Early results in L.A. Unified school board races show Schmerelson, Franklin with leads

Early voting results in Los Angeles Unified on Tuesday showed newcomer Tanya Ortiz Franklin and incumbent Scott Schmerelson with leads in two pivotal school board races.

Franklin, a former teacher, is running against labor organizer Patricia Castellanos in District 7, which stretches from South L.A. to the L.A. Harbor. As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, Franklin had earned about 59% of the vote with approximately 118,000 votes counted. Castellanos and Franklin are vying to replace school board president Richard Vladovic, who is termed out.

In District 3, which covers much of the west San Fernando Valley, Schmerelson was winning 55% of the vote with nearly 200,000 votes counted. 

Schmerelson was initially elected to the school board in 2015 and is a close ally of United Teachers Los Angeles, the union representing teachers in the district. His opponent, Marilyn Koziatek, is a staffer at Granada Hills Charter High School and was endorsed by the California Charter Schools Association. 

In the District 7 race, Franklin was also backed by charter advocates, while Castellanos was endorsed by the union. If either Franklin or Koziatek were to win their election, it would give charter-backed school board members a 4-3 majority on the board. Castellanos and Schmerelson both need to win for union-backed members to have a majority.