2020 → ← 2017
Los Angeles Unified School District elections
Runoff election date
May 14, 2019
Special election date
March 5, 2019
Enrollment ('16-'17)
633,621 students

Jackie Goldberg defeated Heather Repenning in a runoff election for the District 5 seat on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education in California on May 14, 2019. The seat was up for special election to fill the vacancy left by Ref Rodriguez's resignation. This page covers the March 5 general election. Click here for coverage of the runoff election.

Goldberg received the most votes in the first round with 48 percent. Repenning received 13 percent of the vote, leading third-place candidate Graciela Ortiz by 31 votes. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's office certified the results on March 22, 2019.^[1]

School board elections in 2017 flipped the board from a 4-3 majority of members supported by United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) to a 4-3 majority of members supported by the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA). Rodriguez was a member of the latter group, and his resignation left a 3-3 split.^[2]

CCSA announced it would not endorse in the March 5 race. The UTLA backed Goldberg. She and Repenning have said they support holding charter schools to the same standards as public schools, among other positions.

Ten candidates qualified for the ballot.^[3] The election is nonpartisan.^[4][5] The term filled by this election expired in December 2020.

LAUSD was the largest school district in California and the second-largest in the nation by enrollment in 2018.^[6] The district served 633,621 students in the 2016-2017 school year. The district's total budget for the 2018-2019 school year was $13.7 billion.^[7]

LAUSD had 224 independently operated charter schools in 2017, more than any other school district in the U.S.^[8]

Los Angeles voter? Dates you need to know.
Candidate Filing Deadline	December 5, 2018
Registration Deadline (runoff)	April 29, 2019
Vote by Mail Application	April 15 - May 4, 2019
Vote by Mail Ballots Due	May 14, 2019, 8 p.m.
General Election	March 5, 2019
Runoff Election	May 14, 2019
Voting information
Polling place hours	7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Polling locations: Go to this page to find early voting locations and your assigned precinct for election day.

Candidates and election results[edit]

General runoff election[edit]

General election[edit]

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Laura Garza (Nonpartisan)
• James O'Gabhann III (Nonpartisan)
• Justine Gonzalez (Nonpartisan)
• Scott Cody (Nonpartisan)
• Erika Alvarez (Nonpartisan)
• Eduardo Cisneros (Nonpartisan)
• Fidencio Joel Gallardo (Nonpartisan)
• Bennett Kayser (Nonpartisan)

Candidate profiles[edit]

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages

The candidates below received noteworthy endorsements and/or led in fundraising. They are listed in alphabetical order.

Campaign finance[edit]

This section shows campaign finance information for all candidates who filed reports.

Satellite spending[edit]

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.^[20][21][22]

This section shows satellite spending figures as reported by the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission website. Expenditures are arranged by the supported/opposed candidates' last names in alphabetical order. Figures below reflect reported spending through March 1, 2019.

Supporting Bajracharya[edit]

• Students for Education Reform (SFER) Action Network, supporting Allison Bajracharya for LAUSD School Board 2019, sponsored by SFER Action: $116,919.48

Supporting/Opposing Goldberg[edit]

Supporting[edit]

• Students, Parents, and Educators in Support of Jackie Goldberg for School Board 2019, Sponsored by Teachers Unions, Including United Teachers Los Angeles: $572,494.04

Opposing[edit]

• Service Employees International Union Local 99 Independent Expenditure PAC: $112,150.00

Supporting/Opposing Ortiz[edit]

Supporting[edit]

• Building Community Through Education in Support of Graciela Ortiz for School Board 2019: $80,437.22

Opposing[edit]

• Protect Local Jobs PAC Supporting Heather Repenning & Opposing Graciela Ortiz for School Board 2019 Sponsored by Service Employees International Union Local 99 Independent Expenditure PAC: $25,745.00

Supporting Repenning[edit]

• Familias y Democratas por Heather Repenning para la Junta Escolar 2019: $36,369.06

• Parents and Families for High Performing Schools, Committee to Elect Heather Repenning to School Board 2019, Sponsored by SEIU Local 99: $663,621.00

• Protect Local Jobs PAC Supporting Heather Repenning & Opposing Graciela Ortiz for School Board 2019 Sponsored by Service Employees International Union Local 99 Independent Expenditure PAC: $10,725.00

• Service Employees International Union Local 99: $5,230.87

Endorsements[edit]

Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at elections@ballotpedia.org.

