Last weekend, Jacobin published an article identifying Los Angeles school board candidate María Brenes as a member of the same Los Angeles political clique responsible for the racist city council audio leaks. Brenes’s campaign is backed by billionaires and their money, but she’s not guaranteed to win. Brenes faces stiff competition from Rocío Rivas, who is endorsed by United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and fully supports their Beyond Recovery bargaining platform.

Rivas is campaigning to fully staff schools and reduce class sizes, expand community schools and wraparound services, support the Black Student Achievement Plan, and invest in special education, adult education, and apprenticeships. Rivas is also endorsed by the national organization of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and supports the DSA-LA’s Green New Deal for Public Schools campaign to win climate-resilient and carbon-free campuses.

Rivas holds a PhD in education from Columbia University and currently serves as research and policy deputy for Los Angeles United School District (LAUSD) Board District 5 member and longtime public education activist Jackie Goldberg. A Rivas victory will secure a majority block on the school board to oppose the California Charter Schools Association and its allies and advance the struggle of working-class Angelenos to win the public schools students deserve.