LA School Board Election, Organized Labor and City Hall

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There are four candidates in tomorrow's election for the LA Unified School Board seat vacated last year by City Councilman Jos-- Huizar, whose district runs from Boyle Heights to Mid-Wilshire, including Chinatown, Koreatown and Pico-Union. Six weeks ago, candidate Christopher Arellano had virtually no money at all. Then, the LA Teachers' union kicked in more than $200,000, giving him more than all the other candidates combined. M--nica Garc--a, Huizar's deputy--and Mayor Villraigosa's choice has, about $125,000. Enrique Gasca has $68,000 and 23 year-old Ana Teresa Fernandez has $47,000. Rocked by scandal, the election could be a referendum on Antonio Villaraigosa's plan to take over LAUSD. It also features a split between Villaraigosa and the teachers' union, which supported him in his race for Mayor. We get a sampling of the ongoing debate.Making News: Maria Elena Durazo to Head LA County Federation of LaborMartin Ludlow formally pleaded guilty today to a felony charge of misusing union funds in his 2003 race for City Council. Ludlow resigned from the Council to become chief of the LA County Federation of Labor when Miguel Contreras died of a heart attack. Late last week, Maria Elena Durazo was named to succeed Ludlow. The widow of Contreras is a powerful union figure in her own right says Harold Meyerson, columnist for the LA Weekly and the Washington Post.Reporter's Notebook: Crash Wins Oscar for Best PictureThe surprise winner for Best Picture in last night's Academy Awards was Crash, the film about racism and redemption in Los Angeles. Peter Rainer, past president of the National Association of Film Critics and film critic for the Christian Science Monitor, discusses the film many people in Los Angeles love to hate.
There are four candidates in tomorrow's election for the LA Unified School Board seat vacated last year by City Councilman Jos-- Huizar, whose district runs from Boyle Heights to Mid-Wilshire, including Chinatown, Koreatown and Pico-Union. Six weeks ago, candidate Christopher Arellano had virtually no money at all. Then, the LA Teachers' union kicked in more than $200,000, giving him more than all the other candidates combined. M--nica Garc--a, Huizar's deputy--and Mayor Villraigosa's choice has, about $125,000. Enrique Gasca has $68,000 and 23 year-old Ana Teresa Fernandez has $47,000. Rocked by scandal, the election could be a referendum on Antonio Villaraigosa's plan to take over LAUSD. It also features a split between Villaraigosa and the teachers' union, which supported him in his race for Mayor. We get a sampling of the ongoing debate.
  • Making News: Maria Elena Durazo to Head LA County Federation of Labor
    Martin Ludlow formally pleaded guilty today to a felony charge of misusing union funds in his 2003 race for City Council. Ludlow resigned from the Council to become chief of the LA County Federation of Labor when Miguel Contreras died of a heart attack. Late last week, Maria Elena Durazo was named to succeed Ludlow. The widow of Contreras is a powerful union figure in her own right says Harold Meyerson, columnist for the LA Weekly and the Washington Post.
  • Reporter's Notebook: Crash Wins Oscar for Best Picture
    The surprise winner for Best Picture in last night's Academy Awards was Crash, the film about racism and redemption in Los Angeles. Peter Rainer, past president of the National Association of Film Critics and film critic for the Christian Science Monitor, discusses the film many people in Los Angeles love to hate.

LA County Federation of Labor names Durzao interim leader

Mar--a Elena Durazo's bio, Hotel Workers' Union on

LAUSD Board of Education

Christopher Arellano's campaign

M--nica Garc--a's campaign

Enrique Gasca's campaign

Ana Teresa Fernandez

Oscar awards

Crash

Crash, recent WWLA discussion on

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney

Producer:

Frances Anderton