United Teachers Los Angeles endorsed Jackie Goldberg in the special election.^[23]

In December 2018, the California Charter Schools Association announced it would not make an endorsement in the March 5 election. A representative of the group's campaign arm, CCSA Advocates, stated, "Community voices in this District have been under-represented in past elections as demonstrated by low voter turnout. We are encouraged that there are a number of highly qualified, inspiring candidates in this race. Given the diversity, strength, and depth of the field, we have decided not to endorse a candidate in the special election primary."^[24]

The following candidates provided endorsement lists on their campaign websites:

• Jackie Goldberg
• Cynthia Gonzalez
• Garciela Ortiz
• Heather Repenning

General election endorsements
Endorsement	Bajracharya	Cubas	Goldberg	Gonzalez	Ortiz	Repenning
Elected officials
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District Board Member Jesse Urquidi[25]		✔
West Covina Unified School District Board Member Eileen Miranda Jimenez		✔
Whittier City Schools District Board Member Irella Perez[26]		✔
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond			✔
Former Vice President Dolores Huerta, United Farm Workers			✔
California State Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D)			✔
California State Senator Bob Hertzberg (D)			✔
U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.)			✔
U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.)			✔
California State Assemblymember Patrick O'Donnell			✔
Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl			✔
Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member George McKenna			✔
Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Scott Schmerelson			✔
5 former Los Angeles Unified School District Board members			✔
Former Culver City Unified School District Board President Barbara Honig			✔
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer			✔
LA County Assessor Jeff Prang			✔
City of Bell Mayor Fidencio Joel Gallardo			✔
5 city councilmembers (various cities)			✔
9 mayors					✔
3 vice mayors					✔
13 city councilmembers (various cities)					✔
State Senator Vanessa Delgado					✔
State Assemblymember Monique Limón					✔
David Vela, Board member, Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees					✔
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D)						✔
U.S. Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.)						✔
4 Los Angeles city councilmembers						✔
3 L.A. Community College District (LACCD) board members						✔
State Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D)						✔
Individuals
Former 2019 LAUSD District 5 candidate Justine Gonzalez	✔
Former LAUSD School Board Member Viki Castro				✔
Former El Monte Union High School District Board of Trustees member Salvador Ramirez		✔
3 former L.A. Community College District (LACCD) board members[27]		✔
Organizations/Unions
Students for Education Reform (SFER) Action Network[28]	✔
United Teachers Los Angeles			✔
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1277			✔
American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees Local 3090			✔
American Federation of Teachers Local 1521			✔
American Federation of Teachers Local 1521A			✔
Associated Administrators of Los Angeles			✔
California Nurses Association (CNA)			✔
California School Employees Association L.A. 500			✔
IATSE, Los Angeles-based locals			✔
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18			✔
SMART Local 105			✔
Teamsters Local 572			✔
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770			✔
UNITE HERE Local 11			✔
East Area Progressive Democrats			✔
Americans for Democratic Action, Southern California			✔
Martin Luther King, Jr. Democratic Club			✔
Centro Cristiano Bet El, South Gate			✔
Network for Public Education Action			✔
Armenian National Committee of America–Western Region			✔
Associated Administrators of Los Angeles				✔
Los Angeles Times editorial board[29]				✔
Roofers Union Local 36					✔
Association of Pupil Services and Attendance Counselors					✔
Service Employees International Union Local 99						✔
United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112						✔
Laborers Local 300						✔
Teamsters Joint Council 42						✔
International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 13						✔
International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 94						✔
Ironworkers Local 433						✔
Ironworkers Local 416						✔
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 12						✔
UA Local 78 Plumbers						✔
UA Local 250 Steamfitters-Refrigeration						✔
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 40						✔
Painters and Allied Trades District Council 36						✔
International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 572						✔
International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 399						✔
International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 396						✔
Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters						✔

Debates and forums[edit]

February 16, 2019[edit]

The United Way of Greater Los Angeles and Alliance for a Better Community hosted a forum in which four students asked nine candidates questions related to teacher effectiveness, college readiness, and mental health support, among other topics.

View coverage of the forum here

February 13, 2019[edit]

The United Way of Greater Los Angeles and Alliance for a Better Community hosted a forum where nine candidates were asked questions by a panel of District 5 parents. Topics discussed included teacher quality, class size, underperforming schools, and teacher pensions.

