For reasons I don’t understand, the UTLA endorsed both Monica Ratliff, a teacher, and her opponent Antonio Sanchez. Sanchez has almost $4 million from the billionaires. Monica has raised $42,000.
A music teacher in Los Angeles wrote this appeal;
Dear Teachers,
I am sending this to a few LAUSD teacher e-mail addresses that I have. I do not have many, so please forward to others.
There is a totally crucial school board race on this Tuesday’s ballot, in LAUSD district 6, between Teacher Monica Ratliff, and lawyer-wannabe politician Antonio Sanchez.
You probably have heard that UTLA is endorsing both candidates, which is effectively the same as neutrality, endorsing neither. They are totally wrong in doing so, which I think at least some of UTLA leadership realizes, but they say that they cannot change their endorsement now, due to UTLA rules.
It is totally crucial that Monica Ratliff win that race, although she is being outspent 100 to 1 by her opponent. If you live in District 6, make sure to vote for her, and let your neighbors know about the race. No matter where you live, you can help by volunteering in her campaign in these last couple days, or at least make a donation. Please keep reading for more information.
Monica Ratliff is an excellent experienced 5th grade teacher in LAUSD, with many good ideas about education. She is a UTLA member, and was elected delegate to the UTLA House of Representatives. She is endorsed by Diane Ravitch, current LAUSD board members Bennett Kayser and Marguerite LaMotte, former board member David Tokofsky, both the LA Times and LA Daily News, AALA, and others.
Her opponent, Antonio Sanchez, a lawyer and former aide to Mayor Villaraigosa, with no experience in education (but who seems to want to launch a political career via the LAUSD school board), is being heavily funded, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth, by the worst foes of teachers—Michelle Rhee, Eli Broad, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, Rupert Murdoch, the Walton family, etc. (You can bet that these donors have a reason for putting so much money into Sanchez, and expect something in return from their bought candidate. If Sanchez wins, he is likely to be the most reliable ally on the board of John Deasy and Monica Garcia.) (This is really a crucial race, and it is tragic that UTLA is not putting its full weight behind Ratliff.)
Below this e-mail is one from Brent Smiley, an unofficial UTLA organizer for the Monica Ratliff campaign, with information on how you can help in her campaign. (I think Smiley may have once been chairman of PACE.)
Before the Smiley e-mail, I will include some links that I would suggest you read, related to this race:
Monica Ratliff is fully endorsed by the new PAC of Diane Ravitch, “Network for Public Education” , as their first endorsement. (Please read about that endorsement here.) (I would suggest too, you join and contribute to Diane Ravitch’s PAC, to help fight off the big money poured into the coffers of anti-teacher candidates from the likes of Bloomberg, Gates, Broad, etc.)
Please read this article about a $350,000 donation to Sanchez from Bloomberg, via Villaraigosa’s school PAC.) (In case anyone reading cannot access that article in the LA Times, I will paste the article at the bottom of this e-mail, after the Smiley e-mail.)
Please read A post by Monica Ratliff to Diane Ravitch’s blog, prefaced by Diane Ravitch.
An appeal by Diane Ravitch to UTLA
Tweets by David Tokofsky, former LAUSD board member.
Monica Ratliff campaign web site
Daily Kos
LA Daily News Endorsement
LA Times Endorsement
Please do all you can to help elect Monica Ratliff to the LAUSD School Board this Tuesday. Please share this information with others who did not get it.
See the Brent Smiley e-mail directly below. (The first LA Times article linked to aboveappears below that.)
Have a nice weekend,
Mike
This weekend is the LAST weekend before the election and it is imperative that we hit the streets to Get Out The Vote!
Monica Ratliff is a 5th grade classroom teacher at San Pedro Elementary who graduatedColumbia University and Columbia Law. When Law wasn’t enough to satisfy the hunger to help, she turned to education and graduated from UCLA to take her role in the ranks of classroom teachers.
For the past decade she has been in the classroom, dealing with the same issues each of us face, every single day.
How are we supposed to get these kids what they need to succeed?
That question keeps us up at night, we think about how we would change things if we could. Well, we can.
This is Monica Ratliff’s perspective, the classroom, and right now we have an opportunity to elect her to the LAUSD School Board.
