Outside money continues to pour into L.A. school board campaigns
If the Los Angeles school board elections were a movie, then the nominee for best supporting actor might go to an individual who so far has received little attention: Reed Hastings.
Based on documents reviewed by The Times, the co-founder of Netflix has contributed close to $5 million since last September to the California Charter Schools Assn. Advocates, a major conduit of funds for school board candidates backed by charter school supporters. His most recent contribution was $1 million on Tuesday.
Another major recent contributor is a familiar name in education politics. Eli Broad put in $400,000 last Friday, on top of $50,000 he gave in November.
Teachers unions and their allies, including other labor groups, also are spending big, matching the pro-charter side dollar for dollar in one of the races.
The major outside player on that side is the American Federation of Teachers, a national union headed by Randi Weingarten. It has reported contributions of about $1.2 million so far.
If charter backers prevail, they could win their first pro-charter majority on the school board of the nation’s second-largest school system.
Charter supporters are backing Kelly Gonez for the soon-to-be-open seat in District 6 in the east San Fernando Valley. Outside spending on behalf of Gonez totaled about $2.1 million through Wednesday, according to records filed with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission.
United Teachers Los Angeles is supporting Imelda Padilla, who has benefited from $2.14 million in outside spending, in the race.
In District 4, stretching from the Westside to the west Valley, charter advocates are behind Nick Melvoin, who is challenging union-backed, two-term incumbent Steve Zimmer, the school board’s president.
Outside spending for Melvoin has surpassed $4.25 million; for Zimmer, $2.16 million.
Both charter-backed candidates have raised more money for their own campaigns than their opponents have.
Charters are privately operated public schools that are exempt from some rules that govern traditional campuses. Most are nonunion.
CCSA Advocates can use donations for any political purpose, but the L.A. school board race — the most expensive in the nation — has been its primary project.
Besides having money, Hastings is a desirable donor for the charter side in left-leaning California. He’s been a regular and reliable contributor to Democratic causes and candidates. That’s a valuable attribute given the state’s anti-Trump political climate — because the Trump administration has made increasing the number of charter schools a central goal.
Like Trump’s Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Hastings is an ardent, longtime advocate for charters and a major donor to charter causes. (California Gov. Jerry Brown also strongly supports charters, though not as a big-money contributor.)
The teachers union casts donors such as Hastings in the role of outside billionaire trying to Outside money continues to pour into L.A. school board campaigns - LA Times:
