Posted by Chris Nguyen on February 14, 2019
After two regular board meetings and four special board meetings, the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) was unable to fill the vacancy on their School Board that resulted from the election of Ceci Iglesias (R) to the Santa Ana City Council. As such, they did not meet the February 9 deadline under state law to fill the vacancy by appointment, and the County Superintendent of Schools must call a special election for SAUSD.
The special election will take place on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, less than one year after the regular election for School Board (and City Council). The regular election for the next term for the same School Board seat will be less than a year later on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
After winning 39.1% of the vote in a three-way race in the November 6, 2018, election, Iglesias was sworn in to the City Council on December 4. Her former School Board seat will be vacant for nearly 11 months, with the special election winner holding the seat for just over a year before the term expires.
On December 11, the School Board voted to hold an appointment process. Applications were due January 3. The School Board held a special meeting on January 8 to interview the 10 applicants. During that meeting, 2 applicants were ruled ineligible because they did not live in the School District boundaries, and 3 finalists were picked from the 8 eligible applicants.
At a January 15 special meeting, the Board deadlocked 2-2 on the appointee for the vacancy, with Board Members Rigo Rodriguez (D) and Alfonso Alvarez (D) voting to appoint Carolyn Torres (D) and Board Members John Palacio (D) and Valerie Amezcua (D) voting to appoint Bruce Bauer (D). A compromise attempt by Palacio to appoint the third finalist, Sergio Verino (D), failed when no one else supported Verino.
At its January 22 regular meeting, the Board deadlocked 2-2 on Torres and Bauer again.
At its January 29 special meeting, the Board deadlocked 2-2 on Torres and Bauer a third time.
At its February 8 special meeting, the Board deadlocked 2-2 on Torres and Bauer a fourth and final time.
Meanwhile at Santa Ana City Hall: Roman Reyna (D) resigned from the Santa Ana City Council, effective March 1. The Santa Ana City Charter gives the City Council until March 31 to appoint someone to fill the resulting vacancy. (Reyna had agreed to resign as part of a legal settlement to end a lawsuit accusing Reyna of being legally ineligible for the seat when he was elected in the November 6, 2018 election. As part of the agreement, Reyna agreed not to seek appointment to fill the vacancy nor run for election to fill the vacancy.)
If the Council fails to fill the vacancy by March 31, then there shall be a special election for City Council on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, to fill the remaining three years on that Council seat. In other words, most Santa Ana voters would fill both a City Council vacancy (through 2022) and a School Board vacancy (through 2020) in the November 2019 special election. (95.7% of SAUSD voters are residents of the City of Santa Ana. Conversely, only 73.7% of Santa Ana City voters are residents of SAUSD.)
The applicants for appointment to the School Board vacancy consisted of 7 Democrats, 2 Republicans, and 1 No Party Preference registrant. Of those, 1 Democrat and 1 Republican were ruled ineligible since they are not residents of SAUSD. The 10 applicants who were considered on January 8 were:
Receiving 3-4 Votes to Become Finalists
- Bruce Bauer (D), a former Santa Ana Planning Commissioner, who came in 6th in the 2016 election for SAUSD
- Carolyn Torres (D), a middle school teacher and an activist with Chicanos Unidos
- Sergio Verino (D), a community college adjunct professor and a Santa Ana City Code Enforcement Supervisor
Torres and Verino both received four votes to advance to the finalist stage while Bauer received three votes (Rigo Rodriguez dissenting on Bauer).
Receiving 2 Votes
- Shaulyn Barban (NPP), an 18-year-old high school senior
- Irma Macias (D), a Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Commissioner, who came in 6th in the 2018 election for City Council, Ward 2
- Mark McLoughlin (D), a Santa Ana Planning Commissioner and former Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee, who came in 5th in the 2016 election for SAUSD
Valerie Amezcua proposed advancing Barban to the finalist stage, John Palacio proposed advancing Macias, and Rigo Rodriguez proposed advancing McLoughlin. Alfonso Alvarez provided a second vote for each of the three to advance to the finalist stage.