This campaign is for real, despite being outspent over 100 to 1, they forced a runoff. Teams in the field are being met almost universally with receptive audiences. They have committed to vote for Monica but need to be reminded to vote.
That will not happen with just good tidings and cheer.
We need you desperately right now. This election will be decided by a couple of hundred votes and people are voting right now.
A teacher, Right Now, at the doorstep or on the phone will swing that vote almost 100% of the time.
Come be that teacher! Come make some phone calls or join us for a friendly precinct walk as we remind voters to vote for Monica Ratliff.
Time to Get Out The Vote.
This campaign is like no other in recent memory, it has been positive, uplifting, a message of hope and change,
of the ability of a fifth grade classroom teacher from an inner-city school to share a vision about what a real classroom looks like.
We will meet on Lindley just north of Victory on Saturday at 10am. This is Reseda High School. Or if you can’t make it this Saturday, how about Sunday. Same place, same time. Or if you can’t do that, how about phone banking with Sean Abajian on Thursday (see below). Or, if you can’t make it this week, can you make a donation to the campaign? https://monicaratliff2013.nationbuilder.com/donate Any amount helps.
This campaign can succeed if the teachers that this message is reaching will take just a moment to help.
Help comes in many forms, but on the School Board help comes with Four Votes.
Lawrence Middle School
See LA Times article about Bloomberg contribution to Sanchez below………
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-school-board-money-20130425,0,6967603.story
Michael Bloomberg donates $350,000 toL.A. school board race
The New York City mayor’s contribution to a political action committee led by L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will benefit board candidate Antonio Sanchez.
By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times
April 24, 2013, 10:30 p.m.
New York City Mayor http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/government/michael-bloomberg-PEPLT007462.topic” target=”_blank”>Michael R. Bloomberg donated $350,000 to the Los Angeles school board campaign this week, records show.
Bloomberg’s contribution, which was filed Tuesday, will enlarge the already sizable war chest of the Coalition for School Reform, a political action committee led by Los Angeles Mayor http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/antonio-villaraigosa-PEPLT007500.topic” target=”_blank”>Antonio Villaraigosa. The goal of the coalition is to back candidates who will support the policies of L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy and pledge to keep him on the job.
Before the March primary, Bloomberg contributed $1 million for the three board races — the largest contribution ever made in an L.A. school board campaign. Bloomberg also gave a sizable donation of an undisclosed amount to the advocacy arm for the California Charter Schools Assn. That group spent close to $400,000 to support candidates in the election.
The beneficiary of the latest donation is Antonio Sanchez, 31, a former Villaraigosa aide. He is facing teacher and former attorney Monica Ratliff, 42, in a May 21 runoff to represent the east San Fernando Valley on the Board of Education.
The March primary yielded mixed results for the coalition, which spent about $3.8 million. One of its endorsed candidates won and another lost. In the loss, the coalition tried unsuccessfully to defeat incumbent Steve Zimmer, who was backed by employees’ unions. Zimmer, a frequent swing vote, said he has not targeted Deasy for dismissal, and it’s not clear that Deasy’s job is on the line in the contest over the remaining seat.
But Deasy’s supporters are taking no chances. Even before Bloomberg’s latest donation, the coalition had put together more than $600,000 for the second round of a campaign on Sanchez’s behalf. This total included $250,000 from local philanthropist http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/eli-broad-PEBSL014823.topic” target=”_blank”>Eli Broad, who had already donated $250,000 for the first round. And StudentsFirst, the Sacramento-based advocacy group headed by former District of Columbia schools Chancellor http://www.latimes.com/topic/education/schools/michelle-rhee-PEPLT00007733.topic” target=”_blank”>Michelle Rhee, gave $100,000 — after an earlier contribution of $250,000.
In the primary, money spent by or for Sanchez outpaced Ratliff’s spending by a ratio of about 84 to 1.
So far, Ratliff has reported raising $7,297 for the runoff. Sanchez has reported raising $14,880.
United Teachers Los Angeles endorsed all the candidates in the race but did not provide any financial backing in the primary. For the runoff, the union gave $1,000 to Ratliff.
howard.blume@latimes.com
Click here for the endorsement of Monica Ratliff by Diane Ravitch’s new PAC.
