RICH, POWERFUL BACK BOND $2 MILLION IS GROUP'S GOAL TO FINANCE SCHOOL MEASURE OK.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

Local power brokers and companies that do business with the Los Angeles Unified School District have ponied up more than $1.24 million to promote the district's $3.35 billion school construction bond issue on the Nov. 5 ballot, according to financial reports released Monday.

While the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and United Organization of Taxpayers have filed arguments against Measure K, they have not organized a campaign finance committee to fight it.

The Alliance for Neighborhood Schools, a private citizens' campaign group, reported that it raised more than $1.18 million to promote Measure K over the past three months. In the previous quarter the Alliance raised more than $60,000. Its goal is to raise $2 million.

Darry Sragow, the alliance's campaign consultant, said the group plans to spend the bulk of its money on mailers and a phone campaign. So far, it has spent about $400,000.

``We are relying very heavily on a phoning program to turn out our votes,'' said Sragow, who also helped the district pass its $2.4 billion school construction bond in 1997. ``We will have volunteer teachers, parents and students who phone our key voters to make sure they turn out our votes.''

Voters can expect to receive five to eight pieces of mail about the bond. Both the phone and mail campaigns are under way.

The largest campaign contributors to the alliance are billionaire Eli Broad, a close friend of Superintendent Roy Romer, and Jerry Perenchio, chairman of Univision Communications, each of whom gave $200,000.

Perenchio also pledged $400,000 worth of television spots on Spanish- language station KMEX (Channel 34). Broad, a major advocate of the embattled Belmont Learning Center, previously donated $100,000 to Romer's office to improve the district's image.

Other top donors include Maguire Partners Development LTD., which recently signed a $21.5 million lease with the district; Trammell Crow Co., which has been involved in a number of LAUSD real estate transactions; and Pearson Learning Group, which publishes the Scott Foresman math curriculum, widely adopted by the district.

As the alliance's campaign is under way, the district has established a bond information office with a budget of $3.5 million. An estimated $1.9 million from the budget is set aside to cover election costs.

District officials said they will cap their election expenditures at $3 million.

Jon Coupal of the Jarvis association is critical of public dollars being used to promote the bond.

``It just shows that a whole lot of money is going toward things other than the classroom. If they have this kind of money to throw around for a campaign, why don't they improve the classrooms?'' he said in a phone interview.

Coupal observed that many of the donors to the alliance are people who would likely benefit from the passage of the bond.

``These people have a vested interest in the outcome. They are builders,'' he said. ``They will do well to the detriment of the taxpayers to build buildings, whether they help the children or not.''

Coupal urged voters to vote down Measure K, noting the district has misspent millions from Proposition BB, a $2.4 billion measure approved by voters in 1997.

A June audit by state Controller Kathleen Connell showed the district improperly spent $90 million from that measure on employee salaries, consultants and legal settlements.

Under state law, the LAUSD can use public dollars to inform the public about the bond, but it is prohibited from advocating a ``yes'' vote.

If approved, Measure K will cost homeowners about $60 annually per $100,000 in assessed valuation over the next two decades. Combined with current tax assessments for Proposition BB, the owner of a $300,000 home would pay about $300 annually.

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SOURCE: LAUSD