With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
UTLA Suspends Support For LAUSD Board Candidate Following Revelations Over Social Media Activity
A Los Angeles Unified School District bus arrives to James Monroe High School on the first day of the fall semester on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023.
(
Ashley Balderrama
/
for LAist
)
Topline:
Los Angeles Unified School District's influential teachers union will no longer spend money in support of its preferred candidate for Board District 1, after reports surfaced this week about that candidate's social media history, including an endorsement of antisemitic content. UTLA has also taken steps toward rescinding its endorsement, a process that may not be finished until just before the primary.
Who is the candidate? Kahllid Al-Alim, a longtime community organizer, janitor, and LAUSD parent, is running against six other candidates to represent Board District 1.
What's the controversy? Screenshots have been circulating on social media over the past week of previous comments and "likes" by Al-Alim on X (formerly Twitter). Among them: An endorsement of a book by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan that plays into antisemitic tropes about money and power; its scholarship has been debunked. Those screenshots prompted outrage among many of UTLA's rank-and-file members.
Sponsored message
The fallout: Al-Alim apologized this week for his posts about the Farrakhan book and for liking “graphic content.” But on Thursday morning, Al-Alim’s campaign Facebook page posted a statement alleging that “attacks” on his campaign were coordinated by people trying to privatize schools. LAist has asked the candidate to explain these claims.
UTLA's statement: “Upon becoming aware of the offensive and anti-Semitic content on Kahllid Al-Alim’s social media pages, UTLA called an emergency meeting of its Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has now voted to immediately suspend any campaign activities in Board District 1 — pending a final decision — while expediting member discussion over Al-Alim’s endorsement in accordance with the union’s internal democratic process. The next steps involve UTLA’s multiple governing bodies, with the final voting body meeting Monday, March 4."
But he could still win? Outside groups affiliated with teachers unions have spent more than $650,000 in support of Al-Alim’s campaign — the most money spent on a candidate in that race by far. If Al-Alim nets a majority of the vote from the March 5 primary, there will not be a runoff.
Trending on LAist
-
But Yeoh is the first to publicly identify as Asian. We take a look at Oberon's complicated path in Hollywood. -
Anti-Latino slurs were published on the cover of a CSU student newspaper in October. The painful incident led to protests and soul searching at the mostly Latino campus. -
L.A. County renters are losing COVID-19 protections, but other safeguards will remain in place. -
Step one: Pull out that phone and snag photos of the pothole and car damage. -
-
When you grow up in Anaheim close enough to watch Disneyland fireworks every night while your family can’t afford to go, you can’t help but feel like you’re on the outside looking in.
Best of LAist
