pledging

You don\’t have to go far to hear complaints about the L.A. Unified School District (LAUSD), the city\’s beleaguered public school system, nor very far to catch grumbling about Mayor James K. Hahn. But linking the two is a stretch for many, because Los Angeles\’ mayor has no authority over the city\’s schools — none at all.

Yet one challenger in particular, Bob Hertzberg, has made LAUSD the centerpiece of his campaign by pledging, somehow, to break up the nation\’s second-largest school system. Politically, the strategy isn\’t off the wall.