View coverage of the forum here.

Campaign ads[edit]

Jackie Goldberg, Cynthia Gonzalez, Graciela Ortiz, and Heather Repenning released online ads in the race. See a compilation of the ads by clicking the link, selecting "2019 LAUSD District 5 Special Election," and selecting "Web Video" in the Format dropdown menu.

Issues[edit]

Charter school policy[edit]

As of 2017, LAUSD had 224 independently operated charter schools, more than any other school district in the nation.^[8] Around 20 percent of the district's students were enrolled in charter schools in 2018.^[30] The LAUSD Board of Education's responsibilities include deciding whether to authorize or deny the opening of new charter schools and the renewal of existing ones.^[31]

The CCSA argues that independently run charter school students outperform traditional public schools students in state assessments and college readiness and that charter schools should be easier to open and renew.^[32][33] The UTLA believes that charter schools should be subject to greater school district oversight because of their use of public funds and that the schools have negatively impacted the fiscal health of the district.^[34]

Board members backed by the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) claimed a 4-3 majority following the May 2017 board election.^[35] Before the election, board members backed by United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) had a 4-3 majority. Ref Rodriguez's resignation from the board in July 2018 left it with a 3-3 split.^[36]

In November 2017, the LAUSD Board of Education and district staff negotiated with charter school leaders over language the district expects charters schools to put into their charters. The district may refuse to authorize the opening or renewal of a charter school if it does not adopt the language. One of the changes made was that the board of education would vote yearly on a specific list of district policies charter schools must follow; previously, decisions about which policies charters must follow were made by district staff. UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl criticized the change, saying it equated to reducing oversight of charter schools. CEO of the STEM Prep charter school network Emilio Pack said it would increase clarity.^[31][37]

In April 2017, when UTLA-backed members held a majority of seats on the board, the board approved a resolution to fund lobbying efforts supporting three bills related to charter school regulation. One of the bills became law. That bill, AB 1360, required charter schools to follow guidelines surrounding admission, suspension, and expulsion.

Click here to learn more about charter school policy and debate in California.

Candidate positions[edit]

The Boulevard Sentinel asked candidates their positions on charter schools. All candidates except Allison Bajracharya responded. The question asked and their responses are below.

Below are more statements from candidates on charter schools:

• Allison Bajracharya

“

As somebody who spends time as an operator of charter schools and takes a lot of pride in innovation, I've seen what some of those changes are that can take a school to a whole other level.[38][39]

”

“

I absolutely think it's possible to serve all kids, and that's really what's motivated me to run in this race. When I think about L.A. as a very progressive city that, in theory, really embraces all communities, we can't have an education system that reflects the polarization and vitriol of our national society right now. Unfortunately, I think we do, and so I'm really eager to move past that because our kids need better public schools now. We can't say 30 percent proficiency is OK. It's not, and we have to be honest about that. The only way we're going to change is thinking differently and getting to solutions for kids. There are some really great district schools and some really great charter schools, and neither entity is perfect. We have to figure out where there are things that are going well and how we fast track them to many more kids, especially in low-performing communities.[38][39]

”

• Ana Cubas

“

I understand the politics, the budget and the bureaucracy. The bureaucracy protects itself, and I always tell people, 'Look, it's not an issue of whether charter schools are taking away money from the school district.' That’s the wrong question to ask. The right question to ask is, what is the school district spending money on? And you'll see a lot of overhead, executive salaries at the top, which I know, because I've been there, is unnecessary.[40][39]

”

“

I'm very pro-charter, but at the same time, I'm an [American Federation of Teachers] AFT member through my union at the college guild.[40][39]

”

“

I am pro-charter because I do believe it gives our families choices, but there's got to be accountability.[40][39]

”

• Cynthia Gonzalez:

“

I had a teacher who had gotten a Teacher of the Year award, and as soon as we started losing enrollment, we had to make changes to our master schedule, and usually who gets impacted are your neediest ELD kids. You don't have enough students so you collapse those to keep your other English program going. So she went from being the stellar teacher to just drowning and completely ineffective. I think this is why the strike is happening. They've been ignored and not believed that the work has gotten difficult. That's been a symptom of the rapid growth of charter schools and the fact that we haven't worked out how the systems can function together.[41][39]

