CONSOLIDATING ITS POWER UTLA THROWS ITS SUPPORT TO HUIZAR FOR BOARD PRESIDENT.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

United Teachers Los Angeles hopes to add to its clout on the school board by helping downtown member Jose Huizar win the presidency - a move that would give the union substantial influence over five of seven members.

The union won back control over the board in recent elections by defeating board president Caprice Young and former president Genethia Hudley Hayes, both of whom were elected with major support from former Mayor Richard Riordan's education reform movement.

Riordan-backed board member Marlene Canter also is seeking the presidency, a role that wields considerable influence over LAUSD policy.

The board presidency will be vacated July 1, with the departure of Young, a Riordan protege who was defeated by Jon Lauritzen for the West San Fernando Valley seat. Lauritzen and Marguerite LaMotte, retired educators backed by the union, won election in the spring and, along with union-backed board members Julie Korenstein and David Tokofsky, give the UTLA a majority.

Huizar, backed both by Riordan and the union, has generally proven to be an independent voice and is the heavy favorite for the presidency with the UTLA's support.

``It would be hard to believe it wouldn't be a union person,'' said Jaime Regalado, director of the Edmund G. ``Pat'' Brown Institute of Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles.

``They are a coalition of strength. Most of their candidates won.''

Tokofsky, who is known for his independence despite the UTLA support, isn't saying who he will support. ``Nobody is saying you should become the president because you are the most independent. It's unfortunate,'' he said.

Board member Mike Lansing, who was re-elected with the help of Riordan's Coalition for Kids, worries about the future direction of the district if the union succeeds in dictating who becomes the board president.

The Riordan reform camp has been critical of UTLA for caring more about pay and benefits and protecting the status quo than true education reform. UTLA opposed breakup of the nation's second largest school district and is also perceived as an opponent of the charter school reform movement.

``I think you need someone who is in the middle and can see both sides of the issue to be president,'' said Lansing, who earned the ire of the UTLA for supporting longer school years at overcrowded schools and furloughing employees to close budget gaps.

The ideal president, he said, is one who can ``direct the board down a path in which the collective group wants to head'' while at the same time, be able to do ``what is best for the district and not for a special interest group or for someone's ego.''

The president sets the tone and shepherds through important votes, so the ability to build a consensus can facilitate action - or paralyze the board.

``Whoever is the board president will speak on behalf of the school district and will therefore have an impact on what is articulated as the priorities of the board,'' said Young.

``The president has the responsibility to figure out how to govern the district. That includes finding out what other board members' priorities are, building consensus and putting the actions together necessary to get there.''

UTLA president John Perez declined to answer any questions surrounding the board presidency, other than to say his organization wants to see a ``consensus builder'' as board president.

``What we need now more than ever is someone who is a consensus builder, someone whom all the board members can respect, at a time of financial crisis,'' said Perez.

Several sources, including Huizar, confirmed that the UTLA supports him for the board presidency. Huizar also said the local chapter of the California School Employees Association has expressed support for him.

With the district struggling to close a $360 million deficit by imposing severe cuts, Regalado said leadership positions like the board presidency carry high stakes for the union.

``We are in this horrible budget climate. The union is for sure making a series of cases and demands,'' he said. ``They have enormous things on their plate - layoffs, furloughs, potential cuts and potential class size enlargements.''

In an effort to balance the budget, the board has voted to furlough employees for up to five days, and the district has also asked employees to absorb $45 million in health care costs - measures that the labor unions are vigorously contesting.

Huizar, who recently helped engineer the resurrection of the troubled Belmont Learning Center, scored points with the union when he voted against a package of budget cuts that included furloughs. Last year, he also sided with UTLA by voting against increasing class sizes to save money.

But Huizar stressed he has also opposed UTLA interests, supporting longer school years.

``I truly believe we need to go forward as a unified board. It's not a coalition board or union board. It's a board that wants to focus on raising student achievement,'' he said.

``I don't want to continue to divide the board by giving them different labels. We do have to admit to ourselves labor does have more influence by te mere fact they supported the candidates who won, but it doesn't mean they will control board members or call every shot.''

Huizar, a part-time city attorney, said he has not made up his mind for certain he will seek the presidency.

During the last two years, Huizar has sought to forge a reputation as a reformer of the district's business practices, championing programs to register lobbyists and streamline the procurement process.

Regalado believes the union passed over Tokofsky because of his reputation as a maverick.

``Jose is the traditional politician. You basically know what his issues are. There are fewer surprises with Jose,'' said Regalado.

Canter won't comment on whether she is seeking the board presidency, but insiders say the Westside board member has quietly put out feelers to see if she has enough support for the job.

A businesswoman who invested $3 million of mostly her own money to win a board seat in 2001, Canter's most high-profile agenda on the board was passing a resolution to ban the sale of soft drinks on campuses. Her other efforts include improving business practices and the training and retention of teachers.

Helen Gao, [phone]

helen.gao(at)dailynews.com