New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has donated $1 million to a campaign to elect three board candidates who strongly support current L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy — two of the three candidates also are political opponents of the Los Angeles teachers union.
The donation was confirmed by the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission.
Bloomberg’s donation is the largest to date for the school board contests and could change the complexion of the race.
The most heated primary contest is in District 4, which stretches from the Westside to the west San Fernando Valley. One-term incumbent trustee and former teacher Steve Zimmer is trying to hold on to his seat with backing from the teachers union, other unions representing employees, the L.A. County Federation of Labor and the local Democratic Party.
Running against him is parent and attorney Kate Anderson, whose campaign, already well-funded, is expected to get a major boost from Bloomberg’s donation.