ABC Unified School District elections (2013)
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Three seats on the school board for ABC Unified School District were up for district wide elections held on November 5, 2013. Candidates Lynda Johnson, Soo Y. Yoo and Olympia Chen defeated two challenging candidates for three at-large seats.
About the district
- See also: ABC Unified School District, California
ABC Unified School District is located on the southeastern edge of Los Angeles County, California in Cerritos, California. It is located in the largest county in California. According to the 2010 Census, it is home to 49,041 residents.[1]
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Demographics
Cerritos outperforms the rest of California when measured on the basis of median household income, percentage of residents living below the poverty level, percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a bachelor's degree and percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a high school diploma. The median household income in Cerritos was $87,853 compared to $61,632 for the state of California. 48.2% of Cerritos residents aged 25 years and older attained a bachelor's degree compared to a 30.2 in California. The US Census also showed the poverty rate in Cerritos was 5.5% compared to 14.4% for the entire state. The US Census also found that 92.5% of Cerritos residents aged 25 years and older attained a high school degree compared to a 80.8% in California.[3]
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Method of board member selection
ABC Unified School District School Board consists of seven members, all of whom are elected to four year terms. All board members represent the district at large. Board member terms are staggered so that at least three members, but no more than four are to be elected each odd numbered year on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November. There are no primary elections. Three seats were up for election on November 5, 2013. The three remaining seats were up for election on November 3, 2015.[4]
Elections
2013
Candidates
- Olympia Chen
- Incumbent board Member
- Daniel Fierro
- Education policy advisor
- Lynda Johnson
- Incumbent board member
- Ethan L. Robinson
- Deputy City Attorney
- Soo Y. Yoo
- Educator/Businesswoman
Election results
On November 5, 2013, three seats were up for election on the ABC Unified School District Board of Education. Candidates Lynda Johnson, Soo Y. Yoo and Olympia Chen defeated two challenging candidates.
| ABC Unified School District Board of Education, At-large General Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Lynda Johnson |
28% | 4,514 | |
| Nonpartisan | Soo Y. Yoo |
25.9% | 4,177 | |
| Nonpartisan | Olympia Chen |
22.9% | 3,686 | |
| Nonpartisan | Daniel Fierro | 11.9% | 1,923 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ethan L. Robinson | 11.3% | 1,815 | |
| Total Votes | 16,115 | |||
| Source: Los Angeles County Clerk, "NOVEMBER 5, 2013 - LOCAL & MUNI CONSOLIDATED ELECTION Final Official Election Returns" accessed December 12, 2013 | ||||
Funding
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Los Angeles County Register-Recorder/County Clerk.
Endorsements
Candidate Daniel Fierro received endorsements from community members including City Council members and members of the Cerritos College Board of Trustees.[5] Lynda Johnson received endorsements from Cerritos Councilman Mark Pulido, the ABC Federation of Teachers, and Artesia City Councilman Elect Miguel Canales.[6]
Past elections
2011
On November 8, 2011, four seats on the ABC Unified School District Board of Education were up for election. Candidates Sophia M. Tse, Armin Reyes, Celia Spitzer and Maynard G. Law defeated two challengers.
| ABC Unified School District Board of Education, At-large General Election, 2011, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Sophia M. Tse |
23.4% | 5,168 | |
| Nonpartisan | Armin Reyes |
19.6% | 4,338 | |
| Nonpartisan | Celia Spitzer |
18.8% | 4,147 | |
| Nonpartisan | Maynard G. Law |
18% | 3,983 | |
| Nonpartisan | Louise Dodson | 11.3% | 2,503 | |
| Nonpartisan | Henna Sharma | 8.8% | 1,951 | |
| Total Votes | 22,090 | |||
| Source: Smart Voter.org, "Governing Board Member; ABC Unified School District Voter Information" accessed August 27, 2013 | ||||
What was at stake?
Three at-large seats were up for election on November 5, 2013. Candidates Lynda Johnson, Soo Y. Yoo and Olympia Chen defeated two challenging candidates.
Voting Rights Act lawsuit
In April, 2013, three district residents filed a lawsuit alleging that the ABC Unified School District School Board trustee system did not adequately represent the district as a whole. At the time, the board consisted of five Asian trustees and two white trustees. All elected trustees were from the Cerritos area of the district, which encompasses all or part of five cities. Former trustee applicant and plaintiff Olga Rios sued in order to have the district change to a trustee district election system, where the district would be divided into seven geographic zones, with representatives elected from each of them. The 2002 California Voter Rights Act prohibits local governments from holding at-large elections if that system impairs the ability of minority groups to elect candidates of their choice.[7][8]
Key deadlines
The following dates are key deadlines for the ABC Unified School District election in 2013:[9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 15, 2013 | First day to file a petition of candidacy |
| August 9, 2013 | Close of filing period for petition of candidacy |
| October 21, 2013 | Last day to register to vote in school election |
| October 29, 2013 | Final day to apply to vote by mail |
| November 5, 2013 | Election Day |
Additional elections on the ballot
The ballot for the November 5, 2013 election in Los Angeles County also featured elections for local and municipal positions, such as elections for City Clerk, City Treasurer, Mayor and City Council.[10]
See also
- California school board elections draw over 200 candidates
- School board elections review: Voters opt for experience over new blood in nation's largest school districts
- School board election wrap-up: Incumbents re-elected overwhelmingly in November 5 elections
- California
- ABC Unified School District, California
- List of school board elections in 2013
- Los Angeles County, California ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, California
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ US Census Bureau, "Cerritos, California Quick Facts" accessed August 23, 2013
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCensus1 - ↑ US Census Bureau, "Cerritos, California Quick Facts" accessed August 23, 2013
- ↑ ABC Unified, "BYLAWS OF THE BOARD" accessed August 27, 2013
- ↑ Fierro for ABC.com, "Danny Fierro," accessed October 1, 2013
- ↑ Youtube.com, "ABC School Board Candidate Lynda Johnson Campaign Endorsement Press Conference," accessed October 1, 2013
- ↑ Press Telegram, "All-Cerritos school board: Lawsuit claims ABC Unified violates California Voting Rights Act" accessed August 27, 2013
- ↑ LA Times, "Suit seeks to change ABC Unified to trustee system" accessed August 27, 2013
- ↑ [http://www.lavote.net/voter/PDFS/CALENDAR_EVENTS/11052013.pdf LA Votes, "TENTATIVE CALENDAR OF EVENTS " accessed August 26, 2013
- ↑ LA Vote, "FINAL LIST OF QUALIFIED CANDIDATES TO APPEAR ON THE BALLOT" accessed August 27, 2013
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