Special Ed Teacher Led Rivals with Almost 37% of the Vote
Dueling unions took sides: United Teachers Los Angeles shelled out $938,000 supporting Griego. SEIU Local 99, representing bus drivers, lunchroom workers and other support staff, spent $863,000 on Ortiz’s behalf.
Jon Regardie, The Eastsider
After months of campaigning and more than $1.8 million in outside spending, voters in the LAUSD’s District 5 had their say: Karla Griego and Graciela Ortiz have advanced to the November runoff for a seat on the Board of Education.
“I’m very excited and super grateful,” said Griego, a special education teacher who garnered 36.73% of the approximately 65,000 votes cast, according to the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (a small number of ballots remain to be counted).
“I’m ecstatic about the results and ready to hit the ground running,” remarked Ortiz, an LAUSD administrator and Huntington Park City Councilmember. She is at 28.75%.
They outdistanced Fidencio Gallardo, a deputy to outgoing District 5 Board member Jackie Goldberg, who stands at 24.56%. Retired educator Victorio Gutierrez has 9.96%.
A runoff of the top two finishers occurs when no candidate exceeds 50%.
The next board member will wrestle with matters including a budget crunch, whether or not to extend the contract of Supt. Alberto Carvalho, and the role of police on campuses.
The race was shaped in part by outside spending. Together, the candidates raised $288,000 from donors. However, dueling unions took sides: United Teachers Los Angeles shelled out $938,000 supporting Griego. SEIU Local 99, representing bus drivers, lunchroom workers and other support staff, spent $863,000 on Ortiz’s behalf.
Griego, who has taught for 19 years, thinks her experience resonated with voters.
“What was appreciated was I am in the classroom, that I’m a special education teacher and that I’m a parent,” she said. As to what separates her from Ortiz, she stated, “I’ve also been working on the ground to effect change. I’m not an elected official and I have not been that ever.”
Ortiz’s campaign hit a bump in a curiously timed January lawsuit. Yet she maintained her momentum and attributed her runoff spot to connections across the district, from Northeast L.A. to the Southeast cities.
“I believe my experience was highlighted, and so was the work I did in the community for many years,” she said. She believes her elected posts provide a unique perspective. “I’m able to assess the needs in our district in a whole different manner.”
The election is scheduled to be finalized on March 29.
Jon Regardie is a veteran Los Angeles reporter, editor and columnist. @JonRegardie
This story was originally published in TheEastsiderLA.com It is republished with permission of The Eastsider.
