In a contest marked by controversy, Los Angeles Unified School Board candidate Sherlett Hendy Newbill held a slight lead over Khallid Al-Alim in the race for District 1, according to the first post-election day update released at 4:37 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6.
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan announced the semi-final results for Tuesday’s Presidential Primary Election on Wednesday. A total of 1,016,574 ballots were counted, with 18% of registered voters casting ballots. Many outstanding ballots remained to be counted, Logan said. The first post-election day update is scheduled for later today, March 6.
Two LAUSD board candidates seeking different seats on the LAUSD board were embroiled in controversy. Al-Alim was accused of agreeing with antisemitic posts on social media and lost his backing from United Teachers Los Angeles, and another candidate was temporarily removed from her LAUSD administration job due to a lawsuit against her.
Joel Fox, adjunct professor at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, said there’s still a battle ahead for the District 1 seat. “Where are those votes going to go?” he asked. “If they go to the person who finished second, that person has a chance of beating (Al-Alim).”
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It’s unclear, Fox added, what the next move would be for the union representing LAUSD teachers, which pulled its endorsement of Al-Alim this week. “Since they rescinded their endorsement, will they just sit on their hands? Or will they endorse his opponent?” he asked.
Candidates are vying to represent the board’s odd-numbered districts 1, 3, 5 and 7, with two incumbents running for their seats and two empty seats. The powerful seven-member Board of Education oversees policy for the Los Angeles Unified School District — the second-largest district in the nation.
Candidates who get more than 50% of the vote will avoid a runoff. Otherwise, the top two finishers in each of the four…
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