote against the Coalition.

But her logic is hard to follow. When pressed, she seems to become flustered.

“I just feel like I explained it to the LA Times, and I explained it to you,” she says, trying to put the subject to bed.

The Times editorial board appeared satisfied with her explanation, and kept their endorsement of her.

Ratliff is the decided underdog in this race. The Coalition for School Reform and the SEIU Local 99, which represents LAUSD classified workers, have spent nearly $2 million on behalf of Sanchez — for a job that pays just over $40,000 a year.

Not only that, District 6 is more than 50 percent Latino, according to Political Data.

Sanchez’s name leaves no doubt as to his ethnicity, but it’s not so clear for Ratliff. She doesn’t speak Spanish fluently*, but she is actually half Latina, with a mom from Guadalajara, Mexico, who gave birth to her in Phoenix.

The Ratliff campaign tried to capitalize on this recently by sending out rulers reading “Mònica Ratliff.”

“I heard that people were saying I was a white Republican,” she says. “I’m actually Latina. I wanted to make sure we got that message out.”

Most insiders and observers give Ratliff little chance of beating the well-funded and well-connected Sanchez. But there is a chance. Teachers and people who are close to teachers like to vote for other teachers, and they vote reliably. If voter turnout is especially low, Ratliff’s job as a teacher could make all the difference.

*This post originally stated that Ratliff does not speak Spanish. Her campaign manager, who didn’t get back to us until after the story had been first posted, says that she speaks “conversational Spanish.”

Previous posts: Board Candidate Ratliff Attends UTLA Rally*; School Board Candidate Praises Deasy’s Efforts to Limit Tenure; District 6 Candidate Commits to Support Deasy; Runoff: Union & LA Times Might Shift Endorsements

A diagram of the East Valley clan relationships that shape City Council and LAUSD politics

As you may have read in last week’s LA Weekly about School Board member Nury Martinez’s bid for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council, there are surprisingly few women left on the Council thanks in large part to a rivalry between two male-dominated East San Fernando Valley political clans.

The rivalry between these two Latino clans doesn’t just affect the City Council, however.  It also greatly influenced Tuesday’s District 6 runoff between Antonio Sanchez and Monica Ratliff.

A look at the East Valley political factions may provide some insight about how we ended up with the Sanchez-Ratliff runoff rather than any of the other configurations that initially appeared likely — and why teachers union UTLA refrained from picking a single candidate to support in the District 6 race.  They simply didn’t want to get involved in a turf war between the Padillas and the Alarcons.

Of the candidates who initially declared their intention to run, the three heavyweights appeared to be Ernie Cardenas, Iris Zuniga and Antonio Sanchez.

But Cardenas dropped out; and then so did Zuniga, leaving Sanchez and Ratliff, a virtual unkown.

Why Cardenas and Zuniga dropped out has never been fully explained, at least not in a totally satisfying way.

Solid lines denote connections; broken lines denote former connections that have since been broken

The area, as any political consultant will tell you, is dominated by two clans, the Alarcons and the Padillas:

Alarcon Clan

The first is headed by outgoing City Councilman Richard Alarcon, and includes ex-Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (now a lobbyist and consultant for StudentsFirst), Antonio Sanchez, State Senator Kevin Deleon, community college trustees Steve Veres and Miguel Santiago, and Cindy Montanez, an ex-Assembly member who’s running against Nury Martinez for that city council seat.

(You might remember Cindy’s cousin, Annamarie, who was recruited by UTLA to run against Monica Garcia in District 2. Needless to say, LA politics is an incestuous world.)

The Padilla Clan

The other faction includes State Senator (and former LA City Council President) Alex Padilla — who championed a teacher dismissal bill in 2012 but then dropped the issue this year — incoming City Councilman Felipe Fuentes, U.S. Congressman Tony Cardenas (who recently vacated the City Council seat that Martinez and Montanez are running for), and State Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra.

It doesn’t stop there.  Nury Martinez’ husband Jerry Guzman runs the field campaign for many pols within the clan, and who currently works for Bocanegra.

Ernie Cardenas had a connection to this clique, through his brother Tony. Zuniga also had a connection, through Nury Martinez, who wanted Zuniga to succeed her.

Both Martinez and Bocanegra endorsed Zuniga, but Padilla, Cardenas and Fuentes never did (neither have they endorsed Antonio Sanchez).

