Inside the School Board Brawl Rocking Beverly Hills
Inside the School Board Brawl Rocking Beverly Hills
Fierce local election in one of America’s wealthiest enclaves pits parent against parent in battle fueled by national politicsBefore security escorted her out of a school-board meeting, parent Jackie Kruger—clad in a leopard-print jacket and wide-brimmed hat—warned the board’s president that she would sue.
“You got to do what you got to do, baby,” the president, Judy Manouchehri, shot back.
Welcome to the Beverly Hills Unified School District, home to one of the nastiest local races of the year, complete with flying insults, dueling restraining-order petitions and a yard-sign whodunit involving a white Tesla with a ski rack.
The women—both attorneys and mothers of three—will meet again Nov. 3, when Kruger tries to unseat Manouchehri. Kruger, 47 years old, accuses her 46-year-old rival of hurting schools in one of the world’s most star-studded cities and fostering a climate of fear.
“When you’re at rock bottom, there’s only one place to go,” Kruger said, eyes blazing, as she munched on grapes at home last week.
