Local school Board races have mixed results
Voters in local school Board races appeared ready to return incumbents in some races, while challengers were ahead in others, according to the semifinal results posted by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk and Kern County Elections Division.
However, the slim margins held by some candidates are likely to change as more ballots are processed.
More than 1.31 million ballots were counted and processed, with 23.42% of registered voters casting ballots, LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk officials said.
Results will change as election officials process vote-by-mail, conditional and provisional ballots received on Election Day. Once verified, they will be counted. The next update is scheduled, for Friday.
Palmdale School District and Eastside Union School District’s bond measures, Measure PRM, in the amount of $120 million, and Measure ES, in the amount of $23 million, respectively, could face different fates. Both require 55% of votes cast to pass. Measure ES had 1,545 yes votes, or 62.42%, and 940 “no” votes, or 37.58%. Measure PRM, the District’s third bond measure in 10 years, had 6,046 “yes” votes, or 54.41%, and 5,074 “no” votes, or 45.59%.
Keppel Union School District could have three new Board members, with incumbent Georgia Halliman in fifth place. Incumbents Jannie Dutton and Theresa McCafferty did not run for re-election.
The top vote-getter in the fiveway contest for three seats was retired military fireman Andrew Ramirez with 1,043 votes, or 25.56%. Educator/parent Alma Rodriguez was in second place with 907 votes, or 22.22%, followed by parent advocate Ana Laura Quiles with 735 votes, or 18.01%. Parent Blanca Nava was in fourth place with 703 votes, or 17.23%, followed by Halliman with 693 votes, or 16.98%
In the Wilsona School District race for Trustee Area No. 3, challenger Daniela “Dani” Sanchez had 93 votes, or 59.62%, and incumbent Robert Harris had 63 votes, or 40.38%.
Antelope Valley Community College District Board President Steve Buffalo increased his lead over his two challengers, Miguel Coronado and Giovanni Christon-Pope. Buffalo had 3,936 votes, or 57.03%, followed by Coronado with 1,840 votes, or 26.66%, and Christon-Pope with 1,126 votes, or 16.31%.
Retired corrections officer Charles Hughes held a nearly 1,400-vote advantage over retired teacher Sue Strom in the Antelope Valley Union High School District contest for the Trustee Area No. 1 seat. With no incumbent on the ballot, the District will have three new Board members. Hughes had 6,823 votes, or 55.61%, to Strom’s 5,446 votes, or 44.39%.
In the Trustee Area No. 4 race, adjunct college professor Carla Corona was ahead with 2,433 votes, or 46.48%, followed by parent and community advocate Raquel
Alva Derfler with 1,759 votes, or 33.60%. Nonprofit executive Juan Blanco had 1,043 votes, or 19.92%.
Skilled trades educator Miguel Sanchez had 4,003 votes, or 62.62%, and current Wilsona School District Trustee Vladimir Gomez had 2,390 votes for the Trustee Area No. 5 race.
Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union School District incumbent Lola Skelton had a 19-vote lead over challenger Justice Peter Baldwin in the Trustee Area No. 5 race. Skelton had 90 votes, or 55.90%, to Baldwin’s 71 votes, or 44.10%.
Palmdale School District incumbents Nancy Smith, Ralph Velador and Simone Zulu Diol led challenger Tonya Alenna Schofield in the Board of Education contest. Smith was the top vote-getter with 5,285 votes, or 27.89%, followed by Velador with 5,112 votes, or 26.98%, and Zulu Diol with 4,877 votes, or 25.74%. Schofield had 3,674 votes, or 19.39%.
This will be the District’s last election under the at-large election system. It is in the process of switching to a by-trustee area election system to avoid a costly lawsuit.
The District received a letter from attorney Kevin Shenkman on behalf of his clients, the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and its members who live within the District’s boundaries, alleging the District’s current at-large election system violates the California Voting Rights Act and dilutes the influence of Latino voters.
In the Southern Kern Unified School District Board of Education race, incumbents Sunni Hepburn and Jim Bender switched third and fourth places with 35 votes separating them, according to the most recent results posted by the Kern County Elections Division.
Board President Mario Gutierrez was the top vote-getter with 830 votes, or 31.56%, followed by challenger Adrienne Rendon with 739 votes, or 28.10%. Bender was third with 548 votes, or 20.84%, followed by Hepburn with 513 votes, or 19.51%.