Local Election Re-Cap: Money Is Speech?

Democracy again confirmed as a sad, sad joke, although we remain pure, having picked all losers except for two L.A. Community College District Board of Trustees races. Both winning picks were two-person (two-man, actually) contests; you can bet we'll not be voting for a "College Accounting Professor," period, nor for a County Commissioner (No idea which commission.) over a "Retired College President." (Granted, a community college pres.) In the third L.A.C.C. race, w/ four candidates, our choice came in second (barely) so she'll be in the May run-off.

Closest we came otherwise was a weak second for the 2nd District seat on the L.A. Unified Board of Education, won w/ over 50% by a woman the teachers union didn't like, a woman who had so much fucking money behind her (Doubtless from the privatize-the-schools element.) that she was running adverts on the telly for one (of seven) school board seats. Total votes cast for the seat? 27,249.

At the Just Another Bunker©, the U.S.P.S. delivered 12 glossy mailers from the money behind winner Mónica García, an outfit billed as "Coalition for School Reform to Support García, Anderson and Sanchez for Board of Education 2013" which is absolutely "Not authorized by a candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate." This is new to us, but the "Major funding by" credit varies from flyer to flier. The usual suspects: "A. Jerrold Perenchio and Eli Broad,"(2) "Michael R. Bloomberg and A. Jerrold Perenchio,"(2) & "Michael R. Bloomberg and Parents and Teachers for Putting Students First"(8). "Mónica García for School Board 2013" shelled out for six glossy mailers & an actual letter in an envelope. And the "United Teachers Los Angeles Political Council of Educators" sent us four anti-García ads. Will no one think of the trees?