moreno no endorsement from unionThe unions representing teachers in the Anaheim City School District (ACSD) and the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) have a joint political action committee – the Anaheim Educators PAC – which several days ago made its endorsements for this November school board elections. Three ACSD Board of Education seats are up for re-election. One incumbent, Sandy Blumberg is retiring and another, Jeff Cole, is seeking re-election. The third incumbent, Jose Moreno, is presumably seeking re-election, although rumors have swirled for months about him being the second council candidate on the Tait Slate.

Not surprisingly, the Anaheim Educators PAC endorsed Cole, as well as AUHSD history and psychology teacher Ryan Ruelas, creator of the BROS program, a past high school teacher of the year and the Anaheim Secondary Teachers Association representative on the CTA State Council. Given the sound and fury blasting out of the CTA over the Vergara decision, I’d be curious to know his opinion of it.

The most interesting thing is who the AEPAC did not endorse: Jose Moreno.

By all accounts, this stems from Moreno’s vote to accept GOALS Academy application for charter school status (a vote I commend Moreno for casting). Except for the Orange Unified School District’s El Rancho Charter School, there are no charter schools in Anaheim, and this was the first charter ever granted by ACSD. Teachers unions are deeply hostile to charter schools, so it’s not surprising the AEPAC refused to endorse Moreno, even though it had supported his prior candidacies.

However, the union hasn’t endorsed a third ACSD board candidate, so it is likely Moreno will nonetheless win re-election should he seek it – not least because he has slow-walked the single-member districts for ACSD past the November elections.

James Vanderbilt Making The Rounds At OC GOP Flag Day
ACSD Trustee James Vanderbilt, whom Mayor Tom Tait is sponsoring to knock either Gail Eastman or Kris Murray off the city council, was seen making the rounds at the Republican Party of Orange County’s annual Flag Day dinner in the company of the mayor.

There is a deep reservoir of goodwill toward Mayor Tait within the OC GOP; the question is whether Tait can transfer that to Vanderbilt should the latter seek the OC GOP endorsement for his council candidacy. Although he is the mayor’s chosen candidate, Vanderbilt’s endorsement history is likely too mainstream and bi-partisan for the tastes of OC GOP Central Committee members For example, Vanderbilt endorsed Democrats Tom Daly for state Assembly in 2012 and Jordan Brandman for AUHSD.

Then again, the “consistency” is not a watchword of the OC GOP endorsement process.