Beverly Hills’ school board race has erupted into a bitter political and legal battle involving angry parents, accusations of smear campaigns, restraining-order petitions and a dispute over a memoir about childhood sexual abuse.
The fight in the affluent Los Angeles suburb has included allegations of stolen campaign signs, competing legal claims and a puzzling episode involving a white Tesla fitted with a ski rack, according to The Wall Street Journal.
At stake is the Nov. 3 election, which could reshape the Beverly Hills Unified School District board. Democrats Jackie Kruger and Kim Lifschitz are challenging board President Judy Manouchehri and the conservative majority they oppose.
Kruger, 47, and Manouchehri, 46, are both attorneys and mothers of three. Their increasingly hostile relationship reached a breaking point at a board meeting, where Kruger threatened legal action before security officers escorted her from the room.
“You got to do what you got to do, baby,” Manouchehri replied, according to the Journal.
The contest has evolved into a proxy battle over national politics, school governance and cultural issues in a community that traditionally leaned Democratic but moved toward President Trump in 2024.
Manouchehri’s supporters argue that she has been targeted by an online campaign because of a cost-cutting reorganization she spearheaded. Manouchehri has defended the changes, saying they are strengthening the district and pointing to improved test scores.
“There are a lot of parents who support Judy, love Judy, but are afraid to speak up,” said Ellie Kadz, a marketing executive and mother of three.
Board decisions have also fueled clashes over Israel and LGBTQ+ representation. In 2025, the board voted to display Israeli flags in district schools for one month each year as part of a resolution addressing antisemitism. The superintendent later abandoned the plan, citing safety concerns.
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The board then approved a policy limiting which flags could be displayed on school property. The measure effectively ended the use of rainbow flags during Pride Month, prompting critics to characterize it as retaliation.
The dispute has extended beyond board meetings and into Beverly Hills classrooms.
David Cienfuegos, another candidate for the school board, objected to a temporary display of Maya Angelou’s memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which describes the author’s childhood sexual abuse. The book was subsequently removed.
Cienfuegos and Manouchehri both identify as nonpartisan candidates, although conservative influencer Elizabeth Barcohana has endorsed them.
Barcohana’s social media posts have called Lifschitz “antifa” and referred to Kruger as a pink-wigged “pole dancer.” As the campaign has intensified, attacks have become increasingly personal.
Police have received reports involving stolen yard signs promoting Manouchehri and Cienfuegos. Cienfuegos posted videos that appeared to show someone removing signs from a vehicle, while comments he made online raised concerns that he was connecting the driver to Kruger’s son.
Kruger secured a temporary restraining order against Cienfuegos. He sought a similar order against her son, but a judge rejected that request. Cienfuegos said the order issued against him was later largely lifted.
“It is all very unfortunate this race has become what it is,” Cienfuegos said. “I had no animosity or political agenda…and I am always fair. I don’t think many people can say the same about Kim and Jackie.”
The turmoil reflects a wider national trend, as school-board elections across the country have increasingly become battlegrounds over curriculum, identity and partisan politics—often eclipsing more traditional local education issues.
The California Post has contacted Kruger, Manouchehri, Lifschitz and Cienfuegos for comment.
