LAUSD incumbents surge, charter fights cool in early returns

Early returns Tuesday night show LAUSD incumbents Rocio Rivas, Kelly Gonez and Nick Melvoin pulling ahead in races where major pro- and anti-charter forces largely stayed on the sidelines—setting up a board that would likely keep leaning against charter school

When the first results started coming in Tuesday night, the direction was hard to miss: three incumbents for the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education were surging into seats that, for now, look increasingly out of reach for challengers.

Rocio Rivas, Kelly Gonez and Nick Melvoin were all trending strongly ahead in early returns for Board of Education races that, in contrast to recent years, did not draw the kind of direct, high-dollar showdown that has defined LAUSD politics.

The pattern seemed clear from the start. The teachers union backed Rivas, who represents a largely Eastside district. A charter-friendly retired businessman backed Melvoin, whose district is centered on the Westside. And the largest union representing nonteaching employees largely avoided the fray.

In District 6, Gonez was the only candidate on the ballot, facing one write-in challenger, Jose Sagredo. With that setup, Gonez appeared poised to continue representing a district centered in the east San Fernando Valley for a third and final term.

Rivas and Melvoin, meanwhile, had their own stark funding contrasts—less a test of competing ideas than a reflection of who chose to spend, and who chose not to.

In District 4, Westside, Melvoin was well ahead against challenger Ankur Patel. The funding advantage for Melvoin was substantial: Melvoin raised $378,803 compared with Patel’s $22,662. On top of that. Melvoin benefited from an independent expenditure of $367. 093 from retired businessman Bill Bloomfield. who has been a major funder in recent campaigns—typically for candidates who are acceptable to charter-school advocates.

Charter schools, privately operated public schools, are mostly nonunion. About 1 in 5 L.A. public-school students is enrolled in an independent charter operating within L.A. Unified.

In District 2, downtown and Eastside, Rivas was headed toward a second term. Her major support came from an independent-expenditure campaign totaling $889,469, nearly all of it from the United Teachers Los Angeles union. Rivas’ own campaign raised $66,218. The United Teachers Los Angeles union also spent more than $4,000 in communications to its members about the election.

Her challenger, Raquel Zamora, raised $2,525 and reported spending $5,089.

The comparison to Rivas’ 2022 run underscores how quickly LAUSD’s political weather has shifted. In 2022, Rivas’ main funding opponent was Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union. Local 99 backed Maria Brenes for an open seat. Historically, Local 99 has not been inclined to oppose an incumbent, which Rivas had become. And, true to its history, Local 99 endorsed Rivas without spending money on her behalf.

For charter advocates, the lack of a fully mobilized fight has been the defining story of the cycle. The early returns came after an election season in which. as resources tightened and strategy evolved. charter school supporters largely stepped aside. The result is that—if current vote-count trends hold—the Los Angeles Board of Education will likely remain unchanged for the next two years and continue to lean against charter schools. standing in general agreement on most policies.

That would include assertive support for immigrants and a continued holding pattern on the future of Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who remains on administrative leave as a federal investigation proceeds.

This election cycle also carries a broader weight beyond individual races. It marks the end of what had become. in recent years. some of the most bitterly contested and expensive school board contests in the country—an extended fight between the L.A. teachers union and charter school advocates over the direction of public education.

Charter supporters had poured tens of millions of dollars into efforts to elect board members sympathetic to their cause. By this cycle, they have largely stepped back, reflecting diminished resources and an evolving strategy.

The stakes now shift to what the board will do with looming decisions. If the board remains the same, charter schools face pressure from the renewal process itself. Charters with a mixed record face a tough review when they come up for renewal—about once every five years. Charter opponents. in contrast. want a board majority that moves more aggressively to shut down charters when possible and to force them off district campuses. where. under state law. they have a legal right to operate.

There is also an immediate governance challenge ahead. Board decisions before the members include how to manage a projected structural deficit, with union leaders calling the dire predictions an accounting mirage.

And Carvalho’s situation remains unresolved. He remains in limbo after a February FBI raid of his home and office. The investigation relates at least in part to a failed district chatbot project. Carvalho maintains his innocence and has said he would like to return to work. For now, the board has turned the reins over temporarily to acting Superintendent Andres Chait.

As the early returns solidify, the message from the numbers is plain: for this round, the LAUSD board appears headed for continuity—less conflict, fewer interruptions, and a longer runway for the same governing approach, even as the district’s finances and Carvalho’s fate wait on the next move.

LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education Rocio Rivas Kelly Gonez Nick Melvoin charter schools Alberto Carvalho Andres Chait United Teachers Los Angeles Bill Bloomfield Bill Bloomfield independent expenditure Local 99 United Teachers Los Angeles election communications FBI raid district chatbot project