Member-only story
Naked Political Ambition
So Much For “Kids First”
LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin is ready to abandon the students he swore to represent just a few weeks after starting his second term.
- Nick Melvoin
Despite the fact that California’s Senior Senator, Dianne Feinstein, will turn 90 next June, she has yet to publicly announce that she will retire when her current term ends in 2024. Still, the expectation that her hold on the seat is coming to an end only grows as the date approaches, especially after reports last year “that her memory is rapidly deteriorating.”
Adding to the political drama surrounding Feinstein’s eventual retirement is the fact that she could work with Governor Gavin Newsom to install her replacement. If she were to leave office before the end of her term Newsom would get to appoint a placeholder for the seat, giving that person the benefit of incumbency when running in the special election.
Not wanting to give potential opponents a leg up, politicians with aspirations for the seat that Feinstein has held since 1992 have been biting at the bit to throw their hat in the ring. Katie Porter was the first to go public with her plans. Barbara Lee quickly followed her. Others are surely in the wings.
This grab for power has also begun to trickle down to other political seats as career-minded politicians see a chance to move up the ladder. With Adam Schiff on the short list of possible contenders, candidates are already lining up to run next year for the CA-30 seat in the House of Representatives. This includes LAUSD Board of Education member Nick Melvoin.
Just last year, supporters of the Charter School Industry spent over $2 million to get their representative for Board District 4 re-elected. At the time it seemed strange…
