"To the end goal of fixing California's public schools. we work hard to help candidates who are bold and reform-minded and not entrenched in the status quo," said EdVoice Political Director Gary Davis. "We spent a lot of time interviewing both candidates and reached the conclusion that Larry Miles represents status quo and what's wrong with the education system."

Because the first round of attacks did not mention Miles' Assembly candidacy and were sent more than 45 days outside the election, they likely qualify as "issue advocacy," meaning the source paying for the pieces does not have to be disclosed.

Davis wouldn't confirm or deny whether EdVoice funded the nearly identical "issue advocacy" pieces that went out last month.

"We hold off until after June 8 to talk about strategy," said Davis, who has endorsed Pan. "EdVoice is careful about following the letter and the spirit of the law."

But there's another twist: EdVoice's independent expenditure committee also paid for polling in the district around the time the mailers were dropped. And the California Medical Association, one of Pan's chief backers, helped pay for half that poll.

The similar messaging between the anonymous mailers and a poll conducted the same week raised the eyebrows of Nancy Kepner, a retired teacher in the district who was hit with both.

"It was just too much of a similarity," said Kepner, a registered Democrat. "There were some questions I thought were slanted about (Miles') votes on the school board."

CMA spokesman Andrew LaMar said last month that the doctors' group was not "involved at all" with the mailers: "We have nothing to do with those mailers and didn't know anything about them."

LaMar reiterated those claims today and said CMA helped pay for the poll to research voters' opinions for their own independent expenditures supporting Pan.

"It's just very positive, standard campaign stuff," he said.

Miles said he thought voters could "draw their own conclusions" about the source of the first mailers, but that he thought the attacks were "a bust" anyway.

"People in the district think we've worked very hard in the San Juan School Distirct," he said.

Miles, Pan and legislative advocate Matt Gray are running in the Democratic primary to replace termed-out GOP Assemblyman Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks. The leading contenders on the Republican side are attorney Andy Pugno and legislative aide Craig DeLuz.