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Bellflower Unified School District elections (2013)
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Three seats on the school board for Bellflower Unified School District were up for district wide elections that were held on November 5, 2013. Laura Sanchez-Ramirez, Sue S. Elhessen and Paul L. Helzer defeated Sean Bookout, Ted Edmiston and Angelia Parrish for the three at-large seats.
About the district
Bellflower Unified School District is located in Southern Los Angeles County, California in Bellflower, California. It is located in the largest county in California. According to the 2010 Census, it is home to 77,356 residents.[1]
Demographics
In 2013, Bellflower outperformed the rest of California when measured on the basis of percentage of residents living below the poverty level, but underperformed when measured on percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a bachelor's degree and median household income. The median household income in Bellflower was $50,244 compared to $61,632 for the state of California. 17.4% of Bellflower residents aged 25 years and older attained a bachelor's degree compared to a 30.2 in California. The United States Census also showed the poverty rate in Bellflower was 13.4% compared to 14.4% for the entire state.[2]
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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
Bellflower Unified School District School Board consists of five 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 two members, but no more than three 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 two remaining seats were up for election on November 3, 2015.[4]
Elections
2013
Candidates
- Sean Bookout
- Police officer
- Ted Edmiston
- Educator/Chiropractor
- Sue S. Elhessen
- Educator/Businesswoman
- Paul L. Helzer
- Chiropractor
- Incumbent board member
- Angelia Parrish
- Court Reporter
- Laura Sanchez-Ramirez
- Incumbent board member
Election results
On November 5, 2013, Laura Sanchez-Ramirez, Sue S. Elhessen and Paul L. Helzer defeated three challenging candidates for three seats on the BUSD Board of Education.
| Bellflower Unified School District Board of Education, At-large General Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Sue S. Elhessen |
19.5% | 1,268 | |
| Nonpartisan | Laura Sanchez-Ramirez Incumbent |
19.2% | 1,250 | |
| Nonpartisan | Paul L. Helzer Incumbent |
17.6% | 1,145 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sean Bookout | 15.6% | 1,014 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ted Edmiston | 15.1% | 984 | |
| Nonpartisan | Angelia Parrish | 13% | 844 | |
| Total Votes | 6,505 | |||
| Source: Los Angeles County Clerk, "NOVEMBER 5, 2013 - LOCAL & MUNI CONSOLIDATED ELECTION Final Official Election Returns" accessed December 12, 2013 | ||||
Endorsements
Sue S. Elhessen received official endorsements from the Bellflower Teachers Association, the Bellflower CSEA and Bellflower Mayor Pro-tem Sonny R. Santa Ines. Laura Sanchez-Ramirez received official endorsements from California Assemblyman Anthony Rendon, Paramount mayor Diane Martinez and three former Cerritos mayors. Angelia Parrish received official endorsements from Bellflower Teachers Association and California School Employees Association (CSEA). Sean Bookout received official endorsements from Cerritos College Board of Trustee members John Paul Drayer and Marisa Perez. Paul L. Helzer received official endorsements from the Bellflower City Council, LA County Supervisor Don Knabe and two former BUSD superintendents.[5]
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2011On November 8, 2011, two seats on the Bellflower Unified School District Board of Education were up for election. Candidates Jerry L. Cleveland and Debra "Debbie" Cuadros defeated four challengers. One two year term was also up for election on the Bellflower Unified School District Board of Education. Candidate Donald McMackin defeated Clifton "Cliff" Philips in the election.
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What was at stake?
Three positions on the Bellflower Unified School District Board of Education including the President's position were at stake on the November 5, 2013 ballot. Incumbents Paul L. Helzer and Laura Sanchez-Ramirez both filed seeking re-election.
Issues
Textbook bribery and embezzlement charges
On September 5, 2013, thirteen school district employees from the Los Angeles Unified, Bellflower Unified, Inglewood Unified and Lynwood Unified school districts were indicted on charges of embezzlement and accepting bribes. These charges stemmed from an investigation in which prosecutors alleged that Corey Frederick and the operators of "Doorkeeper Textz" allegedly bribed these school district employees in exchange for textbooks acquired from the school districts. The textbooks were then sold back to the school districts or through online outlets such as Amazon or Bookbyte. A now retired Bellflower Unified warehouse supervisor Vincent Browning was accused of allegedly accepting $47,728 in bribes.[6]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Bellflower Unified School District election in 2013:[7]
| 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.[8]
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
- Bellflower Unified School District, California
- List of school board elections in 2013
- Los Angeles County, California ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, California
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Bellflower, California Quick Facts" accessed September 3, 2013
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Bellflower, California Quick Facts" accessed September 3, 2013
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCensus1 - ↑ Bellflower Unified School District, "Board of Education," accessed September 6, 2013
- ↑ SmartVoter.org, "Governing Board Member; Bellflower Unified School District Voter Information," accessed November 5, 2013
- ↑ LA Times, "13 school workers, librarians indicted in textbook theft ring," accessed September 6, 2013
- ↑ LA Votes, "TENTATIVE CALENDAR OF EVENTS " accessed September 4, 2013
- ↑ LA Vote, "FINAL LIST OF QUALIFIED CANDIDATES TO APPEAR ON THE BALLOT," accessed September 4, 2013
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