May 17 election countdown

LAUSD race gets expensive
Spending has reached nearly $2.7 million in the runoff election between community activist Luis Sanchez and veteran teacher Bennett Kayser for a seat on the seven-member Los Angeles Unified school board.Connie Llanos in the Daily News,

The winner will replace outgoing board member Yolie Flores, who represents much of the eastern rim of the city, including Silver Lake, Eagle Rock and Boyle Heights as well as southeast cities including Maywood and Huntington Park.

San Fernando Valley voters will not be able to weigh in on this race, but the winner will sit on the panel that makes policy decisions affecting all schools.

College board race turns nasty
Traditionally, elections for the Los Angeles Community College district board of trustees attract minimal attention and even fewer voters to the polls. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

This year's is turning out to be an exception.

The race between Scott Svonkin, a veteran political aide and union-supported San Gabriel school board member and Lydia Gutierrez, a teacher from Long Beach who's opposed gay marriage and attended Tea Party rallies, has erupted into a heated debate centered more on politics than education.