Kashkari unveils TV ad, accuses Brown of betraying students

GOP gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari unveiled a television ad on Monday that features a drowning child and accuses Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown of failing California students.

“When kids in failing schools begged Jerry Brown for rescue …. HE BETRAYED THEM,” reads onscreen text over video of a young boy struggling for breath in a swimming pool.

Kashkari pulls the boy from the water and says, “I’m running for governor because every kid in every neighborhood deserves a good education and a chance for a better life. Jerry Brown betrayed our kids to protect his donors. When I’m governor, I’ll fight for kids, not against them.”

Though the ad does not specify, Kashkari is referring to Brown’s appeal of a judge’s recent ruling in a California education case. The judge said some teacher tenure rules violate the equal-education rights of the state’s poor and minority children by saddling them with inadequate instructors.

Kashkari, who has frequently cited the court case in his campaign, has accused Brown of doing the bidding of the teachers’ unions that have long funded his campaigns and causes. Teachers unions are also appealing the case.

A political spokesman for Brown did not respond to a request for comment.

The governor, who is seeking an unprecedented fourth term, has an enormous edge in the race. He leads Kashkari by roughly 20 points in public opinion polls and has a $23-million campaign war chest.

Last week, Brown began television advertising – focused not on his reelection bid but on two propositions on the November ballot. He is also appearing in ads for other Democratic candidates, notably Jose Solorio in a tight state Senate contest that is critical to Democrats’ goal of reclaiming a two-thirds majority in that house.

Kashkari, a first-time candidate, reported having just under $680,000 in the bank, and nearly $143,000 in debt, according to campaign reports filed with the state last week. That is nowhere close to the amount needed to fund a traditional statewide television advertising campaign, but it is allowing the candidate to buy inexpensive spots during local news broadcasts around the state.

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seema.mehta@latimes.com