Galatzan has five challengers for L.A. school board seat

Two-term incumbent Tamar Galatzan will face a crowded field in a March election to retain her seat on the Board of Education.

Five challengers have qualified to run against Galatzan, describing themselves briefly in papers filed with the city: Elizabeth Badger Bartels, an advocate for disabled children and small business owner; Carl J. Peterson, a district parent and a manager at a local business; Filiberto Gonzalez, a district parent and former local area-planning commissioner; Ankur Patel, a district parent and labor organizer; and Scott Mark Schmerelson, a retired principal.

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FOR THE RECORD:
School board race: An article in the Dec. 15 California section about the upcoming Los Angeles Board of Education election misspelled the last name of candidate Carl Petersen as Peterson. The article also identified Ankur Patel as a district parent; he has no children. —
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All five turned in petitions with at least 500 valid signatures of voters from District 3, in the west San Fernando Valley. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two will vie in a runoff.

The field also is set in three other races for the seven-member Board of Education in the nation’s second-largest school system. In District 1, spanning south and southwest L.A., George McKenna is unopposed. In District 5, stretching from north of downtown to southeast L.A. County, one-term incumbent Bennett Kayser will face Andrew Thomas and Ref Rodriguez. In District 7, which includes much of South L.A. and the Harbor area, two-term incumbent Richard Vladovic is opposed by Euna Anderson and Lydia A. Gutierrez.

The ballot is settled for the L.A. Community College District as well. These elections are at-large rather than divided by geographic region. Four of seven seats are on the ballot. Only one incumbent is vying to return.

The candidates for Seat 1 are Francesca Vega, Maria “Sokie” Quintero, Andra Hoffman and Mark Isler.

Bidding for Seat 3 are Sydney Kamlager, Glenn Bailey, Sam Kbushyan and Jozef Thomas “Joe” Essavi.

In Seat 5, incumbent Scott Svonkin is seeking reelection. He’s opposed by Steve Schulte.

The candidates for Seat 7 are Mike Fong, Joyce Burrell Garcia and John C. Burke.

Twitter: @howardblume