LAUSD school board President Richard Vladovic

LA Unified Board President Richard Vladovic successfully held his District 7 seat last night, winning a third term by the largest margin of the day’s three elections in a race with the lowest turn out.

He won with 56 percent of the vote to Lydia Gutierrez’s 44 percent.

Mike Trujillo, a campaign consultant to Vladovic, told LA School Report, that Vladovic’s appeal lies in his ability to strike the right balance on a range of issues.

“Dr. Vladovic’s educational career has always been about putting students, parents and teachers first, Trujillo saids. “His political career is much like that of Goldilocks where the porridge is never too hot, never too cold, always just right.”

Apparently, the mix also appealed to political action committees on the reform and union sides.  Vladovic was the only candidate in all three of the races to receive endorsements from pro-charter advocates, including the California Charters Schools Association PAC and labor groups UTLA and SEIU.

Gutierrez had no major endorsements and little campaign money throughout the election.

Despite that she made an impressive splash in the March primary race finishing only five percentage points behind Vladovic. And as recently as April, an internal poll of District 7 voters by the California Charter Schools Association Advocates and Great Public Schools: Los Angeles, showed Gutierrez, leading by 37 percent to 34 percent, with 29 percent undecided, in a statistical tie. The margin of error was 4.9 percent.

Last night’s defeat marks her fifth failed bid for public office since 2008. In her most recent before now, she came in third in a run for state superintendent last year against Tom Torlakson and Marshall Tuck.

Vladovic was first elected to the board in 2007 and became president in 2013. Over most of that time the board slashed billions from the district budget.

But with more than $700 million in extra revenue coming in next year, he says he wants now to focus on leading the district into more prosperous and efficient times through priorities that include proper distribution of money to schools that need it most, a MiSiS system that works, a teacher evaluation system that’s fair and a better use of best practices districtwide.

Scott Schmerelson

In a stunning upset, Scott Schmerelson handily defeated two-term incumbent Tamar Galatzan in the race for LA Unified’s District 3 seat.

Schmerelson beat Galatzan with more than 3,000 votes, 55 percent to 45 percent.

“I am very happy, very excited, and I’m ready for my five-year term,” he told LA School Report late last night, referring to the extended term school board members will be serving following a voter approved measure aligning local elections with state and federal races.

While many observers predicted the outcome of the election in District 5 — between Bennett Kayser and Ref Rodriguez — would determine the future ideological balance of the seven member board, it is Schmerelson’s victory that ensures the so-called “reformers” will remain in the minority despite Kayser’s loss.

“I intend to be perfectly fair,” Schmerelson said, unwilling to describe himself as either pro-charter, pro-union, or pro-anything specific.

“I am not a vehement anti-charter person,” he explained, then launched into a lengthy speech about how many charters engage in deceitful practices dumping students with disciplinary problems or before important testing. His conclusion: “They really need to be closely monitored.”

The teachers union threw its support behind the veteran educator after the primary race in an effort to elect “anyone but Galatzan” according to UTLA PAC official, Marco Flores.

“He did come out of the blue,” Flores said, referring to Schmerelson’s unexpected second-place finish in the March election. “He’s not a candidate we went looking for but we’re lucky he came up.”

An hour before the final results had been tabulated Schmerelson fielded congratulatory hugs and handshakes from party-goers, putting down his cell phone to say “thanks” every two minutes. But even through the self-described elation, the jabs he endured from Galatzan’s campaign and the California Charter Schools Association PAC, still stung.

“I feel bad about a couple of the things that were said about me,” he said. Several attack ads depicted Schmerelson as a “Sacramento lobbyist” intent on taking money from children to give to administrators. Other flyers, sent to registered Republican voters, called him a Liberal.

“I know because I got one because I’m a Republican,” he said laughing.

“I’m not a politician and I’m not used to this telling of untruths,” he said.

Galatzan’s campaign had yet to issue a formal concession by late last night, but campaign consultant Jose Cornejo blamed voter apathy for her defeat.

“What can I tell you? It didn’t go our way,” he said. “You can only do so much to get people to go out and vote and turn out killed us.”