Receiving 1 Vote
- Jesus Montoya (D), a community college counselor
Only Rigo Rodriguez supported advancing Montoya to the finalist stage.
Receiving No Votes
- Gisela Contreras (R), an insurance brokerage account manager
- Abigail Aleman (D), ruled ineligible as a resident of Garden Grove Unified School District
- Richard Lyons (R), ruled ineligible as a resident of Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Posted in Santa Ana, Santa Ana Unified School District | Tagged: Abigail Aleman, Alfonso Alvarez, Bruce Bauer, Carolyn Torres, Ceci Iglesias, Cecilia "Ceci" Iglesias, Cecilia Iglesias, Gisela Contreras, Irma Macias, Jesus Montoya, John Palacio, Mark McLoughlin, Richard Lyons, Rigo Rodriguez, Sergio Verino, Shaulyn Barban, Valerie Amezcua | 1 Comment »
Posted by Chris Nguyen on August 15, 2016
Under California law, the deadline for filing for most offices was this past Friday, August 12. However, in races where there is an eligible incumbent who chose not to file for re-election, non-incumbents received an extra five days to file. Consequently, the deadline for non-incumbents to file has been extended until 5:00 PM on Wednesday, August 17 for 20 races for college board, school board, and special districts. None of these require nomination signatures, so a prospective candidate could literally pull and file papers in the final minutes before 5:00 PM on August 17.
Three of these contests actually have more seats than candidates. In other words, there aren’t enough candidates for these races, so anyone who files will go unopposed, but at this point, if no one else files, these three districts will have vacancies:
There’s an additional five contests where the number of seats equal the number of candidates. In other words, if no one else files, all of these candidates will be elected unopposed:
Looking at the list below, some of you may be wondering why Rancho Santiago Community College District, Trustee Area 1 is not listed. In that case, incumbent Jose Solorio (D) actually resigned from the seat, so there is no incumbent. When there’s no incumbent at all, there’s no extension.
For those of you who are curious
Here’s the complete run-down on the 20 contests where filing has been extended to 5:00 PM on August 17 because at least one incumbent failed to file, giving non-incumbents an extra five days to file:
- North Orange County Community College District, Trustee Area 2
- Incumbent Leonard Lahtinen (D) did not file for re-election, opting instead to run for Anaheim City Council. Three candidates have pulled and filed papers to replace him so far:
- Centralia School District Trustee Art Montez (D), who was on the Centralia Board from 1998-2010, when he was defeated for re-election, lost a 2012 bid to return to the Board, and then finally returned to the Centralia Board in the 2014 election, but he’s already looking for another office just two years later
- College Educator Ed Lopez (?)
- Businesswoman/Student Ann-Marie Stinson (D)
- North Orange County Community College District, Trustee Area 7
- Incumbent Tony Ontiveros (R), the only Republican on the North Orange County Community College District Board, did not file for re-election. Only one candidate has pulled papers to replace him:
- Attorney Barry Wishart (D), who served on the North Orange County Community College District Board from 1985 until his resignation in December 2001, three years into his fourth term
- Capistrano Unified School District, Trustee Area 3
- Incumbent John Alpay (R) did not file for re-election, opting instead to run for South Orange County Community College District. Only one candidate has pulled papers to replace him:
- Public Information Officer Laura Ferguson (R), who is the PIO for the City of San Clemente
- Irvine Unified School District
- There are three incumbents up for re-election: Paul Bokota (D), Lauren Brooks (R), and Michael Parham (R). Bokota and Brooks filed for re-election, but Parham did not. In addition to Bokota and Brooks, four other candidates have pulled and filed papers:
- Irvine Businesswoman/Parent Betty Carroll (NPP)
- Army Captain/Parent Mark Newgent (?)
