While the mayor is away in China, the L.A. school board — in its last gasp as an important elected body? — today announced it will give the superintendent job to retired Rear Admiral David L. Brewer, the LAT's School Me blog reports. Given the political maelstrom that awaits due to the board's rush to pick a superintendent without including the mayor, would anyone who is any good take the job? It's tough when, come January, the mayor becomes the post's top constituent. School Me, by the way, calls the crop of finalists considered by the board (in secret) "strikingly weak." This morning's Daily News called it.

Villaraigosa makes a statement from Asia: "I am deeply disappointed that the School Board made this decision without the meaningful inclusion of parents, teachers, the Council of Mayors or the broader Los Angeles community. I look forward to learning about Admiral Brewer’s qualifications, record, and educational philosophy. It is my hope that the Admiral will be committed to bringing fundamental reform to our schools, putting students first, and building a genuine partnership with the Council of Mayors."