A flyer received yesterday by voters in the LAUSD’s District 3 states that “Tamar Galatzan [is] the ONLY School Board Candidate Endorsed By Grassroots Democrats.” This claim is clearly untrue. First, despite her incumbent status, Ms. Galatzan was unable to secure the endorsement of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party (LACDP), the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley (DPSFV) or the Stonewall Democratic Club. Furthermore, I am endorsed by the North Valley Democratic Club.
This unethical deception aimed at voters is the latest salvo in the California Charter Schools Association’s (CCSA) $59,820 attempt to buy the March 3, election. This campaign is funded in part by taxpayers as member schools pay $5 per student per year as “an investment in the success of your school and the entire charter movement.” It is also not the first example of their willingness to engage in unethical behavior. In District 5, the organization sent brochures that Board Member George McKenna described as “misleading and racially inflammatory in nature.”
Since these mailings are independent expenditures by the CCSA, the voters have to assume that Ms. Galatzan has conformed with the law and has not had any input in the development of this literature. However, this does not change the fact that they were sent out in her name. Ms. Galatzan also highlights the CCSA’s endorsement on her website. She, therefore, has a responsibility to set the record straight and condemn this group’s unethical behavior. The citizens of Los Angeles should expect nothing less from someone who represents them as a City Attorney.