- Irvine Businesswoman/Parent Naz Hamid (D)
- Attorney Geri Zollinger (D)
- Laguna Beach Unified School District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: William Landsiedel (R) and Jan Vickers (D). Vickers filed for re-election, but Landsiedel did not. In addition to Vickers, two other candidates have pulled and filed papers:
- Constitutional Lawyer/Author Howard Hills (R)
- Community Volunteer Peggy Wolff (D)
- Orange Unified School District, Trustee Area 6
- Incumbent Mark Wayland (R) did not file for re-election. Three candidates have pulled papers to replace him:
- Child Care Supervisor Nicole Baitx-Kennedy (NPP), the only one who has filed papers so far
- Realtor Jeremy Wayland (R), the retiring incumbent’s son
- Danielle Jacobs (R), who is director of operations for Sheldon Development, LLC, run by Orange County Water District Director Steve Sheldon (R)
- Saddleback Valley Unified School District
- There are three incumbents up for re-election: Ginny Fay Aitkens (D), Amanda Morrell (R), and Suzie Swartz (R). Morrell and Swartz filed for re-election, but Aitkens did not. In addition to Morrell and Swartz, five other candidates have pulled papers:
- Retired Educator Edward Wong (NPP)
- Teacher Bill Yarrington (R)
- Water Agency Manager Mark Tettemer (R), a former Lake Forest City Councilman who retired in 2012 after two terms to pursue a Master of Public Administration
- School Maintenance Specialist David Johnson (?)
- Businessman Theo Hunt (D)
- Santa Ana Unified School District
- There are three incumbents up for re-election: Jose Hernandez (NPP), Cecilia Iglesias (R), and Rob Richardson (R). Iglesias filed for re-election, but Hernandez and Richardson did not. In addition to Iglesias, seven other candidates have pulled papers:
- Recreation Program Coordinator Gloria Alvarado (D)
- Attorney/Santa Ana Commissioner Bruce Bauer (D)
- Teacher/Parent Rigo Rodriguez (?)
- Supervising Social Worker Alfonso Alvarez (D)
- Congressional Liaison/Parent Bea Mendoza (D), who works for Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D)
- Educator/Santa Ana Commissioner Mark McLoughlin (NPP), a former Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee
- Santa Ana Businesswoman/Economist Angie Cano (R)
- Huntington Beach City School District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: Bridget Kaub (R) and Brian Rechsteiner (R). Kaub filed for re-election, but Rechsteiner did not. In addition to Kaub, three other candidates have pulled papers:
- Retired Elementary Principal Ann Sullivan (AI)
- Rob Fishel (NPP)
- Elementary Teacher/Parent Karrie Burroughs (R)
- Ocean View School District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: Gina Clayton-Tarvin (D) and Debbie Cotton (R). Clayton-Tarvin filed for re-election, but Cotton did not. In addition to Clayton-Tarvin, only one other candidate has pulled and filed papers:
- Social Worker Amalia Lam (D)
- Westminster School District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: Jamison Power (D) and Amy Walsh (R). Power filed for re-election, but Walsh did not. In addition to Power, two other candidates have pulled and filed papers:
- Attorney/Business Owner Karl Truong (?)
- Educator/Entrepreneur Frances Nguyen (R), a former President of the Westminster Chamber of Commerce
- Capistrano Bay Community Services District
- No one has pulled papers for these two seats! There are two incumbents up for re-election: Ambrose Mastro (R) and Stephen Muller (R), the two Republicans on a board with one Democrat and two NPPs. Neither Mastro nor Muller filed for re-election.
- At this point, anyone who pulls and files papers will walk into elected office unopposed. If fewer than two people file for these two seats, the Orange County Board of Supervisors will appoint people to fill the vacancies.
- Emerald Bay Service District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: William Hart (R) and John Marconi (R). Marconi filed for re-election, but Hart did not. In addition to Marconi, only one other candidate has pulled and filed papers:
- Real Estate Investor Phil De Carion (NPP)
- Surfside Colony Community Services District
- Incumbent Michael Farrell (NPP) did not file for re-election. Two candidates have pulled and filed papers to replace him so far:
- Retired Business Owner Rudy LaLonde (R)
- Linda Garofalo (NPP), ex-wife of former Huntington Beach Mayor Dave Garofalo (R)
- Three Arch Bay Community Services District
- No one has pulled papers for the third seat! There are three incumbents up for re-election: Alan Anderson (R), Elizabeth Gapp (R) and Gary Rubel (R). While Anderson and Rubel filed for re-election, Gapp did not. Only Anderson and Rubel have pulled and filed papers.
