Union puts a lot of dough into LAUSD board race

United Teachers Los Angeles has put up nearly $205,000 in independent expenditures for Steve Zimmer, the union's candidate in the LAUSD District 4 board race.

More than $18,000 was spent on public opinion research this week, according to the City Ethics Commission campaign finances records (which are designed to be updated regularly when new money is spent as independent expenditures). Nearly $37,000 was spent on a mailer highlighting the word "innovative" and quoting state Sen. Sheila Kuehl in support of Zimmer.

The union had already spent an additional $34,000 on pro-Zimmer communications to its own members.

At the end of the most recent filing period, Feb. 14, Mike Stryer had raised nearly $72,000, with $30,000 of that coming from the candidate himself. Zimmer had about $58,000.

There are no limits on independent expenditure campaigns, which may not be coordinated with candidates' election efforts. Charter reforms in L.A. in 2007 changed election rules so that candidates can only raise $1,000 from individuals, while independent expenditures remained unlimited.

This is the first board election in which the new rules apply. Previous elections in the district have been much more expensive -- with a record-setting 2001 race in which Marlene Canter was elected, spending more than $2 million of her own money.