LA teachers, district resume negotiations amid strike

Teachers and officials in the nation's second-largest school district return to the bargaining table today, hoping to end a strike that has been costly and divisive.

The office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that talks would resume at noon at City Hall, with the office "facilitating" negotiations. The announcement didn't indicate whether any new contract offers would be on the table.

In the meantime, the teachers' union planned to continue its picketing for a fourth day.

Both sides had portrayed themselves as ready and willing to meet again for the first time since talks broke off last week, sending tens of thousands of teachers onto the street.

Yesterday, United Teachers Los Angeles President Alex Caputo-Pearl said the union had engaged Garcetti to help in the dispute, although he lacks authority over the Los Angeles Unified School District.