- At this point, anyone who pulls and files papers will walk into elected office unopposed. If a third person does not file for these three seats, the Orange County Board of Supervisors will appoint someone to fill the vacancy.
- Silverado-Modjeska Recreation and Park District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: John Olson (D) and Chay Peterson (NPP). Neither Olson nor Peterson filed for re-election. Four candidates have pulled and filed papers:
- IT Consultant Steven Duff (D)
- Retired Educator Tara Saraye (D)
- Realtor/Artist/Parent Heidi Murphy-Grande (?)
- Dion Sorrell (D)
- Surfside Colony Storm Water Protection District
- No one has pulled papers for the second seat! There are two incumbents up for re-election: John Cahoon (L) and Stephen Rowe (D). While Rowe filed for re-election, Cahooon did not. Only Rowe has pulled and filed papers.
- At this point, anyone who pulls and files papers will walk into elected office unopposed. If a second person does not file for these two seats, the Orange County Board of Supervisors will appoint someone to fill the vacancy.
- South Coast Water District
- There are three incumbents up for re-election: Dick Dietmeier (NPP), Rick Erkeneff (R), and Wayne Rayfield (D). Erkeneff and Rayfield filed for re-election, but Dietmeier did not. In addition to Erkeneff and Rayfield, four other candidates have pulled papers:
- Retired Business Owner Bob Moore (R), a former South Coast Water District Director who lost a 2014 re-election bid after foolishly using a non-incumbent ballot designation
- Retired Project Manager Bob Oakley (R)
- Civil Engineer Douglas Erdman (NPP), who appears to be the son of South Coast Water District Director Dennis Erdman (R)
- Former South Coast Water District Director Richard Gardner (D), who lost a 2012 re-election bid seeks a return to his old seat after losing a 2014 bid to reclaim a seat on this board (or he might not seek a return since he has also pulled papers for Municipal Water District of Orange County, Division 7)
- Yorba Linda Water District
- There are two incumbents up for re-election: Michael Beverage (R) and Ric Collett (R). Collett filed for re-election, but Beverage did not. In addition to Collett, only one other candidate has pulled and filed papers:
- Retired Business Advisor Benjamin Franklin Parker (R)
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- Incumbent Susan Hinman (R) did not file for re-election. Three candidates have pulled papers to replace her so far:
- Moulton-Niguel Water District Director Donald Froelich (R)
- Business Owner/Consultant Evan Chaffee (R)
- Registered Professional Engineer Raymond Miller (R)
- Former South Coast Water District Director Richard Gardner (D), who has also pulled papers for South Coast Water District
Posted in Anaheim, Capistrano Bay Community Services District, Capistrano Unified School District, Centralia School District, Emerald Bay Service District, Huntington Beach City School District, Irvine Unified School District, Laguna Beach Unified School District, Moulton-Niguel Water District, Municipal Water District of Orange County, North Orange County Community College District, Ocean View School District, Orange Unified School District, Saddleback Valley Unified School District, Santa Ana Unified School District, Silverado-Modjeska Recreation and Park District, South Coast Water District, South Orange County Community College District, Surfside Colony Community Services District, Surfside Colony Storm Water Protection District, Three Arch Bay Community Services District, Westminster School District, Yorba Linda Water District | Tagged: Alan Anderson, Alfonso