As far as Galatzan’s future plans go, Cornejo said, “She will continue to work hard on behalf of the students of LAUSD. That has always been her priority and will continue to be her priority until her very last day.”

At the endorsement meeting at union headquarters, the PACE committee interviewed 5 of the 7 candidates — George McKenna, Sherlett Hendy Newbill, Alex Johnson, Rachel Johnson and Hattie McFrazier  — and reviewed answers to a questionnaire sent out prior to the meeting. Two other candidates, Genethia Hudley-Hayes and Omarosa Manigault, were not invited to appear.

In the end, the committee voted for no recommendation, according to a source at UTLA.

The endorsement process next goes to the March 19 meeting of the UTLA board of directors, which itself can issue a recommendation for the UTLA House of Representatives. The representatives meet on March 26  as the final forum when an endorsement can be made.

That endorsement can often be an important one. With the city imposing campaign limits on direct contributions, school board elections often depend on the involvement of super PAC committees.

The UTLA super PAC typically plays a big role. Last year it activated a field operation and spent millions of dollars for direct mail pieces and phone banks on behalf of its candidates. The other big union player in the race is expected to be SEIU Local 99, the union of school support staff, which will decide on its endorsements later this spring.

Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, AALA, the union representing principals and other administrators, endorses but spends little money.  Reform groups, which also spent millions last year, have not yet picked a candidate to support.

The District 1 seat became vacant when longtime school board member, Marguerite LaMotte died in office late last year.

Monica Ratliff is sworn in by her mother

Before her election to the LA school board in May, Monica Ratliff was virtually unknown. Now, the race to influence her is on — and all sides have entered.

Ratliff, a former teacher and upset winner over Antonio Sanchez in District 6, has raised just over $30,000 since her election to help retire her campaign debt, according to a campaign finance report just released by the city ethics commission. The donors come from all poles of the education debate, giving her at least a veneer of political nonalignment. Ratliff’s ideological stance — that is, how she might line up on school board votes — has been the subject of much speculation. By some indications, she could be something of a swing vote, like board members Steve Zimmer and Richard Vladovic, even though she received strong teacher support in the general election campaign.

Among post-election contributions, UTLA President Warren Fletcher gave $1,000, the maximum allowable amount in School Board races, while UTLA Secretary David Lyell gave $350, and Brent Smiley, vice chairman of the union’s political action committee and a campaign volunteer, donated $50. The California Federation of Teachers’ Political Action Committee also gave $1,000.

On the other end of the spectrum, the California Charter School Association’s Political Action Committee gave $1,000, while Kathrine Baxter, wife of Frank Baxter, chipped in $500. Both Frank Baxter and the CCSA gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Coalition for School Reform, which spent heavily in an attempt to elect Sanchez.

Dixon Slingerland, the Executive Director of charter operator YPI, and Lisa Bercovici, the Executive Director of Gabriella Charter Schools, each gave $1,000.

Donations like these, to a candidate seeking to retire his or her campaign debt, represent the first opportunity to contribute money to a newly elected office holder.

Other noteworthy contributors include Dan Chang of the LA Fund ($150), prominent city lobbyist Bill Delvac ($1,000), former Board President Jackie Goldberg ($200), the LA School Police union ($1,000), and the blogger / activist Robert Skeels ($50).

Roughly 37 teachers, many of whom volunteered for her campaign also contributed, mostly in amounts of $100 or less.

The report also revealed that Ratliff’s campaign consultant, Fred Huebscher, received a $5,000 win bonus.

Ratliff declined to comment for this story.

Previous posts: “Motley Crew” Attend Ratliff Campaign Debt Fundraiser; Monica Ratliff Does “Which Way LA?”; UTLA President Appears at Sanchez, Ratliff Events; Door-to-Door in Sunland with Monica Ratliff

Monica Garcia

On Friday, School Board member Mónica García was scheduled to be sworn in for the 2013-2017 term at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

According to a press release sent out by LAUSD, Garcia is “only the third Latina in 155 years to serve on the Los Angeles City School Board of Education” and was slated to be sworn in by former U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. Other VIPs scheduled to be in attendance were Gabriela Teissier, Univision News Anchor.