”

“

We need a focus on equity. All schools should serve all children. We must challenge the inequities that our current system reproduces making it harder for some schools to achieve success, while allowing successful schools to exclude our most marginalized students. This includes evening the playing field between charters and traditional district schools by having full transparency in enrollment practices, as well as ensuring an equitable distribution of high-need students.[42][39]

”

• Jackie Goldberg:

“

When you have a charter school, it automatically undermines the funding for the kids who are not in charter schools. It is not true that the two can coexist side by side.[43][39]

”

“

I have always said that charters began with a laudable mission: to be a laboratory for innovation. However, over the years, charters have been subverted by those who would like to run education like a private business. Education is not a market-driven enterprise, but a human right. To me, the choice that parents make to send students to charter schools is not the issue. The main problem is that the system is rigged so that district schools lose money and resources when a student attends a charter school. Public schools welcome everyone – they don’t turn away students with special needs, working parents or behavioral issues, but right now, charter schools don’t have to adhere to the same rules and regulations that govern charter schools. That’s not fair—but, it can be fixed with revisions to charter school legislation that I and many others are seeking. I believe we must deeply invest in our public schools so that there is truly a great school in every neighborhood.[44][39]

”

• Graciela Ortiz:

“

I believe in good schools in all our communities. Period. To put a label on a school, I don't believe it's fair. That's a charter school, that's a public school, that's an option school, that's another LAUSD school. Schools are schools. And we need good schools. Period. So I believe in good schools, and I believe in good programs.[45][39]

”

• Heather Repenning

“

The expansion of charter schools has taken place very rapidly over a short period of time, and we don’t know enough about how the schools are performing. ... We need to look at, what are the outcomes … and be able to really make decisions about whether it really makes sense to continue to open new ones.[43][39]

”

“

I'm very fortunate as a parent to have had some good choices for my child. And that's what I wish for all parents. I would like to see LAUSD offering those choices. I'd like to see LAUSD provide innovation, and provide different types of learning environments. Our kids have different needs, and some of them will do well at larger schools, and some of them will do best in smaller school environments. LAUSD, as a matter of its core mission, should be able to provide the flexibility to create both individual school campuses or also, creating within larger school campuses, those programs and those types of curriculum, those types of services that all of our different kids come with. So that's really my core mission. There are some charter schools that are showing very successful best practices and models. How do we learn from those so that we can do those in LAUSD? Because at the end of the day, I'm really about the public system—the idea that government can be successful, and that the public sector can be successful. But it's going to take a lot of work. And that's why I'm running, is how do we make our LAUSD schools successful, so that parents have options within the public system?[46][39]

”

• • Repenning's campaign website states as a priority "Ensuring charter schools operate with the same levels of transparency and accountability as public schools."^[47]

Teacher strike: January 14-22, 2019[edit]

On January 14, 2019, 32,000 LAUSD teachers went on strike, marking the first teacher strike in the district in 30 years.^[48] The strike followed unsuccessful negotiations between UTLA and the district concerning UTLA's demands for higher wages, smaller class sizes, and more support staff to be included in teacher contracts.

Superintendent Austin Beutner and the board of education had argued that the district could not fund the UTLA's proposals, citing that its reserve funds (money set aside each year for times of economic uncertainty) were, as of the end of 2018, projected to be depleted in a few years and the district would run a deficit by the 2021-2022 school year. These projections were based partly on increasing contributions to teacher pensions and health benefits and less money coming in due to decreasing student enrollment.^[49][50][51]

One of the LAUSD Board of Education's responsibilities is to set the district's budget.

UTLA argued that the district had the money to fund its demands. The union questioned projections that the district will be running a deficit by 2022, saying that the district's reserve total at the end of the 2017-2018 school year was the largest in history and that previous projections of an impending deficit had not come to fruition.^[50][52][53]

The UTLA voted in August 2018 to strike if negotiations with LAUSD did not lead to an agreement.^[54] LAUSD and UTLA had been negotiating the UTLA's demands since April 2017.^[55]

LAUSD's final proposal to UTLA before the strike included a 6 percent teacher raise over two years (3 percent for the previous year and 3 percent ongoing); reductions in class sizes, with numbers depending on the type of school; and more nurses and librarians at schools. UTLA maintained its call for a 6.5 percent raise retroactive to one year and larger class size reductions. The union also criticized the district's class size and support staff offers for being limited to one year.^[56]