Why did the power brokers turn a cold shoulder to the two political newcomers? That’s not entirely clear, but it may have something to do with the Mayor.

Sanchez is a former aide to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is nominally aligned with the Alarcon clan, which backs Cindy Montanez.

One explanation is that Villaraigosa simply leaned on Padilla and Fuentes to support his former aide.

But some speculate that a trade was made — Padilla and Fuentes would sit the School Board race out, and in exchange, the Mayor would endorse Nury Martinez for City Council (as he eventually did).

Another possibility is that Padilla and Fuentes simply didn’t think Zuniga or Cardenas were ready for primetime. Or, they didn’t feel up for a fight with the SEIU.

And then Monica Garcia — Villaraigosa’s most trusted School Board member — may have asked the Mayor to endorse Martinez.

Previous posts: Just How Connected Is Antonio Sanchez?; The Decline and Fall of Iris Zuniga; Sanchez Supports Classroom Breakfast & Teacher Dismissal Initiatives

Close-up of Coalition mailer for District 6 candidate Antonio Sanchez

As of May 4, the independent expenditure (IE) committee known as the Coalition for School Reform had a staggering $850,000 left in the bank, according to papers filed with the City Ethics Commission.

That dwarfs the $55,000 left in the coffers of the Antonio Sanchez campaign, whom the Coalition is supporting, as well as the $21,000 held by the Monica Ratliff campaign.

Both are seeking to win the District 6 (East Valley) School Board runoff election that’s being held May 21.

Rather than airing new ads on television or radio, or going for broke with a door-to-door field operation, Coalition spokesman Addisu Demissie said the group would spend heavily on direct mail.

“The good thing about mail is, we can talk to different people in specific ways,” Demissie told LA School Report.  “It’s more efficient that way. You know how expensive TV can be in Los Angeles.”

The Coalition’s recent mailers have all been positive — in contrast to some of the pieces sent out in the primary, some of which were negative.

Sounding fairly confident, Demissie stressed that the general election doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and that the money spent during the primary — some of which went to talking to and registering non-traditional voters — would have an effect on the runoff.

“A lot of the benefits of running a strong primary and coming in first, we’re gonna see the benefits of that next week,” he said. “It’s compound interest.”

The Coalition’s beefed-up 2013 field campaign has continued, according to Demissie, but is not expected to generate massive increases.

“What we’ve been doing in our field is talking to non-traditional voters, doing voter registration, particularly in the Latino community,” he said.  “It’s not a huge number to be honest. It’s on the margins. That’s the kind of work that field does — it gets you three percent.”

The Coalition for School Reform has been a semi-permanent organization throughout the Villaraigosa years, promoting reform-friendly School Board candidates. With the election less than one week away and no television advertisements currently on air, it’s unlikely that the Coalition will spend all of its money before May 21.

The Coalition could save some money for the next School Board elections in 2015.

There a few really great charts in today’s LA Times article about our ever-sinking voter turnout, including the one above. The Times shows that voter turnout in Mayoral runoffs increases an average of 18 percent from the primary.

But according to sources we’ve spoken with, voter turnout in School Board District 6 next week could actually be lower than it was during the March primary, when less than 18 percent of registered voters cast ballots.

Previous posts: Final: Mayoral Candidates Lack Commitment Reformers & Teachers Want;  Mayoral Candidates Divided by High School; Garcetti & Gruel Debate Education; Greuel Endorses Sanchez, Garcetti Undecided

According to Raphael Sonenshein in the Jewish Journal, voters generally hold LAUSD in low esteem, compared to local schools and those in their neighborhoods.  Latino voters are generally much enthusiastic about LAUSD than whites or African-Americans.

“Only 40 percent of voters polled like the direction of the city, and 22 percent approve of the LAUSD.”

“Voters said their own local schools are in good shape (37 percent favorable), just as they thought their neighborhoods are doing well (52 percent.”

“Latinos were much more likely to give the beleaguered LAUSD positive ratings than either whites or African-Americans.”

Board candidate Monica Ratliff talks with a UTLA protester (via KPCC)

District 6 (East Valley) candidate Monica Ratliff was spotted outside at the UTLA rally to hire more teachers/reduce class size. Via KPCC. [*Contrary to the original version of this post, the rally took place after school and so Ratliff didn’t have to take any time off.]