Tomorrow, Board member-elect Monica Ratliff will be sworn in and the Board is scheduled to pick a new President and approve the 2013-2014 calendar of meetings. Earlier in the week, Board member Steve Zimmer was sworn in at Hollywood High School.

Previous posts: Harassment Allegations Could Hurt Vladovic’s Chances; Board Presidency Up for Grabs Tuesday; Zimmer to Celebrate Re-Election at Hollywood High

“From what I’ve seen, from the reports, I believe Monica’s the winner,” he told LA School Report. “I wish Monica and everybody on the School Board success.”

In a written statement, the teachers union congratulated Ratliff on her victory: “We are overjoyed that a working classroom teacher will be on the School Board.  Ms. Ratliff has seen firsthand the kind of harm that is done when a District is mismanaged.”

UTLA also trumpeted its support for its endorsed Mayoral candidate, Eric Garcetti, who handily defeated Wendy Greuel to become the next Mayor of Los Angeles.

Since LA School Report wrote about the campaign aftermath yesterday morning (see: How Ratliff Won & Reformers Lost), reactions and post-election analysis have continued to pour in, including exultation from Ratliff supporters and head-scratching from Sanchez allies.

Thus far, at least, there’s no real consensus about why Sanchez lost or — just as interesting — exactly how Ratliff won. But there are lots of theories.

One general theme emerging from Tuesday night’s municipal election was the limited effectiveness of special interest money.

Greuel had been the recipient of millions of dollars from public employee unions, which commentators are now saying hurt her campaign.

Likewise, Sanchez was the recipient of money from both deep-pocketed “school reformers” and service workers — and if it didn’t hurt, it certainly didn’t help enough to bring home a win.

“Right now we’re in this moment where big money just makes people skeptical,” said consultant Glenn Gritzner, who often works for charter schools and other education-related clients.

“Overcoming financial odds of this size … suggests a big difference in the allure of the candidates and the ability to make big money unattractive,” said Charles Kerchner, labor and education politics professor at Claremont Graduate University in the LA Times.

USC political science Professor Dan Schnur argued that voters were more concerned with the Mayor’s race, and most of them probably decided who to vote for while they were already at the polls.

“These candidates were largely overshadowed by the citywide races,” Schnur told LA School Report. “Most voters probably made the decision based on ballot designation.”

The ballot designation label that appeared below Ratliff’s name was “fifth grade teacher.”

But many of those who watched the race were also saying that the reform community picked the wrong candidate to promote.

Some called for a candidate like Iris Zuniga with a connection to public education in Los Angeles.

“Antonio wasn’t the right candidate up there,” said one prominent reform-aligned official. “I was very clear with people.”

The final choice was, reportedly, made by outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, for whom Sanchez worked as an aide for six years. Villaraigosa was also the chief fundraiser for the Coalition.

When asked to comment on the School Board election results, Villaraigosa spokesman Vicki Curry emailed: “The Mayor doesn’t have a separate statement from the Coalition.”

“Sometimes, getting all of the support is worse than getting some of the support,” said Raphael Sonenshein, the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles, in the LA Daily News.

For his part, Sanchez didn’t have any clear answer about why he’d lost.  “I’m disappointed. I really thought that we built a really good team, a really good coalition,” he told LA School Report. To think back on the last seven months, I dedicated night and day to this campaign. I’m surprised.”

Theories about how and why Ratliff won were somewhat less specific.

Refrigerator magnets, a core team of volunteers, and a focus on Sunland, Tujunga, and other promising precincts was a big part of her success, according to the LA Times.

“Even Ratliff’s supporters sounded pretty stunned,” according to LA Times editorial page writer Karin Kline.

After an election-night gathering held in her one-bedroom Sunland apartment, Ratliff was in her classroom bright and early yesterday morning, according to the Daily News, having received a congratulatory call from LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy.

Previous posts: How Ratliff Won (& Reformers Lost); Final Unofficial Tally; Ratliff Scores School Board Upset; Ratliff Holds Narrow Lead; Voter Turnout Will Determine Outcome

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.”