On January 22, the district and UTLA struck a deal that ended the strike, which lasted six school days. The deal included the district's previously-proposed 6 percent raise; a reduction in class sizes over four years; the removal of a contract provision that enabled the district to increase class sizes during difficult economic times; and additional librarians, school nurses, and counselors.^[57][58]

Candidate positions[edit]

• Allison Bajracharya

“

I think for the most part, the issues they have are all legitimate. Nobody wants a giant class. My daughter went from third grade to fourth grade. Third grade, she had 23 kids in her class. This year, she has 34. That is daunting. That is hard for a teacher, for sure. That is absolutely a reasonable request, and, of course, we want to have more nurses on campus. Then counselors, [we need] more staff on campus who can help take some the burden off the principals. Right now, they're doing way too many things for one person. So all of those requests are absolutely valid, and things we need to be working towards. I think the question is, where does the funding really come from? I worry that the district, the way they articulated their budget, is actually more accurate than not. The implications are severe if they were to make all of these commitments now. So what's really important is coming together and figuring out, OK, where can we cut some of the bureaucracy? Because the bureaucracy has not been downsized at the same rate as enrollment has. Where can we free up some revenue there? How can we work together on a parcel tax now? I definitely understand teachers' frustration. As a parent, I absolutely support and want to see those things. I also don't want to see kids caught in crossfire.[38][39]

”

• Jackie Goldberg:

“

My first goal is to spend some of that [reserve] money and to make sure that when we’re done, the schools don’t have 45 kids in a classroom.[43][39]

”

“

No one wants to go on strike – a strike is the last resort when all other options have failed. I am proud of our 35,000 educators who made the sacrifice to withhold their labor for the good of their students. Educators in the Los Angeles Unified School District took a selfless and difficult step when they went on strike for six days. The outpouring of support from parents, students and the public was inspiring and encouraging, and demonstrated how much Angelenos value public education. Through the strike, not only did educators improve teaching and learning conditions, but they raised critical issues that very few people were talking about before: smaller classes, more nurses and counselors, increased funding for our schools, and accountability for all publicly-funded schools.[44][39]

”

• Graciela Ortiz:
  • [When asked about the district's financial situation in relation to UTLA's demands] "I'm not in a position to speak on that. One, I'm not a board member, so I don't see the financial reports the way that the board members see them. And I'm not at the table at negotiations, so I don't have that experience. As city council member, I completely understand how difficult situations like these are. To give you my opinion on something that I don't have the full facts in front of me on, it wouldn't be fair. What I can say is I hope that both sides find a common ground and are able to prevent a strike and meet halfway somewhere. I really hope so, for the benefit of our children."^[45]

• Heather Repenning:

“

I'm not going to cross the picket line. I think that teachers are generally incredibly undervalued in our society. And if they are willing to go out on strike, and I believe they have an important message for us. I will support them in that. I would like to see whether some of the issues that they're talking about, not just their own salaries, but also making sure that we have proper support staff at our school sites. I believe that this is a very important conversation. I would like to see if there is a way to have it that doesn't necessarily result in the loss of instructional days for our students. I think that the march that they held recently was very powerful, and are there other opportunities to continue to engage the larger community that don't necessarily end up with students not getting instruction. But it's a really important moment. The conversation about funding, the conversation about missing basic services that our kids need at the school sites is a really important one, both for teachers and for parents.[46][39]

”

Candidate survey[edit]

Candidate survey[edit]

Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. Click here to view or fill out the survey.

Election history[edit]

2017[edit]

See also: Los Angeles Unified School District elections (2017)

General election[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 4 General Election, 5-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Nick Melvoin	57.23%	38,673
Steve Zimmer Incumbent	42.77%	28,897
Total Votes		67,570
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "Official Election Results May 16, 2017: Certified Final Bulletin," accessed May 30, 2017

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 6 General Election, 5-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Kelly Fitzpatrick-Gonez	51.46%	16,961
Imelda Padilla	48.54%	15,996
Total Votes		32,957
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "Official Election Results May 16, 2017: Certified Final Bulletin," accessed May 30, 2017