Alvarez, Amalia Lam, Amanda Morrell, Ambrose Mastro, Amy Walsh, Angie Cano, Ann Sullivan, Ann-Marie Stinson, Art Montez, Barry Wishart, Bea Mendoza, Benjamin Parker, Betty Carroll, Bill Yarrington, Bob Moore, Bob Oakley, Brian Rechsteiner, Bridget Kaub, Bruce Bauer, Ceci Iglesias, Cecilia "Ceci" Iglesias, Cecilia Iglesias, Chalynn Peterson, Daivd Johnson, Danielle Jacobs, Dave Garofalo, Debbie Cotton, Dennis Erdman, Dick Dietmeier, Dion Sorrell, Donald Froelich, Douglas Erdman, Ed Lopez, Edward Wong, Elizabeth Gapp, Evan P. Chafee, Frances Nguyen, Gary Rubel, Geri Zollinger, Gina Clayton, Gina Clayton-Tarvin, Ginny Aitkens, Gloria Alvarado, Heidi Murphy-Grande, Howard Hills, Jamison Power, Jan Vickers, Jeremy Wayland, John Alpay, John Cahoon, John Marconi, John Olson, Jose Hernandez, Jose Solorio, Karl Truong, Karrie Burroughs, Laura Ferguson, Lauren Brooks, Leonard L. Lahtinen, Leonard Lahtinen, Linda Garofalo, Loretta Sanchez, Mark D. Wayland, Mark McLoughlin, Mark Newgent, Mark Tettemer, Mark Wayland, Michael Beverage, Michael Farrell, Michael Parham, Naz Hamid, Nicole Baitx-Kennedy, Paul Bokota, Peggy Wolff, Phil De Carion, Raymond Miller, Ric Collett, Richard Gardner, Rick Erkeneff, Rigo Rodriguez, Rob Fishel, Rob Richardson, Rudy LaLonde, Stephen Muller, Stephen Rowe, Steven Duff, Susan Hinman, Suzie Swartz, Tara Saraye, Theo Hunt, Tony Ontiveros, Wayne Rayfield, William Hart, William Landsiedel | 1 Comment »
Posted by Chris Nguyen on August 10, 2012
While the races in Trustee Areas 1 and 7 are cancelled for being single-candidate affairs, a pair of tri-candidate campaigns have emerged in Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee Areas 3 and 5.
Mark McLoughlin, David Chapel, Claudia Alvarez
The slugfest between Rancho Santiago Community College District Vice President Mark McLoughlin (D-Santa Ana), Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee David Chapel (NPP-Santa Ana), and Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez (D-Santa Ana) should be the most fun college board race to watch this November. Read my full pre-campaign analysis of this Trustee Area 5 race here. Sadly, rumors of a Republican Vietnamese candidate proved untrue in Area 5.
 Thomas Anthony Gordon |
 Nelida M. Yanez |
Public School Inspector Thomas Anthony Gordon (R-Santa Ana), Paralegal Nelida M. Yanez (D-Santa Ana), and Construction Laborer Antonio “Tony” Jesus Tapia (D-Santa Ana) will contest Trustee Area 3. Gordon is of course a blogger here at OC Political. Ken Nguyen (NPP-Santa Ana) and Myriam Tinajero (D-Santa Ana) failed to return their papers before filing closed.
While Gordon and Yanez (like the trio in Area 5 of Alvarez, Chapel, and McLoughlin) wisely chose to place a candidate’s statement in the sample ballot, Tapia did not even bother getting a statement, which will make it difficult for voters to take him seriously when he doesn’t even take the voters seriously enough to tell him anything about himself. The candidate’s statement in the sample ballot is the single thing that actually reaches every single voter.
(In the interest of full disclosure, Custom Campaigns, which owns OC Political, is the consultant on Gordon’s race.)
Posted in Rancho Santiago Community College District | Tagged: Antonio "Tony" Jesus Tapia, Claudia Alvarez, David Chapel, Mark McLoughlin, Nelida M. Yanez, Thomas Anthony Gordon | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Chris Nguyen on August 2, 2012
Mark McLaughlin, David Chapel, and Claudia Alvarez
You may have seen Emami’s Twitter-style post, so here’s a more in-depth examination of the race for Rancho Santiago Community College District Board, Trustee Area 5.
