Monday roundup

Mayor and schools
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's two-year drive for a role over Los Angeles schools has hit another obstacle: District officials say they won't give him even a small group of schools to oversee until the fall semester 2008. Naush Boghossian in the Daily News.

With Villaraigosa now having support from a majority of the new board in the Los Angeles Unified School District, it was widely assumed — even by the mayor — that he would gain control of some campuses this fall.

But school officials said in interviews Friday that such a partnership would require extensive planning, and the earliest it could begin would be September 2008.

The new mainstream in L.A. politics

Almost three decades ago, a politically connected Hollywood restaurateur and her husband organized a massive rally to show Latino support for several Latino elected officials who had become the targets of negative news coverage. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

Then-Gov. Jerry Brown headlined the dinner of about 7,000 at the Los Angeles Convention Center on behalf of then-State Education Secretary Mario Obledo, who was battling allegations of ties to the Mexican Mafia, and Congressman Ed Roybal, who was the subject of a corruption scandal.

Today, that Hollywood restaurateur continues to lobby for Latino issues and candidates, but she said she has no misgivings about the recent negative coverage of Southern California's top three Latino elected officials: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Sheriff Lee Baca and City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo.

Singing his way out

It's time for political farewells and welcomes in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Tipoffs.

The changing of the guard was particularly nostalgic for school board member David Tokofsky, who decided not to seek re-election after serving four terms in office.

Tokofsky, who says he's now weighing various options in education or youth programs, was feted at his final meeting last week.

Among the tributes was a musical parody (sung to the tune of "Officer Krupke" from "West Side Story") that took note of Tokofsky's defense of LAUSD against Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's vocal criticism: