Chris Arellano—the school board candidate without the degrees he claimed and with the criminal record he played down—has dropped out of the runoff campaign, the LA Weekly reports online. City Clerk Frank Martinez told David Zahniser he is seeking a legal opinion to determine whether the third-place finisher in the primary, Enrique Gasca, should join the runoff or whether the election should be cancelled. Arellano informed UTLA president A.J. Duffy of the news hours before the teachers union was likely to yank its endorsement, Zahniser says.

* Wednesday stories: Times, Daily News