By Jon Regardie for The Eastsider
Originally published on Feb. 3, 2026
With the City Council and other prominent local races on Eastsiders’ June 2 ballot, it’s easy to overlook the LAUSD District 2 School Board contest. But who fills the seat is vital. Here’s a look at the race.
Why It Matters
Many Angelenos know LAUSD Supt. Alberto Carvalho, but the seven-member school board is his boss. The panel sets everything from policy to the academic calendar for the district with nearly 400,000 TK-12 students and 83,000 employees. The board also shapes the roughly $12 billion budget.
The Territory
District 2 encompasses Eastside neighborhoods including, East L.A., Boyle Heights, Highland Park, Echo Park and El Sereno. District 5 “dips” into the territory to cover Mt. Washington and Glassell Park, but then District 2 picks back up in Los Feliz. It includes nearly 300 schools.
Representation
Mónica Garcia represented the district from 2006-2022. When she was termed out, four people sought to succeed her. Rocio Rívas emerged from the primary and won the general election with 52.5% of the 105,000 votes.
The Candidates
Rocio Rívas: The incumbent immigrated to the United States with her family from Mexico when she was 2. “Growing up, I was often underestimated and often overlooked or just ignored because of the color of my skin, but that lived experience gave me perseverance and also gave me a perspective,” she said at a recent forum hosted by the Los Angeles Coalition for Excellent Public Schools and Alliance-College Ready Public Schools. Rivas, who previously taught pre-school, earned a Ph.D. in education from Columbia University. She is a former president of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council.
Raquel Zamora: The Boyle Heights native is an LAUSD pupil services and attendance counselor who also teaches English to adults at nights and on weekends. Her family runs a 55-year-old landmark restaurant. “I always say that I attended Zamora Brothers University, because that’s where I learned to talk to people, Spanish, math, reading, everything,” she said at the forum. After attending parochial school, she went to Mount St. Mary’s College and received a Master’s in Social Work from USC. Zamora finished third in a 2020 run for the District 14 City Council seat.
Choice Comments
“I see all school sites, from early education to adult ed,” Zamora said at the forum. “I know where the gaps are.”
“My priorities upon re-election,” said Rivas, “are to continue academic progress, to modernize our schools, and also to fight back against the attacks on our schools and our communities.”
Jon Regardie is a veteran Los Angeles reporter, editor and columnist. @JonRegardie