Primary election[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 2 Primary Election, 5-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Mónica García Incumbent	55.68%	20,710
Lisa Alva	34.38%	12,788
Carl Petersen	9.94%	3,696
Total Votes		37,194
Source: Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Los Angeles County Election Results: Consolidated Municipal and Special Elections March 7, 2017," accessed March 30, 2017

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 4 Primary Election, 5-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Steve Zimmer Incumbent	46.70%	45,088
Nick Melvoin	32.90%	31,771
Allison Holdorff Polhill	13.99%	13,510
Gregory Martayan	6.41%	6,189
Total Votes		96,558
Source: Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Los Angeles County Election Results: Consolidated Municipal and Special Elections March 7, 2017," accessed March 30, 2017

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 6 Primary Election, 5-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Kelly Fitzpatrick-Gonez	37.16%	15,984
Imelda Padilla	31.13%	13,390
Patty Lopez	11.99%	5,159
Araz Parseghian	8.96%	3,853
Gwendolyn Posey	5.77%	2,483
Jose Sandoval	5.00%	2,149
Total Votes		43,018
Source: Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Los Angeles County Election Results: Consolidated Municipal and Special Elections March 7, 2017," accessed March 30, 2017

2015[edit]

See also: Los Angeles Unified School District elections (2015)

General election[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 3 General Election, 5-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Scott Mark Schmerelson	54.8%	20,287
	Nonpartisan	Tamar Galatzan Incumbent	45.2%	16,755
Total Votes				37,042
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "Certified Final Bulletin," accessed May 28, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 5 General Election, 5-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Ref Rodriguez	53.3%	14,201
	Nonpartisan	Bennett Kayser Incumbent	46.7%	12,421
Total Votes				26,622
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "Certified Final Bulletin," accessed May 28, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 7 General Election, 5-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Richard A. Vladovic Incumbent	56.3%	10,276
	Nonpartisan	Lydia Gutierrez	43.7%	7,982
Total Votes				18,258
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "Certified Final Bulletin," accessed May 28, 2015

Primary election[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 1 Primary Election, 5-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	George J. McKenna III Incumbent	100%	28,456
Total Votes				28,456
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Primary Nominating Election: Official Election Results," accessed March 23, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 3 Primary Election, 5-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Tamar Galatzan Incumbent	40.2%	15,326
	Nonpartisan	Scott Mark Schmerelson	20.4%	7,767
	Nonpartisan	Ankur Patel	12.8%	4,870
	Nonpartisan	Elizabeth Badger Bartels	10.8%	4,125
	Nonpartisan	Carl J. Petersen	10.1%	3,839
	Nonpartisan	Filiberto Gonzalez	5.8%	2,213
Total Votes				38,140
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Primary Nominating Election: Official Election Results," accessed March 23, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 5 Primary Election, 5-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Ref Rodriguez	38.6%	10,355
	Nonpartisan	Bennett Kayser Incumbent	35.5%	9,510
	Nonpartisan	Andrew Thomas	25.9%	6,946
Total Votes				26,811
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Primary Nominating Election: Official Election Results," accessed March 23, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 7 Primary Election, 5-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Richard A. Vladovic Incumbent	42.6%	5,577
	Nonpartisan	Lydia Gutierrez	37.6%	4,920
	Nonpartisan	Euna Anderson	19.8%	2,589
Total Votes				13,086
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Primary Nominating Election: Official Election Results," accessed March 23, 2015

2014[edit]

See also: Los Angeles Unified School District elections (2014)

General election[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 1 Special General Election, 1-year term, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	George J. McKenna III	52.8%	17,025
	Nonpartisan	Alex Johnson	47.2%	15,211
Total Votes				32,236
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Certified Results: LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (LAUSD), BOARD DISTRICT 1 SPECIAL RUNOFF ELECTION," accessed February 2, 2015

Primary election[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 1 Special Primary Election, 1-year term, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	George J. McKenna III	44.6%	19,803
	Nonpartisan	Alex Johnson	24.5%	10,884
	Nonpartisan	Sherlett Hendy Newbill	9.6%	4,250
	Nonpartisan	Genethia Hudley-Hayes	6.9%	3,072
	Nonpartisan	Rachel Johnson	5.2%	2,318
	Nonpartisan	Omarosa Manigault	5.2%	2,330
	Nonpartisan	Hattie McFrazier	4%	1,785
Total Votes				44,442
Source: Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk

2013[edit]

See also: Los Angeles Unified School District elections (2013)