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

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.

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

School Board candidate Monica Ratliff (right)

School Board candidate Monica Ratliff met with 15 or so teachers and LAUSD employees Thursday night at an event sponsored by Teach Plus.

During the hour-long discussion, the candidate for District 6 (East San Fernando Valley) did as much listening as she did talking, asking teachers about their concerns on issues such as local autonomy and teacher training.

“She was interested in what teachers had to say,” said John Lee, Executive Director for Teach Plus Los Angeles after the event. “It shows what kind of a Board Member she would be.”

She also answered questions from teachers on a number of issues, including Superintendent John Deasy, local autonomy for schools and teacher training. She refused, however, to answer any questions from LA School Report.

Ratliff, a 5th grade teacher at San Pedro Elementary, spoke passionately about improving professional development, vocational education in high school and lowering class size. She was also full of praise for Superintendent Deasy.

“He’s done some really good things for the district,” she said, citing the fact that he’s made it harder for new teachers to get tenure. “We are no longer handing out tenure like candy… This profession is not for everyone.”

Around 95 percent of teachers who apply for tenure get it. Before Deasy took over, the number was over 99 percent.

Ratliff also complimented Deasy for putting more decision items in front of the School Board, as he will do at the next Board meeting, saying it would “make the Board more accountable.”

Raliff’s position on Deasy has changed a number of times.

Back in February, at a candidates forum before the primary, Ratliff declined to evaluate Deasy’s job performance, saying, “I would need to know more.”

After coming in second place in the primary, she hardened her stance, telling LA School Report  that she would favor terminating Deasy’s contract, adding that he would be allowed to re-apply.

She later complained to this reporter that her remarks were taken “out of context,” saying that the only reason she had called for a new search for a district superintendent was because she had learned that Deasy was hired without any other candidates being considered. (This was the same reason Board Member Steve Zimmer abstained when the vote was taken in 2011).

Ratliff’s call for a new superintendent search spurred the LA Times editorial board to reconsider its endorsement of Ratliff, and invited her in for a second interview, where she abruptly reversed her position, saying “she thought he’d been a strong leader and that if she were in a position to decide on Deasy’s contract today, she would vote to renew it.”

The Times kept its endorsement; however, Ratliff has since stopped speaking to LA School Report. According to Teach Plus’ John Lee, initially she said that she wouldn’t come to the event when she found out that LA School Report would be at Thursday’s event. But she apparently changed her mind.

“I can’t say what he was thinking,” said Teach Plus chief Lee. “In a democratic society, you want to hear from candidates and have them questioned. If you’re running for LAUSD School Board you should be able to stand up on front of teachers.”

Shockingly, there are currently no public debates scheduled between the two District 6 School Board candidates.

Previous posts: Sanchez Unavailable for Candidate Forum; Daily News Addresses Ratliff Union Role; District 6 Candidate Commits to Support Deasy; District 6 Candidate Hardens Position on Deasy; Union Endorsements Unchanged for District 6

“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

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.”

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

So which is it? Neither, actually.  Voter turnout for the LAUSD races was initially reported at 14.5 percent in the days after the March 5 primary — just under the 16 percent turnout in the Mayoral election.

However, these numbers excluded the 82,000 outstanding ballots, which were finally announced last week.  The final LAUSD School Board voter turnout tally was 20 percent (and 21 percent in the Mayoral election). Voter turnout in the School Board races was highest in the Westside’s District 4, which saw 22.5 percent of registered voters cast ballots. Turnout in District 2 was 18 percent; District 6 saw 17.6 percent.

Previous posts: Registration & Vote By Mail Schedule, School Board Primary Averaged $55 Per Vote, Voter Turnout Far Below Expectations

Inside last night’s House of Representatives meeting (before LA School Report was ejected)

The union political action committee charged with re-interviewing District 6 runoff candidates last night voted narrowly to remove Antonio Sanchez and make Monica Ratliff its sole endorsed candidate for the May 21 runoff — but fell well short of the two-thirds majority required to make the recommendation official.

UTLA’s governing body, the House of Representatives, met shortly afterwards to consider the situation — but an official vote never took place because not enough elected House members turned up to vote to reach a quorum.