In what may be the most awesome November slugfest not involving Republicans, Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez, has pulled papers to run for the RSCCD Trustee Area 5. There are already two incumbents in the seat, as the RSCCD board recently switched from a multi-member three-area at-large election system to a vote-by-area system. When they drew the lines for Area 5, they put three incumbents into Area 5, but Brian Conley chose to retire in June, leaving David Chapel and Mark McLoughlin to duke it out in November.
Now, we have a three-way slugfest with RSCCD Trustee Chapel (NPP), RSCCD Vice President McLoughlin (D), and Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Alvarez (D). City council members have typically been able to defeat sitting school board members for school board seats (for example, Costa Mesa Councilwoman Katrina Foley unseated Newport-Mesa Unified School District Trustee Michael Collier 55%-45% in 2010). Here, Alvarez is a sitting Councilwoman running for a single college board seat where two trustees are already in the race.
Alvarez has several advantages:
- City Councilmembers’ general ability to unseat school board members
- The pro-incumbent vote is split between Chapel and McLoughlin
- She is the sole woman
- She is the sole Latina
- She has higher name ID, due to her Council seat and her 2006 bid for Assembly (she lost the primary to Jose Solorio, who incidentally is now running for RSCCD Trustee Area 1)
- She has the largest warchest
This will be a tall order for Chapel to beat both McLaughlin and Alvarez. It will be a similarly tall order for McLaughlin to beat both Chapel and Alvarez. Of the three, Alvarez has the clearest path to the RSCCD victory in November.
For those wondering, Area 5 is:
- Fountain Valley north of Edinger Avenue
- Garden Grove south of Garden Grove Boulevard between Harbor Boulevard and Euclid Street
- Santa Ana north of 17th Street and west of Santiago Street
- Santa Ana between Euclid Street and the Santa Ana River
- Santa Ana north of Civic Center Drive between Bristol Street and Flower Street
For visual learners, it’s the yellow portion on this map:
Posted in Costa Mesa, Newport-Mesa Unified School District, Rancho Santiago Community College District, Santa Ana | Tagged: Brian Conley, Claudia Alvarez, David Chapel, Jose Solorio, Katrina Foley, Mark McLoughlin, Michael Collier | 2 Comments »
Posted by Chris Nguyen on July 16, 2012
According to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana) has pulled papers for the Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee Area 1. (There is no incumbent, as the RSCCD board recently switched from a multi-member three-area at-large election system to a vote-by-area system, but drew three incumbents into Area 5, with Brian Conley choosing to retire in June, leaving David Chapel and Mark McLoughlin to duke it out in Area 5.)
Solorio had been rumored for months to be interested in the RSCCD seat after the Bernie Madoff of California Democrats, Kinde Durkee, stole $700,000+ from Solorio, putting an end to his bid to challenge Supervisor Janet Nguyen (R-Garden Grove). Between his Assembly campaign committee and a ballot measure committee, Solorio has over $200,000 cash on hand.
Due to the fact there are no contribution limits for the college board seat in Rancho Santiago, Solorio can transfer the entire $200,000 to his RSCCD account without raising another penny.
Santa Ana LULAC President Zeke Hernandez is rumored to be Solorio’s top challenger.
Will union anger at Solorio’s endorsement of Tom Daly for Assembly result in enormous contributions to Hernandez for college board? (Remember, there are no contribution limits, so they can give all the money to Hernandez instead of doing an IE.)
Trustee Area 1’s eastern border follows Main Street in Santa Ana from 17th Street down to the 55 Freeway. Its southern border is the Santa Ana city limit. Its far northern border is 17th Street. Its western border is a zig-zag involving Flower Street from 17th Street to 1st Street, Bristol Street from 1st Street to St. Andrew Place, Rene Drive from St. Andrew Place to Warner Avenue, and roughly Raitt Street from Warner Avenue to the city limit.
Posted in 69th Assembly District, Rancho Santiago Community College District | Tagged: Brian Conley, David Chapel, Janet Nguyen, Jose Solorio, Kinde Durkee, Mark McLoughlin, Zeke Hernandez | 2 Comments »
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