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Morning Briefing: L.A.’s Most Expensive Election? The LAUSD Board
(Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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Good morning, L.A.
If you don’t have school-age children – and even if you do – you might not be paying much attention to the race for two seats on the L.A. Unified School District board. But as my colleague Kyle Stokes reports, they’ve been the most expensive local campaigns this year, with outside political groups throwing in a total of $13 million to influence voters’ opinions.
The heart of the battle lies in the ongoing clash between charter schools and public schools, which compete for public funding. Depending on who wins these two spots, the board could lean more heavily in one direction or the other.
Why should you care? Well, as Kyle puts it: “[LAUSD] board members are ultimately responsible for whether nearly 580,000 students in L.A. are learning.” In other words, the stakes for the city’s future are high.
Voters will cast their ballots for the next LAUSD board members on Nov. 3.
Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A. today, and stay safe out there.
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Coming Up Today, October 15
More than 8,600 structures have been damaged or destroyed by wildfires this year in California. As these fires are put out and we move on to the next blaze, it’s easy to forget that some families have lost everything. Jacob Margolis has a story about what it’s like for one such man, two months after the Lake Fire.
We’ll be live streaming day four of Amy Coney Barrett’s U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings.
In the wake of the North Hollywood Sears’ closure, Hadley Meares explores the history of the various Sears stores around L.A., most of which have been shuttered in the past decade.
Explore the art and culture of Frogtown, check out a new food hall, help save independent music venues during a weekend of shows, and more. Christine N. Ziemba has this weekend’s best online and IRL events.
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The Past 24 Hours In LA
Equality In L.A.: Four public housing communities will get a new internet provider, which will be free for six months before switching to a $15 monthly charge – although the connection is still unlikely to be as good as in wealthier neighborhoods. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to condemn Azerbaijan's military operation against the Armenian community in Nagorno-Karabakh, and to denounce Turkey's interference in the conflict.
Local Elections: Former L.A. City Council President Herb Wesson and state Senator Holly Mitchell, who are vying for a seat on the powerful county board of supervisors, faced off in a live debate moderated by KPCC/LAist’s senior politics reporter, Libby Denkmann. The most expensive local elections in L.A. this year have been the races for school board.
Policing The Police: The L.A. City Council took another step towards deploying unarmed civilians, rather than armed law enforcement, to respond to mental health and other non-violent calls.
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On The National Stage: Watch what happened on day three of Amy Coney Barrett’s U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings.
Photo Of The Day
A dancer from LA Dance Project performs, wearing a mask, during the drive-in show, "Solo at Dusk."
(Photo by Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)
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This post has been updated to reflect changes in what's coming up for today.
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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