TOKOFSKY'S TOUGH CHALLENGE SCHOOL CANDIDATES PREPARE FOR PRIMARY.Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer Targeted for defeat by downtown power brokers and three challengers, Los Angeles school The Los Angeles School of Urbanism is an academic movement emerged during the mid-1980s, loosely based at the University of Southern California and UCLA, that poses a challenge to the dominant Chicago School of Urbanism. board member David Tokofsky faces a tough race for re-election in the March 4 primary. One of four incumbents seeking re-election, the former Marshall High School Marshall High School may refer to:
The Coalition for Kids, a well-funded campaign finance group that once supported Tokofsky, is now backing challenger Nellie Rios-Parra, a preschool educator. Co-chaired by former Mayor Richard Riordan and billionaire Eli Broad, the coalition has so far donated $100,000 to Rios-Parra, making her a competitive candidate. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , Tokofsky's most influential backer, United Teachers Los Angeles, has contributed only $30,773 to his campaign. The UTLA UTLA United Teachers of Los Angeles (California) has reserved most its cash for retired educators Jon Lauritzen and Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte to unseat board president Caprice ca·price n. 1. a. An impulsive change of mind. b. An inclination to change one's mind impulsively. c. Young and Genethia Hudley Hayes, who were both elected with the coalition's support. But the California Teachers Association The California Teachers Association (CTA), initially established in 1863 as the California Educational Society, is by far the largest teachers' union in the state of California. It is considered by many to be the most powerful union in California. also donated $25,000 to Tokofsky, and Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, $11,000. The most recent campaign finance statements dated Jan. 19 through Feb. 15 showed that Tokofsky had raised $176,571 - about $54,000 more than Rios-Parra, whose contributions total about $122,000. ``The focus is increasingly on a runoff between David and Rios-Parra. That's where the smart money is,'' said Jaime Regalado, executive director of the Edmund G. ``Pat'' Brown Institute of Public Affairs
``Most ... don't expect David to win outright in the primary,'' which requires 50 percent of the votes plus one, he said. ``If he does, I would be surprised because he has been targeted.'' But Tokofsky appears to have significant grass-roots support with $21,000 of his campaign chest coming from contributions of $100 or less, while Rios-Parra's small contributions totaled $6,900. With four candidates vying for the 5th District seat - the most crowded of this year's Los Angeles school board races - contributions for that election so far total $438,000, making it the third most expensive. The most expensive race is between Lauritzen and Young in the 3rd District covering the West San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , with each raising more than $700,000. The coalition has put $611,540 into Young's race while UTLA poured about $623,000 into Lauritzen's. The second most expensive race is between incumbent Hayes and challenger LaMotte in the 1st District covering southwest, South Central and West Los Angeles
The least expensive race is in the 7th District, which covers the Harbor area. Incumbent Mike Lansing, a heavy favorite, has raised nearly $130,000 - $50,000 of which came from the coalition. His challenger, tax auditor Gilbert Carrillo, has only reported $2,500 in contributions. Besides Rios-Parra, two other Latino candidates are challenging Tokofsky to represent the heavily Latino 5th District: Maria Lou Calanche, a political science professor at East Los Angeles College ELAC is a two year college, offering associate degree programs in over 25 fields as well as both academic transfer courses which prepare students for admission to the University of California and California State University system and occupational programs which prepare students for , and Jose Sigala, district director for California Assembly Majority Leader Marco Firebaugh. Sigala has raised more than $83,000 and Calanche, $56,000. Once encompassing the East San Fernando Valley, the 5th District was redrawn substantially last year in a redistricting redistricting: see legislative apportionment. scheme that was widely perceived to benefit Young and hurt Tokofsky. That district's boundaries are now entirely outside of the Valley, extending from Eagle Rock and Los Feliz to include a string of independent Southeast cities, such as Cudahy, Bell and South Gate. It's nearly 73 percent Latino - making it the most heavily Latino area within the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. . Approximately 40 percent of the 5th District is new. ``It's been tailored as a district ready-made for Latino candidates,'' said Regalado, who predicts that the three Latino candidates will split the vote. Tokofsky, who won his two previous elections by narrow margins against Latina candidates and who holds two degrees in Spanish, said his ethnicity