General election[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Monica Ratliff	51.8%	24,567
	Nonpartisan	Antonio Sanchez	48.2%	22,896
Total Votes				47,463
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "General Municipal and Special Elections, Official Election Results," accessed January 14, 2015

Primary election[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 2 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Mónica García Incumbent	55.8%	19,300
	Nonpartisan	Robert D. Skeels	15.2%	5,244
	Nonpartisan	Annamarie Montañez	11.8%	4,093
	Nonpartisan	Isabel Vazquez	10.1%	3,480
	Nonpartisan	Abelardo Diaz	7.1%	2,448
Total Votes				34,565
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Primary Nominating Election, Official Election Results," accessed January 14, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 4 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Steve Zimmer Incumbent	51.7%	40,716
	Nonpartisan	Kate Anderson	48.3%	38,063
Total Votes				78,779
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Primary Nominating Election, Official Election Results," accessed January 14, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 6 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Antonio Sanchez	43.6%	17,093
	Nonpartisan	Monica Ratliff	33.8%	13,244
	Nonpartisan	Maria Cano	13.5%	5,276
	Nonpartisan	Iris Zuñiga	9.1%	3,579
Total Votes				39,192
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Primary Nominating Election, Official Election Results," accessed January 14, 2015

2011[edit]

General election[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	BENNETT KAYSER	51.4%	10,741
	Nonpartisan	LUIS SANCHEZ	48.6%	10,139
Total Votes				20,880
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "General Municipal Election, Official Election Results," accessed January 14, 2015

Primary election[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 1 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	MARGUERITE POINDEXTER LAMOTTE	74.3%	29,671
	Nonpartisan	ERIC LEE	25.7%	10,288
Total Votes				39,959
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Primary Nominating & Consolidated Election, Official Election Results," accessed January 14, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 3 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	TAMAR GALATZAN Incumbent	63%	31,891
	Nonpartisan	LOUIS PUGLIESE	37%	18,715
Total Votes				50,606
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Primary Nominating & Consolidated Election, Official Election Results," accessed January 14, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 5 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	LUIS SÁNCHEZ	45.1%	11,136
	Nonpartisan	BENNETT KAYSER	39.2%	9,673
	Nonpartisan	JOHN FERNANDEZ	15.7%	3,883
Total Votes				24,692
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Primary Nominating & Consolidated Election, Official Election Results," accessed January 14, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 7 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	RICHARD A. VLADOVIC Incumbent	63.1%	10,822
	Nonpartisan	ROYE LOVE	22.6%	3,868
	Nonpartisan	JESÚS M. ESCANDÓN	14.3%	2,458
Total Votes				17,148
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Primary Nominating & Consolidated Election, Official Election Results," accessed January 14, 2015

2009[edit]

Note: No general elections had to be held in 2009 as each winner earned at least 50 percent of the vote in the primary election.

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 2 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2009
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	MÓNICA GARCÍA	100%	22,123
Total Votes				22,123
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "Primary Nominating & Consolidated Elections Official Election Results, March 3, 2009," accessed February 11, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 4 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2009
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	STEVE ZIMMER	56.7%	33,742
	Nonpartisan	MIKE STRYER	43.3%	25,811
Total Votes				59,553
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "Primary Nominating & Consolidated Elections Official Election Results, March 3, 2009," accessed February 11, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 6 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2009
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	NURY MARTINEZ	51%	15,179
	Nonpartisan	LOUIS PUGLIESE	49%	14,576
Total Votes				29,755
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "Primary Nominating & Consolidated Elections Official Election Results, March 3, 2009," accessed February 11, 2015

2007[edit]

General election[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2007
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	TAMAR GALATZAN	58.3%	23,406
	Nonpartisan	JON M. LAURITZEN	41.7%	16,742
Total Votes				40,148
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "General Municipal Election Official Election Results, May 15, 2007," accessed February 11, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2007
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	RICHARD A. VLADOVIC	54.2%	9,366
	Nonpartisan	NEAL B. KLEINER	45.8%	7,919
Total Votes				17,285
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "General Municipal Election Official Election Results, May 15, 2007," accessed February 11, 2015

