The editorial board is optimistic about schools after Tuesday's school board wins for reform-friendly candidates:

At this point, the most regressive force in the L.A. Unified School District is its teachers union, which has wielded inordinate power via donations to school board campaigns. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's fundraising ability, though, was more than a match for United Teachers Los Angeles in Tuesday's election. So, for the first time in decades, UTLA might be ripe for an overhaul.

The board details the DaimlerChrysler "fire sale" and reflects on Rev. Jerry Falwell's place in a long tradition of mixing church and state.

The New America Foundation's Steven Hill and Lynne Serpe look at the downside of Tuesday's election -- high costs for a low turnout. Columnist Patt Morrison takes on another perennial local problem, droughts, and wonders why no one's rushing to save water. UC Davis' Colin A. Carter and the Hoover Institution's Henry I. Miller set politicians straight on ethanol, while the Center for Genetics and Society's Osagie K. Obasogie sets Oprah Winfrey straight on blacks' high blood pressure.

On the letters page, Middle East Forum Director Daniel Pipes responds to William Dalrymple's op-ed, which called Pipes an orientalist with no experience of the Muslim World: "I happily accept the Orientalist charge.... But Dalrymple should have checked my resume."