Teachers unions put their money on the line

Andrew Edwards

Teachers unions are among the largest contributors to this year’s

races for local school boards. Campaign finance records show that

political action committees affiliated with teachers’ unions have

spent thousands to aid their chosen candidates.

The local chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, which

represents full-time instructors in the Coast Community College

District, is the largest contributor among the unions. Between July 1

and Oct. 16, the union’s political arm has spent more than $23,000 of

“soft money” to finance mailers promoting Bonnie Castrey, a board

member of the Huntington Beach Union High School District running for

a new post on the college district’s board. The group also gave

Castrey’s a $4,571 loan to cover her filing fees, which she repaid.

The union did not interview either of Castrey’s opponents,

incumbent Armando Ruiz or challenger Diane Lenning, before selecting

which candidate they would support, said Dean Mancina, president of

Coast Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of Teachers

local representing college instructors. The union had tried to woo

Castrey four years ago, and had already chosen which candidate it

would support this year.

“We just felt it was a waste of time to interview other people,”

Mancina said. “We already knew we wanted Bonnie four years ago.”

Mancina noted that union leaders were attracted to Castrey’s

professional experience as a mediator of labor disputes and years as

a board member in the high school district.

Candidates and political action committees were required to report

financial disclosures covering activities through Oct. 16 to the

Orange County Registrar of Voters by Oct. 21. There is no legal limit

to how much money a contributor may make to a school board candidate,

Registrar of Voters spokesman Neal Kelley said.

The union also reported spending $1,000 on fliers opposing Ruiz’s

candidacy.

The union approached Castrey this year and asked her to run, she

said, and she said that having support from the labor movement, and

the women’s movement, is key to running for a seat almost as large as

the all of Huntington Beach. Another of Castrey’s significant

contributors was Women in Leadership, a group that supports women

running for office in Orange County. Castrey received a $1,000

contribution from that group.

“In terms of raising the dollars, to run this campaign, in this

large district, you certainly need broad-based support,” she said.

Her opponents, Ruiz and Lenning, both said they felt slighted by

the union’s decision not to interview either of them for an

endorsement. Ruiz has raised more money through direct contributions

than his opponents, amassing more than $19,000 for his campaign

chest. Castrey has raised more than $7,000 in direct contributions,

and Lennings’s most recent records had not yet been filed.

Unions representing teachers in Surf City’s three public school

districts all contributed funds to incumbents. In the Ocean View

School District, teachers supported school board president Barbara

Boskovich and her ally, Planning Commissioner Tom Livengood. The

pair’s joint campaign committee received $3,000 from the union’s

political arm. High school incumbents Michael Simons and Susan Henry

received $2,000 each from teachers, who also spent more than $2,700

on their behalf for mailers. The incumbents in the Huntington Beach

City School District each were given $2,500 from teachers.

Union support is not a guarantee for victory. In 2002, Ocean View

teachers supported Carol Kanode, who was defeated, said Linda

Axenroth, president of the Ocean View Teachers Assn. Some candidates

without union aid have still managed to raise large amounts of money.

Debbie Cotton, a challenger in the Ocean View race, reported having

more than $21,400 in campaign assets, though about half of that

figure amounted to loans from herself. Large contributions to

Cotton’s campaign included $2,000 from Ocean View school board member

Tracy Pellman and $4,700 from Debbie Molino, a PTA leader.