Previous posts: Board Candidates Differ on Teacher Retention, School Turnaround; Sanchez Supports Classroom Breakfast & Teacher Dismissal Initiatives

Monica Ratliff still teaches every day at San Pedro Elementary, so her public exposure is limited to weekends and evening events. Antonio Sanchez, meanwhile, is concentrating on talking to voters and fundraising.

“Sometimes when you get to the runoff it’s very workmanlike,” said Sanchez’s political consultant, Mike Shimpock. “This one is very much about voter consolidation. The IE [committee] is going to be doing a lot of mail.”

Sanchez has, meanwhile, indicated his position on two contentious issues — and either he or Ratliff will likely be announced as Mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti’s pick later this week.

Sanchez has come out in favor of Breakfast in the Classroom, the controversial program that gives low-income kids free breakfast in some LAUSD classrooms.

“I’m supportive of feeding hungry kids,” Sanchez told LA School Report. “They can’t concentrate or learn in the classroom if they’re hungry or suffering from malnutrition. I would not be supportive of ending the program.”

Sanchez also came out in support of State Assemblymember Joan Buchanan’s bill, AB 375, which is intended to streamline the teacher dismissal process. Some have called the bill, which is supported by the California Teachers Associatio, an overly-watered down compromise.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Sanchez. “I think the system is broken and it needs reform. So it’s great that someone’s working on making the system more efficient.”

Ratliff has declined to share her views on these topics with LA School Report (or anyone else, as far as we know).

It is likely that within a few days, Mayoral contender Eric Garcetti will have endorsed either Sanchez or Ratliff.  Sanchez has already been endorsed by Garcetti’s rival, Wendy Greuel.

On Monday, May 13, the two candidates will take part in separate interviews for an Educators 4 Excellence podcast.

It’s the closest thing to a debate that we’ll get in the runoff.

“There were plenty of debates in the primary,” said Shimpock, referring to two events. “I know Antonio’s positions haven’t changed. It’s pointless to debate her, because she just conforms to any views of the group she’s in front of.”

Previous posts: School Board Candidate Praises Deasy’s Efforts to Limit Tenure; Rumors Swirl Around Sanchez Staff Possibilities; Union Funding One of Two Endorsed Candidates;  Union Endorsements Unchanged for District 6

With so much at stake for the LAUSD Board District 6 runoff election, it was surprising that only one candidate, Monica Ratliff, attended the only scheduled public candidates’ forum sponsored by Teach Plus Los Angeles.

Where was Antonio Sanchez? In the midst of heavy school reform and transformation across our district, state, and the nation, this forum had the potential to provide those in attendance a clear picture on the candidates’ positions on issues that will ultimately have profound changes on our students, teachers, and the community of the northeast San Fernando Valley.

Instead, those in attendance had an opportunity to have a genuine discussion with Monica Ratliff, a current LAUSD elementary teacher, as she fielded questions from teachers, community members, parents, and LAUSD’s “Beaudry” officials.

As Monica laid out her vision for school reform, local autonomy, the role of the principal, the importance of professional development, and class sizes we kept thinking, what about Antonio Sanchez’s position?

At first, we thought Mr. Sanchez’s absence from this event meant we would not hear his message. However, his underlying message was loud and clear. After all, the Coalition for School Reform, led by Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa (with help from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has contributed $350,000), claims that students are at the forefront of their agenda.

It begs the question, what has Antonio Sanchez done for education or for the LAUSD? He was a special assistant to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, then attended graduate school at UCLA where he gained his credibility for being a teaching assistant, but he has never actually worked for an LAUSD school. How has he become an expert or an effective decision maker on what our students need?

On the other hand, Monica, who has a decade of teaching experience and school leadership, presented a clear vision of “collaboration” amongst teachers, “creating partnerships” to keep vocational and arts programs in places of high need, and reframing the role of principals to have withstanding “connections with students in the
classroom.” She used this opportunity as a call-to-action to vocalize the shift from political hopscotch to real student-centered decision-making.

In a board district that has been historically underserved, Monica understands the challenges and has a clear vision of educational equity that reaches far beyond the confines of Board District 6 and reaches the students across the second largest school district in the nation. A generation of learners should not have to suffer because a candidate has political ambition and friends with deep pockets. In a time when we are seeing cuts across the district, affecting everything from early education to class sizes, we want someone who will be a consistent decision-maker.