Primary election[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 1 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2007
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	MARGUERITE POINDEXTER LAMOTTE	66.6%	18,167
	Nonpartisan	JOHNATHAN WILLIAMS	33.4%	9,125
Total Votes				27,292
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "Primary Nominating & Consolidated Elections Official Election Results, March 6, 2007," accessed February 11, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 3 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2007
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	TAMAR GALATZAN	44.3%	18,258
	Nonpartisan	JON M. LAURITZEN	39.5%	16,276
	Nonpartisan	LOUIS PUGLIESE	16.2%	6,671
Total Votes				41,205
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "Primary Nominating & Consolidated Elections Official Election Results, March 6, 2007," accessed February 11, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 5 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2007
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	YOLIE FLORES AGUILAR	59.7%	9,674
	Nonpartisan	BENNETT S. KAYSER	40.3%	6,541
Total Votes				16,215
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "Primary Nominating & Consolidated Elections Official Election Results, March 6, 2007," accessed February 11, 2015

Los Angeles Unified School District, District 7 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2007
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	RICHARD A. VLADOVIC	47%	5,799
	Nonpartisan	NEAL B. KLEINER	30.9%	3,818
	Nonpartisan	JESUS M. ESCANDON	22%	2,720
Total Votes				12,337
Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, "Primary Nominating & Consolidated Elections Official Election Results, March 6, 2007," accessed February 11, 2015

About the district[edit]

See also: Los Angeles Unified School District, California

The Los Angeles Unified School District is located in Los Angeles County in Southern California. The county seat is Los Angeles. Los Angeles County was home to an estimated 10,163,507 residents in 2017, according to the United States Census Bureau.^[59] The district was the largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 646,683 students.^[60]

Demographics[edit]

Higher education achievement[edit]

Los Angeles County underperformed compared to California as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2012 and 2016. The United States Census Bureau found that 30.8 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 32 percent of state residents.^[59]

Median household income[edit]

The median household income for Los Angeles County between 2012 and 2016 was $57,952, compared to $63,783 for the entire state.^[59]

Poverty rate[edit]

From 2012 to 2016, the poverty rate in Los Angeles County was 16.3 percent. During the same time period, it was 13.3 percent statewide.^[59]

Racial demographics[edit]

Racial Demographics, 2017[59]
Race	Los Angeles County (%)	California (%)
White	70.9	72.4
Black or African American	9.0	6.5
American Indian and Alaska Native	1.4	1.6
Asian	15.3	15.2
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	0.4	0.5
Two or more races	3.0	3.9
Hispanic or Latino	48.6	39.1

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

State profile[edit]

See also: California and California elections, 2019

Partisan data[edit]

The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019

Presidential voting pattern

• California voted for the Democratic candidate in all five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016.

Congressional delegation

• Following the 2018 elections, both U.S. Senators from California were Democrats.
• California had 46 Democratic and seven Republican U.S. Representatives.

State executives

• Democrats held 11 and Republicans held one of California's 22 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
• California's governor was Democrat Gavin Newsom.

State legislature

• Democrats controlled the California State Senate with a 28-10 majority, while two seats were vacant.
• Democrats controlled the California State Assembly with a 61-19 majority.

California Party Control: 1992-2021
Sixteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Assembly	D	D	D	S	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

California quick stats Became a state in 1850 31st state admitted to the United States As of 2018, California was the most populous state in the country. Members of the California State Senate: 40 Members of the California State Assembly: 80 U.S. senators: 2 U.S. representatives: 53

More California coverage on Ballotpedia: California elections, 2019 Presidential voting trends in California United States congressional delegations from California Public policy in California Influencers in California Almanac of American Politics state profile More...

Demographic data for California
	California	U.S.
Total population:	38,993,940	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	155,779	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	61.8%	73.6%
Black/African American:	5.9%	12.6%
Asian:	13.7%	5.1%
Native American:	0.7%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.4%	0.2%
Two or more:	4.5%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	38.4%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	81.8%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	31.4%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$61,818	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	18.2%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in California. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

See also[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District	California	School Boards
Los Angeles Unified School District elections (2017) Los Angeles Unified School District elections (2015) List of school districts in California	California school board elections, 2019 Public education in California Local ballot measures, California	School board elections, 2019 School board elections, 2018

External links[edit]

• Los Angeles Unified School District
• Los Angeles City Clerk's Office Election Division

Footnotes[edit]

Los Angeles Unified School District elections in 2019
Los Angeles County, California
Election date:	March 5, 2019
Important information:	What was at stake?

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