Even if a quorum had been present, it’s unclear if Ratliff supporters would have been able to muster the two-thirds majority required.

“I think it would’ve been close,” said House member Alex Caputo-Pearl.  “I don’t know if she would’ve gotten two-thirds.”

Prior to the House meeting, UTLA’s PACE committee met to interview the two candidates, both of whom were endorsed by the teachers union in the primary.

After the interview, the PACE committee voted 20-19 to switch its endorsement to only Ratliff — a majority vote but far short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass.

The House would have still had an opportunity to change its endorsement, which also needed a 2/3 vote, but it was roughly 30 teachers shy of a quorum.

A few teachers questioned if UTLA President Warren Fletcher, who presided over the meeting, really needed to call for a quorum vote, but he indicated that he was following Robert’s Rules of Order, a copy of which sat on the table beside him.

The 350-seat House has only 298 current members, which means it needed 150 for a quorum; only 122 showed up, at last count.

“I’m a little bummed,” said Dan Moran, a member of both the House and the PACE committee who supports Ratliff.

He blamed the meeting’s low attendance, in part, to the email that was sent out to members. “Honestly, they should’ve put asterisks in the subject line.”

Warren Fletcher, President of UTLA, chalked the low attendance up to the fact that this wasn’t a regularly scheduled House meeting.

Ratliff herself was disappointed too: “Obviously, I would have liked to have been the only endorsed candidate.”

During the meeting, which never officially began, while a member of the PACE committee was reading a report to those in the room about the PACE candidate interview, President Fletcher took the microphone to interrupt.

Fletcher informed the House that there was a member of the press in the room, and asked if they wanted to vote on whether to eject him.

A motion was quickly made and seconded, and the House voted overwhelmingly to eject LA School Report from the room (which this reporter couldn’t help but take a bit personally).

The next regularly scheduled House meeting is April 16. The House could still vote to change its endorsement then, even thought it would be less than a month before the May 21 runoff.

Previous posts: Just How Connected Is Antonio Sanchez?, District 6 Candidate Hardens Position on Deasy Leadership, Union Schedules Special Session To Reconsider Endorsements*

Santiago’s appearance with Sanchez was interpreted by some within UTLA to mean that Sanchez carried the Assembly Speaker’s stamp of approval.

“In no uncertain terms, it was made clear to us that Sanchez is protected all the way up and down the power structure of the State,” said a highly placed source within UTLA.

This was one of the reasons that UTLA endorsed Sanchez in the primary — and one of the reasons the union leadership and members may struggle tonight when the House of Representatives reconsiders the union’s District 6 endorsements.

But it is not entirely clear whether pulling Sanchez’s endorsement would have any political consequences, in Sacramento or in Los Angeles — or even how it might affect the runoff.

Eric Bauman, Chair of the LA County Democratic Party, Vice Chair of the State Party and a Senior Advisor to Speaker Perez confirms that Santiago went to the endorsement meeting, but said Santiago’s presence wasn’t a message.

“It does not reflect the Speaker’s position, and the Speaker hasn’t endorsed in that race,” he said. “It’s just coincidental that Tony Sanchez is close friend with the Speaker’s staff.”

But former State Senate Leader Gloria Romero, now director of California Democrats for School Reform, thinks the message was implicit.

“It’s definitely a message that was being sent,” she said in a recent telephone interview with LA School Report. “In the political arena, you know who the Speaker’s staff is. That was message. Cause there’s no reason for Miguel to go with Sanchez to that meeting.”

Indeed, Sanchez has many a Sacramento connection. Not only is he friends with Santiago, but also his brother-in-law is Steve Veres, State Senator Kevin de Leon’s district director.

The speculation has been that the 30-year-old Antonio Sanchez is being groomed for office as a State Assemblyman. (In this scenario, State Senator Alex Padilla would run for Secretary of State, Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra would jump over to the Senate, and Sanchez would run for Bocanegra’s seat.)

Further complicating the situation is that the UTLA leadership genuinely likes Sanchez, a former aide to the Mayor who’s also been endorsed by the LA County Democratic Party, the LA County Federation of Labor, the SEIU and the Coalition for School Reform.

“The book on him is, when he was in the Mayor’s office, he got things done,” said the UTLA source. “He’s been working extremely hard. He’s not just a politician that expects to be coronated.”

They also aren’t opposed to a moderate Board member — a consensus builder, as it were, and might hope to avoid both a costly runoff and any possible consequences in Sacramento.

SB 10, the bill to make it easier to fire teachers accused of harming children, is up for consideration again this year. In one possible scenario, stripping Sanchez of his endorsement would give powerful Sacramento lawmakers an additional reason to move the bill forward.

“The message we’ve gotten, through a back channel, is that if UTLA pulls their endorsement [for Sanchez], get ready, here comes SB 10,” said the UTLA source.

Sanchez supports SB 10. His opponent, Monica Ratliff, opposes it.

The LA County Democratic Party’s Eric Bauman thinks this idea is ludicrous.

“I can tell you that there is nobody I know of in Sacramento that would make that play,” he said. “The speaker is very close to the CTA [California Teachers Association].”

Romero agrees that there’s probably not any direct connection between the Sanchez endorsement and SB 10 — largely because SB 10 is going to pass.

“This time, there’s gonna be a lot more publicity, and a lot more pressure on the Assembly,” she said. “I think that it goes [through] this year in some form.”

In the end, the most immediate reason not to strip Sanchez of his endorsement and focus on Ratliff may be that doing so could set off a competitive runoff and UTLA is said to have little more than $100,000 left in its coffers — which UTLA leadership controls, not the House of Representatives.

Previous posts: District 6 Candidate Hardens Position on Deasy Leadership, Union Schedules Special Session To Reconsider Endorsements*, Union Endorsements Could Affect District 6 Runoff, After Election, Board Status Quo Remains Intact

District 6 runoff candidate Monica Ratliff

On Wednesday evening, UTLA’s House of Representatives will vote on whether to stick with its endorsements of Antonio Sanchez, a former aide to the Mayor, and classroom teacher Monica Ratliff, or to pick one candidate over the other in the District 6 school board runoff.

Sources say that UTLA leadership doesn’t mind Sanchez, a politically connected candidate who’s positioned himself as a consensus candidate.

But some within UTLA’s House of Representatives are looking for a candidate with firmer stances on things like teacher evaluations, due process for teachers accused of sexual misconduct, and Superintendent John Deasy.

“The question is, ‘What the hell are we doing supporting Sanchez?'” said a UTLA source who has in-depth knowledge of how decisions are made within the union.

Meanwhile, Candidate Ratliff has hardened her stance on whether or not to give Deasy another term as Superintendent.

In the District 6 primary, the teachers union endorsed all three candidates on the ballot (including third-place finisher Maria Cano), and spent no money.

On Wednesday, UTLA’s political action committee, PACE, will re-interview Sanchez and Ratliff.

According to an email sent to the two candidates, the Wednesday interview questions “are likely to be tough questions on subjects like Dr. Deasy, Charter Schools, and Teacher Evaluations.”

This weekend, Ratliff said she had refined her stance on Deasy.

In the past, she said only that she didn’t know enough about his work to make a judgement.  She now says she would “terminate his contract and suggest we do another search.”

“He could reapply,” she said. “That would be appropriate. When they reconstitute school, teachers are invited to reply.”

Sanchez is on record saying he supports Superintendent Deasy.

Less than an hour after the re-interview process is completed, the 350-member House of Representatives will meet in a special session to hear PACE’s recommendation and then vote on whether or not to change the union’s endorsement.

Even if the House of Representatives votes to endorse Ratliff over Sanchez, it’s not clear that UTLA will be able to mount a serious campaign on her behalf.

A political consultant who’s worked for UTLA in the past told LA School Report PACE only has about $100,000 left in the bank.

Previous posts: Union Schedules Special Session To Reconsider Endorsements*, SEIU Local 99 Wins Highlight Value of Field Operations, Union Endorsements Could Affect District 6 Runoff, After Election, Board Status Quo Remains Intact