We want someone who understands the needs of the district because they wake up every day to the faces of students who are impacted by a bureaucracy that has lost its connection to the families we serve. We want someone who will not only embrace innovation, autonomy, and thinking outside the box, but will help to ensure that our students will be competitive thinkers and global contributors. Monica is a teacher who has invested and dedicated the last decade to public education. She has a clear vision that will guide her decisions based on the needs of our students.

On May 21st, think of the students who continue to leave our public schools not prepared. Think of the overcrowded classrooms that plague our schools. Think about how you would want your school to be run, by a Manchurian candidate whose bidders influence the decisions, or by Monica Ratliff, a teacher and a dedicated public servant who continues to be the advocate for the students of our community. The choice is clear.

Pearl Arredondo, a sixth grade English and history teacher, attended Pepperdine University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and Psychology and a Master of Arts in Education and Instructional Leadership.

Hector Perez-Roman is a National Board Certified teacher at Arleta High School.  He teaches tenth grade World History, sponsors the Student Traveling Club, and partners with Smithsonian Student Travel and Education First to offer engaging learning opportunities for all his students.

Previous posts:School Board Candidate Praises Deasy’s Efforts to Limit Tenure;  Sanchez Unavailable for Candidate Forum; Daily News Addresses Ratliff Union Role

Image via TeachPlus

This afternoon’s Teach Plus candidates’ event may turn out to be the only live forum for District 6 contenders Monica Ratliff and Antonio Sanchez between now and the May 21 election day.

However, we’re told that Sanchez can’t make it, despite efforts to contact him and to reschedule the event to suit his schedule.

The event is being held at Sol Del Valle Community Center at Bethel Reformed Christian Church, and begins at 4:30.  Registration is required, but according to its website “The Teach Plus Network is open to all current district and charter school classroom teachers.”  LA School Report will be there.

Previous posts:  Forum Scheduled for District 6 Candidates; Little-Known Candidates Debut at District 6 Forum; District 6 Candidates Struggle to Differentiate Themselves; Little-Known Candidates Debut at District 6 Forum

“It is sad that the Times has chosen to print rumors and innuendo, instead of doing the necessary research to either substantiate or disprove those rumors,” wrote UTLA President Warren Fletcher on the union’s website. “At no time has UTLA entered into any secret agreement with any candidate running for the L.A. School Board regarding staffing or any other subject.”

The three names dropped in the Times story  — all with strong ties to UTLA  — all denied making any deal, as did Sanchez, according to the Times.

But there’s another Sanchez chief of staff possibility that’s been floating around who has strong ties to the Mayor, LAUSD, and other school reform advocates.

The position of Board Member chief of staff is a fairly new one. Until 1975, Board Members were elected “at large,” meaning they didn’t even have separate districts, and shared from a pool of secretaries. In 1975, they were given their own districts and own secretaries. It wasn’t until the 1990s that Board Members started to get their own budgets and their own staffers.

Previous posts: District 6 Candidate Commits to Support Deasy; Forum Scheduled for District 6 Candidates; Union Funding One of Two Endorsed Candidates

But there are also a handful of new tidbits, such as the news that Ratliff held a fundraiser last week (attended by Board members Marguerite LaMotte and Bennett Kayser), mentions by name of a few more of the wealthy contributors who have given to the Coalition in support of Sanchez, use of the word  “referendum” to describe last week’s poll/survey of UTLA teachers about Superintendent John Deasy — and the claim that it’s not clear how much the race matters to Deasy’s longevity or effectiveness.  (Obviously, the Coalition doesn’t think so.)

Perhaps most interesting of all, the LAT story describes Ratliff’s latest articulation of her views on Superintendent Deasy.  She tells the Times she doesn’t want to fire him or re-open the search process but rather she wants to “evaluate Deasy with an open mind based on his record, his working relationship with the board and other relevant factors.”

If accurate, this represents a dramatic softening of Ratliff’s official position on Deasy.

Deasy is just finishing his second full year as Superintendent, and served as a Deputy Superintendent for a year before that.  Earlier this school year, the Board voted 6-0 to extend his contract.

Last month, when it was still a possibility that UTLA might strip Sanchez of his endorsement and enter the District 6 race with a clear preference for her, Ratliff told LA School Report that she would “terminate [Deasy’s] contract.

