‘Twas a dreary election night for Los Angeles School Board incumbents and a loser also for the City Hall personality who figured to outpoll an ethnic political newcomer for the last seat on the Los Angeles City Council.
Discernible patterns and rational reasoning were scarce.
For example:
- Charter schools organizer Dr. Ref Rodriguez won neighborhoods east of downtown in spanking first-term incumbent Bennett Kayser, who was backed by United Teachers of Los Angeles.
- However, out in the West Valley where Tamar Galatzan, seen as friendly to charter schools during her two terms on the School Board, handily was defeated by retired principal Scott Schmerelson, 55 percent tpo 45 percent. In contrast to the Rodriguez-Kayser race, the teachers union candidate, Mr. Schmerelson, was an impressive winner.
- For many School Board watchers, the South Los Angeles-Harbor race, pitting two-term incumbent Richard Vladovic against Lydia Gutierrez, was the most difficult call. His critics say that Mr. Vladovic could lose a one-man popularity test. However, he was last night’s biggest winner, a 12-point breeze over the vague Ms. Gutierrez, an elementary school teacher who campaigned vaguely, leaving an intransparent impression on voters.
Finally, the runoff for termed-out Tom LaBonge’s City Council seat left bald men and others scratching their heads when young David Ryu, a businessman, became the first Korean American to win a chair.
By 54 to 46 percent, the 39-year-old Mr. Ryu, a healthcare center executive, scrubbed the better-known Carolyn Ramsay. Owing presumably to her superior familiarity, Ms. Ramsay outpolled Mr. Ryu last March. But they needed a runoff because she fell well short of 50 percent plus one. If the speculation is accurate, what happened to her in the runoff. Had she become less familiar, more narrowly known?