is irrelevant. ``I think when people can't think of any other topic, such as my leadership or watchdog role or instructional success as a teacher, they try to say the `L word,''' he said. ``I think the real `L word' is leadership.'' During his eight years on the school board, Tokofsky built a reputation as an outspoken critic of waste, a maverick who counterbalances the board majority with dissenting votes, and an individual willing to expose the district's embarrassing shortcomings. He has criticized the environmentally troubled Belmont Learning Center This Belmont Learning Center contains information about a building currently under construction. It may contain information of a speculative nature, and the content may change dramatically as construction progresses and new information becomes available. as a boondoggle boon·dog·gle Informal n. 1. An unnecessary or wasteful project or activity. 2. a. A braided leather cord worn as a decoration especially by Boy Scouts. b. and opposed the district's acquisition of the Beaudry building for its new headquarters, which cost taxpayers more than $150 million. One of his proudest accomplishments is the creation of the Inspector General's Office to stem abuse. Most recently, Tokofsky was one of three board members who voted against increasing class size to balance the district's budget. However, the traits that endear en·dear tr.v. en·deared, en·dear·ing, en·dears To make beloved or very sympathetic: a couple whose kindness endeared them to friends. Tokofsky to supporters anger others who see him as a renegade. In explaining their opposition to Tokofsky's re-election, members of the Coalition for Kids privately accuse him of not being a team player. Coalition director Amy Wakeland said the group supports Rios-Parra because ``people in the 5th District are extremely dissatisfied with the status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. .'' Wife of Alvin Parra, East Los Angeles field deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, Rios-Parra is the director of the Lennox School District State Preschool Program. A former elementary school teacher, she holds a multiple-subject teaching credential along with two master's degrees in education from the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. . ``With my experience, background, knowledge and education, I am definitely someone who can represent (the 5th District) and serve well on the school board,'' said Rios-Parra. ``I have classroom experience, but I also have administrative experience.'' Rios-Parra said if elected, she would focus on keeping new school construction on track, and recruit and retain qualified teachers to staff them. She said she would also make sure ``parents are involved in the decisions made on school sites.'' Tokofsky said his knowledge of the intricacies of the district bureaucracy makes him the best candidate. If elected, he said he would focus on the classroom. ``I am going to fix what happens in the classroom, how we retain, train and obtain the best teachers we can,'' he said. ``I am going to make sure we give solid, basic, demanding curriculum to children who are spending more time playing with Game Boys than they are learning about the physical and social world around them because they can't read.'' LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) District 1 Genethia Hudley Hayes Age: 57 Occupation: LAUSD board member Residence: Leimert Park Web site: www.genethiahudleyhayes.org Money raised: $267,800 Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte Age: 69 Occupation: Retired educator Residence: West Adams District Web site: www.margueritelamotte.com Money raised: $425,000 LAUSD District 5 Jose Sigala Age: 33 Occupation: District director for Assembly Majority Leader Marco Firebaugh Residence: Echo Park/Silver Lake E-mail: jose-sigala(at)yahoo.com Money raised: $83,200 Maria Lou Calanche Age: 34 Occupation: Political science professor at East Los Angeles College Residence: Highland Park E-mail: calanche2003.com Money raised: $56,000 Nellie Rios-Parra Age: 35 Occupation: Director of the state preschool program for Lennox School District Residence: El Sereno E-mail: nellie4kids.com Money raised: $122,100 David Tokfosky Age: 42 Occupation: LAUSD board member Residence: Eagle Rock Phone number: (323) 344-9035 Money raised: $176,000 LAUSD District 7 Mike Lansing Age:46 Occupation: Executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of San Pedro Residence: San Pedro Phone number: (310) 831-6723 Money raised: $124,900 Gilbert Carrillo Age: 37 Occupation: Senior tax auditor for the California Board of Equalization In communications, techniques used to reduce distortion and compensate for signal loss (attenuation) over long distances. Residence: Wilmington E-mail: gcarrillo4member7(at)sbcglobal.net Money raised: $2,500 CAPTION(S): 8 photos, box Photo: (1) Jose Sigala (2) Maria Lou Calanche (3) Nellie Rios-Parra (4) David Tokfosky (5) Genethia Hudley Hayes (6) Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte (7) Mike Lansing (8) Gilbert Carrillo Box: LAUSD (see text) |
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