In February, Ratliff told voters at an East Valley forum that she didn’t have a clear view of his performance one way or the other and declined to say whether or not she would give Deasy another year on the job when asked by LA School Report afterwards.

LA School Report has contacted the Ratliff campaign to verify the Times’ account and will let you know if and when she responds.

Previous posts: District 6 Candidate Hardens Position on Deasy Leadership; Union Endorsements Unchanged for District 6

Both candidates have been endorsed by the teachers union.

The move is all the more notable because on Wednesday, UTLA’s House of Representatives again had the opportunity to change its District 6 endorsements, which had been proposed in a special session held in March.

Both candidates were present at the Wednesday evening meeting of the union governing body, but the item wasn’t on the agenda and wasn’t put to a vote.

Asked why Sanchez critics hadn’t called for a vote on the endorsements, PACE Vice Chair Brent Smiley speculated that disorganization may have played a part.  “Sometimes keeping focus isn’t always the strength of certain people.”

When asked why UTLA hadn’t given equal funding to Sanchez, Smiley responded that the political action committee would consider doing so if Sanchez only asked.

“He hasn’t asked,” said Smiley.  “We’re not in the habit of handing out money to people who don’t ask.”

In terms of direct campaign fundraising, Ratliff hasn’t raised any money at all since the primary election, and Sanchez has raised just $15,000 since early March.

As for the IE committees, the latest financial reports from the LA City Ethics Commission cover a time period between mid-February and April 6:

*UTLA-PACE, the teachers union’s political arm, received $237,000 in contributions, as well as $628,000 in “miscellaneous cash increases” but only has $73,000 left for the runoff because the union spent heavily in the weeks leading up to the primary. (See report here.)

*The Coalition for School Reform received $712,000 in contributions during the same time period. But it also spent heavily on the primary, so the Coalition has $230,000 in its account to spend on the District 6 election. (See report here.)

*And the Local 99 branch of the Service Employees International Union collected $398,000 between February and April. It has $261,000 to spend on the runoff. (See report here.)

In terms of spending, outside groups including the Coalition for School Reform and the LA County Federation of Labor spent almost $1.3 million to support Sanchez in the primary, but they have spent only $66,000 on him since then.

So don’t expect any big changes in his May 21 runoff election with teacher Monica Ratliff.

“We only need to capture less than 10 percent of the outstanding vote,” Sanchez political consultant Mike Shimpock told LA School Report. “It’s not like our model is gonna change considerably.”

But possible changes in endorsements from the UTLA’s House of Representatives and the LA Times editorial page next week could shake things up.

Right now, the campaign is in a somewhat lower gear. Ballots don’t go out to voters until April 22. Sanchez is raising money and calling voters, while his campaign is targeting early absentee voters, a demographic that likely tipped the balance for Steve Zimmer, another client of Shimpock’s, who won last month in District 4.

Independent Expenditure campaigns by the Coalition for School Reform and the SEIU local 99 supported Sanchez in the primary to the tune of $1.2 million, and they’re expected to play a similar role in the general election. In fact, they’ve already spent nearly $50,000, according to the LA Ethics Commission.

But possible changes in union and newspaper endorsements would change the dynamics somewhat.

The teachers union endorsed three out of four District 6 candidates in the primary, including both Sanchez and Ratliff. Next week, the union’s governing body, the House of Representatives, will likely vote again on whether or not to change that endorsement to only Ratliff.

The House met last month but didn’t have enough members for a quorum. The move would take a 2/3 majority.

“I don’t think they have enough votes to make it happen,” said Shimpock. “I just don’t think that Antonio has done anything that would merit them pulling the endorsement. I know they’re upset about the Coalition IE, but that’s out of his control. They endorsed him, he didn’t endorse them.”

If the House changed its endorsement, the move would draw a bright line between the two candidates and allow for the possibility of a modest IE campaign on Ratliff’s.

Another endorsement that might get changed is the LA Times. The newspaper surprisingly endorsed Ratliff in the primary, but Shimpock says the Times has called both candidates in for a re-interview next week.

“I think they took exception with our opponent saying she would get rid of Deasy,” said Shimpock.

Previous posts: District 6 Candidate Hardens Position on Deasy Leadership; Union Endorsements Unchanged for District 6; Reform Coalition Attacks Sanchez Opponents in District 6; After Election, Board Status Quo Remains Intact