School Board Leader to Seek Reelection : Walters Bows Out of Race for Council

Los Angeles Board of Education President Rita Walters, who was expected to become a major challenger for the vacant 10th Council District seat, withdrew her name Monday from the April 14 election being held to choose a successor to departed Councilman David Cunningham.

Walters, who would have been among the front-runners to replace Cunningham, chose instead to run for reelection to the school board. The school district she has represented since 1979 includes many of the same Southwest Los Angeles neighborhoods as the Cunningham councilmanic district.

In dropping her council candidacy, Walters averted a likely clash with Homer Broome Jr., the public works commissioner backed by Mayor Tom Bradley. Broome is considered one of the leading contenders in the April 14 election.

Walters would have had to surrender her school board seat to run for the City Council, but her name recognition and political skills were expected to make her a formidable political opponent to Broome and other possible candidates. But Walters said her decision had nothing to do with politics.

“After very careful consideration and reflection on this matter, it’s just apparent to me that the problems we’re faced with at this time in the school district are more compelling for my attention than running for the 10th Council District seat,” she told The Times.

Walters said some of the school issues that need her attention include the possible departure of two other board members, the prospect of replacing retiring School Supt. Harry Handler, a pending labor contract with teachers and the threatened loss of state funds from the school district.

“If I wasn’t going to be able to extricate myself from those (school) duties, I would be doing a disservice to the constituents of my school board seat and to the constituents of the 10th District,” she said.

Walters added that she had already raised about $30,000 as part of her exploratory efforts to replace Cunningham, who resigned his council post last October to enter private business. She said she will return the campaign contributions.

Walters’ departure still leaves what is expected to be a crowded field of candidates hoping to represent the 10th District--a heavily black but racially mixed area that is largely residential and stretches from Koreatown on the east to the Palms on the west.

In addition to Broome, who also has the backing of Cunningham, nearly 30 other people have filed a declaration with the city clerk’s office indicating an intention to raise money for a council campaign. They include former state Sen. Nate Holden, now an aide to Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn; Myrlie Evers, the widow of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers, and Kenneth M. Orduna, chief deputy for Rep. Mervyn M. Dymally (D-Compton).

Filing for the April election officially starts Wednesday and ends at noon Saturday.