TOKOFSKY AND RIOS PARRA NOW HEADED FOR MAY RUNOFF.Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer 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 will face challenger Nellie Rios Parra in a May 20 runoff election, based on updated election tallies released Thursday. After officials counted the ballots from the cities of Monterey Park Monterey Park, city (1990 pop. 60,738), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a growing residential suburb of Los Angeles; inc. 1916. It is a wholesale, retail, and financial services center. , South Gate, Commerce, Huntington Park Huntington Park, city (1990 pop. 56,065), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential and industrial suburb of Los Angeles; founded 1856, inc. 1906. Its varied manufactures include metal, glass and rubber products and industrial equipment. and Maywood, Tokofsky held 47.96 percent of the votes, short of the majority he needed for an outright victory for the District 5 seat representing East Los Angeles East Los Angeles, uninc. city (1990 pop. 126,379), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential suburb of Los Angeles, in an industrial area. It has a large Mexican-American population. There is a performing arts center and a cultural center. A junior college is there. and the southeast cities. Votes from seven Los Angeles precincts, plus some absentee and provisional votes are yet to be counted. Tokofsky hopes the final tally will increase his total, bringing him ``painstakingly, sufferingly close'' to a majority. ``It will go up, so I will end up close to 49 percent,'' he said. ``On the other hand, everyone thought I was going to get 36 or 39 percent.'' Tokofsky, whose base of support is centered in Eagle Rock and surrounding areas, did not fare as well in the southeast cities, which were added to his district in a controversial redistricting redistricting: see legislative apportionment. plan last year. The newly configured district is 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. , inspiring three Latino challengers to run against him. ``One, these are the people who don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. him and, two, they are the people who have suffered the most from the district's inability to build new schools in their communities, get kids off year-round calendars and stop the busing,'' said Mike Shimpock, campaign consultant for Rios Parra. Rios Parra, who ran with the support of former Mayor Richard Riordan's Coalition for Kids, garnered 27.56 percent of the votes, while the two remaining challengers, Jose Sigala and Maria Lou Calanche, took 13 percent and 11.48 percent, respectively. Rios Parra could not be reached for comment. The two are expected to have a contentious runoff, with the coalition supporting Rios Parra and United Teachers Los Angeles backing Tokofsky. ``We will do what is necessary for her to run a competitive race,'' said coalition director Amy Wakeland. ``I think her chances are excellent.'' Tokofsky, who had a falling out with the coalition last year, is seeking a third four-year term. He won his 1999 race by 532 votes, or 1 percent of the votes cast, and his 1995 race by just 72 votes. |
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