Maxine Waters, Dr. Dre face off in fight over Compton school bond

THE SETTING WAS LESS THAN glamorous: a get-out-the-vote rally in a parking lot next to a rust-stuccoed former T-Mobile store in Compton. But the air in the crowd changed about midway through the event Sunday afternoon, when longtime Congresswoman Maxine Waters arrived sporting a pink pinstripe suit and heels.

"It's Auntie Maxine," cheered one of the speakers, Amethyst Jefferson-Roberts, who added that Waters’ presence had rendered her speechless. "I don't even know what I was talking about," she told the crowd of nearly 50.

It’s hard to overemphasize how much sway Waters, who is now 87 years old and poised to be re-elected to her 19th term in Congress, holds here in Compton and neighboring southeast Los Angeles County cities. 

But Waters’ power is being scrutinized this spring in light of a controversy that has exploded on the most seemingly humdrum of municipal issues: a printed flyer, or slate mailer, sent to thousands that opposed a bond measure to pay to replace a single public high school in Compton. 

The fight over the $360-million initiative, Measure CPT, which was first reported by the L.A. Times, has stoked confusion among the local political class and led to the spectacle of Waters facing down rapper-turned-mogul Dr. Dre. 

The dispute centers on Dominguez High School, a nearly 70-year-old campus that lacks a permanent cafeteria after its original one burned down three years ago. The rest of the school is decaying and needs millions of dollars in repairs to its fire, electrical and air systems.

To fix it, Compton Unified's school board unanimously decided to ask voters to approve a school bond that will cover the teardown and replacement of Dominguez High. If the measure is approved on Tuesday, each homeowner in the school district will pay $60 per year for every $100,000 in property value to finance the bond debt. 

Waters has been a supporter of Compton schools, and of other infrastructure projects. But earlier this month, she shocked the school community by coming out against Measure CPT with zero warning or explanation.

For decades, Waters has issued a slate mailer, or a flyer that arrives in the mailboxes of tens of thousands of residents of mostly South L.A. and neighboring communities including Compton. Waters’ portrait is on the mailer, which explicitly states: “Take Maxine Waters’ recommendations with you to vote.”

Waters' slate mailer recommended that voters oppose Measure CPT.

"I was rather astonished — aghast, as it were," said Micah Ali, president of Compton Unified's board. 

Ali worried that Waters' declaration via the mailer would effectively kill the bond measure, which he said was badly needed. "Her endorsement carries significant weight, especially among the voting class within Compton," he said. Waters remains a titan among Democratic voters, especially among Black women over 65 who comprise a "significant" share of likely voters, Ali said. 

He said he was even more perplexed by the mailer because Waters had come to Compton earlier in May to celebrate the groundbreaking of another public high school, which was funded by a different bond measure approved by voters in 2022.

"What changed between May 7 and last week?" wondered Ali, who said Waters never reached out to him or the six other school board members to discuss the bond measure. "Why would you not want the people of Compton to set their own destiny?" 

On Sunday, L.A. Material approached Waters at the get-out-the-vote rally and asked why she opposed Measure CPT. She refused to explain her position, but promised to release a statement on Monday. 

No statement came Monday.

A lawyer for Waters’ congressional campaign, Leilani Beaver, said she had no information on why Waters opposed Measure CPT.

The text on the slate mailer indicates that many of the candidates and ballot measures who received Waters’ endorsement had made contributions in order to be featured there. Among them were Xavier Becerra for governor, Rob Bonta for attorney general, and Steven Bradford for insurance commissioner. 

One group that did not plan to pay for a spot on Waters' mailer: the supporters of Measure CPT. 

Beaver, the lawyer for Waters’ campaign, said that the information on the mailer was inaccurate. Waters’ committee initially planned to “solicit and receive slate mailer payments,” she said, but later, “it chose not to.” 

“Citizens for Waters is not receiving any payments for the slate mailer,” Beaver told L.A. Material.

Beaver declined to say when Waters’ campaign decided not to seek payments from candidates or committees, and she declined to comment when asked if Waters’ mailer was misleading to voters.

Ali would have liked to have had Waters in his corner. As the ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, she has gone viral in recent years with her questioning of Trump officials. At restaurants around L.A., diners and servers alike stop for selfies with her, and she happily obliges. 

Without her support for the bond, however, Ali instead sought help from another Compton luminary: Andre Young, better known as Dr. Dre, a Compton native who has poured $10 million into the city's public schools in recent years.

In a statement to L.A. Material, Dr. Dre, 61, made no mention of Waters. But he did say he was “proud” to support Measure CPT.

“The students of Compton deserve to study under safe conditions and in supportive learning environments. Measure CPT is about keeping that momentum alive and demonstrating to every student that their potential matters," adding, "Now is the time to keep building."

This is hardly the first time that Waters' slate mailer, which is run through her campaign committee, Citizens for Waters, has sparked controversy. In 2004, an investigation by the Los Angeles Times examined how Waters’ family members have received payments for work on the slate mailer.

Federal campaign records reviewed by L.A. Material show that since 2005, her daughter, Karen Waters, has collected nearly $1.3 million from her mother's campaign, the majority of it fees for managing the mailer, including nearly $55,000 in 2020; $103,800 in 2021; and $8,000 in 2022.

In the past, several candidates and ballot measures have ponied up thousands, and in some cases, tens of thousands of dollars to be listed with Waters' imprimatur. 

In 2020, the Yes on 21 campaign for rent control paid $25,000 in connection with the mailer, while Autumn Burke and Mike Gipson paid $8,500 and $12,000, respectively, in their state assembly races, records show. Candidates for judges and local school or water district boards have also contributed for the mailer.

Last year, Waters’ campaign committee paid a $68,000 fine following a probe by the Federal Election Commission that found violations of campaign finance law, including improper cash disbursements and accepting donations above the legal limit. 

Karen Waters and the treasurer for Waters' campaign did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Ali, who has sat on Compton Unified's School Board since 2007, said he remained perplexed by Waters' position. He also said he was aware that a public fight against a beloved local political giant such as Waters put his own political future at risk. 

But he said he is undeterred.

"It's not personal,” he said. “I'm advocating and fighting for the children and families of Compton Unified."

On Sunday, Waters was similarly undeterred. Without mentioning the local Compton schools, she asked voters in that city to send her back to Washington, D.C., where she promised to fight Trump with ever more gusto.

“I’m gonna take him on some more and we’re going to make sure that he cannot cut Compton out,” Waters said. Her age, she claimed, gave her wisdom and experience. “I want you to know that I’m 87 years old and I ain't going nowhere.”

Matt Hamilton can be reached at [email protected].