Candidate for
Board Member; Los Angeles Unified School District; District 3

Elected in 2007 on a pledge to transform LAUSD, Tamar Galatzan has been an active part of some of the most profound changes in the recent history of our schools.

In less than four years, Tamar:
sponsored a resolution eliminating after-the-fact contracts, which had cost the District millions of dollars

stopped the practice of hiring consultants without any pre-determined and agreed-upon deliverables

spearheaded adoption of a policy opening up abandoned Valley campuses to charter schools

emerged as key figure in the ongoing effort to ensure that our students are taught by the most talented and engaged teachers.

A graduate of Birmingham High School in the San Fernando Valley, UCLA, and Hastings College of the Law in 1994, Tamar is a tireless advocate on behalf of civil rights, excellent public schools, social justice, and safe neighborhoods. A dedicated public servant, Tamar derives tremendous satisfaction from both developing and implementing creative solutions to improve our communities.

As an intern and aide to three members of the California Legislature and a member of Congress, Tamar's inspiration to pursue public service derived from assisting constituents who had been unfairly or needlessly denied basic government services. These eye-opening experiences gave her firsthand knowledge of the all-to-frequently slow and counterproductive tactics of public sector bureaucracies.

From April 1996 through June 2002, Tamar served as Western States Associate Counsel for the Anti-Defamation League in Los Angeles. In this capacity, she handled numerous complaints involving discrimination or harassment in the workplace and public schools. She also worked extensively on successful legislation to mandate hate crime and incident reporting in California schools

In June 2002, Tamar became a Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney with the Neighborhood Prosecutor Program in the San Fernando Valley + a position she continues to hold today. She was drawn to the program by its emphasis on identifying, prioritizing, and addressing potential criminal activity. Tamar firmly believes in taking proactive measures to prevent crimes before they occur and has been credited by many civic organizations for resolving community problems that had previously been ignored by city agencies for decades.

Tamar and her husband, Brendan, have two sons, both of whom attend their neighborhood LAUSD school. She decided to run for the School Board based on her conviction that the education system is failing many of our children. As evidence, she points to unacceptable drop-out rates; test scores rising too slowly; a bureaucracy pre-occupied with its own narrow interests; and failure to guarantee the safety of every student in the San Fernando Valley.

A proven problem-solver and avowed foe of bureaucratic inertia, Tamar Galatzan is an ideal school board member--and the only one with kids enrolled in LAUSD. She combines passion, boundless energy, and eternal optimism in her quest to provide all LAUSD students with a world-class education. As a Board member, Tamar is inspired by successful students, exceptional teachers, innovative administrators, and parents who give up their time for their neighborhood schools.