Teachers Assn. Is Neutral on Primary Race for Governor : Politics: Neither Brown nor Garamendi wins 60% of delegate votes in the state’s largest educators union. Insurance commissioner nonetheless views the vote as a victory.

Providing an unexpectedly ambiguous end to a weekend marked by relentless lobbying, the California Teachers Assn., the state’s largest teachers union, announced Sunday that it will not endorse a candidate in the June 7 gubernatorial primary.

The surprise announcement came after CTA delegates twice split their votes between state Treasurer Kathleen Brown and Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi. In a first ballot Saturday and then in a runoff on Sunday, neither candidate won 60% of delegates’ support--the threshold required for endorsement under union rules.

The standoff was widely perceived as a victory for Garamendi, who is running behind Brown in the polls. Many had expected Brown, a former Los Angeles school board member, to win the endorsement of the union despite her differences with the rank and file, some who resented her support of the breakup of the Los Angeles Unified School District and her support of charter schools, in which parents, teachers and community leaders customize each school’s curriculum.

Of the 532 ballots cast in Sunday’s runoff, Brown received 288 votes, Garamendi 244. At least 320 votes were required to win the endorsement of the union, which represents 230,000 public school teachers and is among the largest fund-raising organizations in the state.

Michael Reese, Brown’s campaign spokesman, put a positive spin on the CTA’s decision, noting that although Brown did not win the endorsement, she did receive the recommendation of the CTA’s 24-member board of directors, which formally urged its 660 delegates to vote for her.

“This was always going to be a very difficult endorsement for us to win, with the 60% threshold. That she won the (board’s) recommendation was a victory all on its own,” he said. Asked to explain the outcome, he said: “Garamendi is a master at pandering. He was lock-step with their issues. No questions asked.”

Darry Sragow, Garamendi’s campaign manager, countered: “Being in sync with the views of the electorate may be pandering with Kathleen Brown. It just happens to be where John Garamendi is.”

Sragow said he was “thrilled” with the CTA’s decision, which he considers “a win.” Noting that Garamendi has received the endorsement of the California Federation of Teachers, which has 40,000 members, Sragow said:”John Garamendi is the only candidate for governor who has been endorsed by teachers.”

The last time the CTA failed to endorse in a primary for governor was in 1974, when the leading Democratic candidate was Brown’s brother, Jerry. After Jerry Brown won the primary, the CTA endorsed him against Republican Atty. Gen. Evelle Younger.

The CTA’s delegate assembly will meet again after the June primary to consider endorsing a gubernatorial candidate in the November general election.

Sunday’s runoff capped a tumultuous weekend during which both campaigns vied aggressively for CTA support. Garamendi’s campaign, expecting a Brown victory, went on the offensive Saturday, faxing to reporters complaints that the endorsement process had been tainted by what Sragow called a conflict of interest--a supposed business connection between one CTA official and the Brown campaign.

CTA officials denied that Brown received any special treatment. Brown campaign staffers called the suggestion of conflict of interest insulting. It is unlikely that the implications had any impact because they did not reach most delegates.

By Sunday morning, the contest seemed so close that Brown and Garamendi took the unusual step of dropping by the Los Angeles hotel where the CTA was meeting to shake delegates’ hands one last time.

“That’s very unusual,” said Ned Hopkins, an associate executive director of the CTA. “Candidates usually stay away.”

Hopkins called the failure to endorse a surprise, and he attributed the close vote in part to Garamendi’s tough campaigning.

“Garamendi made a wonderful impression at a candidates forum we had in January. . . . He was articulate, right on the issues, and really made a favorable impression. Most people thought he had won that debate,” said Hopkins, who noted that most CTA delegates later received Garamendi campaign mailers.

During the weekend, he noted, delegates were greeted by Garamendi campaign literature on their chairs. On Sunday morning, the candidate himself appeared--more than an hour before Brown showed up.

“He was there right at 9 o’clock when the session began. She came at 10:30,” Hopkins said.

The CTA delegates did endorse several candidates, including: Controller Gray Davis for lieutenant governor, Assemblyman Tom Umberg (D-Garden Grove) for attorney general, Assemblyman Rusty Areias (D-San Jose) for controller, former California Democratic Party Chairman Phil Angelides for treasurer, Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles) for secretary of state and Assemblywoman Delaine Eastin (D-Fremont) for superintendent of public instruction.