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Benjamin Cardenas
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Benjamin Cardenas is an at-large member of the Montebello School Board. He won election against five other candidates on November 5, 2013. Chacon was first appointed to the board in 2012.
Cardenas was targeted for recall in March 2017, but the effort was unsuccessful. His recall petition said he had paid millions of dollars “in back-room deals ... to friends in construction, lawyers and consultants. After wasting millions to pay off political buddies and special interests, nothing’s left for our children.”[1][2]
Biography
Cardenas earned a B.A. in political science from the University of California-Los Angeles in 2002. He has worked as a district director for Representative Grace Napolitano since 2003. Cardenas is a co-founder of the East Los Angeles Residents Association. Cardenas and his wife have three children.[3]
Elections
2013
Cardenas ran against fellow incumbents Hector A. Chacon and Gerri Guzman along with challengers Lani Cupchoy, Sonia Saucillo-Valencia and Frank Thomas Morales on November 5, 2013.
Results
| Montebello Unified School Board, Full terms, November 5, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Hector A. Chacon Incumbent |
23.4% | 4,440 | |
| Nonpartisan | Benjamin Cardenas Incumbent |
22.7% | 4,305 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lani Cupchoy |
19.6% | 3,717 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gerri Guzman Incumbent | 19.1% | 3,635 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sonia Saucillo-Valencia | 8.6% | 1,642 | |
| Nonpartisan | Frank Thomas Morales | 6.7% | 1,265 | |
| Total Votes | 19,004 | |||
| Source: Los Angeles County Clerk, "NOVEMBER 5, 2013 - LOCAL & MUNI CONSOLIDATED ELECTION Final Official Election Returns" accessed December 18, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Cardenas did not report any contributions or expenditures to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
Endorsements
Cardenas received the following endorsements during the 2013 campaign:[4]
- U.S. Congresswoman Grace Napolitano
- U.S. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard
- U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu
- U.S. Congresswoman Linda Sanchez
- Retired U.S. Astronaut Jose Hernandez
- California State Controller John Chiang
Campaign themes
2013
Cardenas explained his reasons for running in 2013 on his campaign website:[5]
|
In the few months since my appointment (December 2012) to the Montebello Unified School District, I have been actively visiting our schools, met with parent groups, spoken with students, teachers and administrators to better understand the students we serve and assess the needs of our district. In addition, I had the privilege of bringing my friend, Astronaut Jose Hernandez, to motivate our students; have been working with the California office of public construction to submit a robust grant application to retrofit our most needed facilities; and am working to bring an innovative Federally funded program for our at-risk student population. My support for quality teaching, top grade schools and mental health services will ensure that we not only keep providing a rigorous and relevant curriculum, but also a conducive and safe learning environment while focusing on the child as a whole. Among a few of our current district highlights are: meeting the national average graduation rate of nearly 80%; daily attendance rate above 95%; earned a federal $7 Million Dollar head start grant for early child education and recently distributed over 12,000 computers to our schools. I have always considered myself a Public Servant and commit to building even stronger and more vibrant learning communities and maintain safe and sound environments. I humbly offer 10 years of Congressional work experience as District Director for Congresswoman Grace Napolitano; a diverse and vast network of collaborators and partners; and a unique understanding of the policy decision-making process. As a father of three, product of public education and a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), I know first-hand that a top quality education is the greatest equalizer for children of all backgrounds. I pledge to continue working together with students, parents, teachers, my colleagues, and all stakeholders to create unlimited opportunities for quality teaching and learning; and prepare our students for a global, twenty-first century world. I will work diligently to ensure that our children’s needs are effectively addressed and all our school communities receive the honest and beneficial representation and services that each deserve! You can count on me to make decisions that always keep the success of our children as the ultimate bottom line. I hope to count on your vote and most importantly I hope to count on your trust. |
Note: The above quote is from the candidate's website, which may include some typographical or spelling errors.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Benjamin + Cardenas + Montebello + School + District "
See also
- California
- Montebello Unified School District, California
- Montebello Unified School District elections (2013)
- Lani Cupchoy and Benjamin Cardenas recall, Montebello Unified School District, California (2017)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Pasadena Star-News, "2 Montebello Unified board members served with recall petitions," March 2, 2017
- ↑ EGP News, "MUSD Wins Lawsuit Against County," July 20, 2017
- ↑ Cardenas for MUSD School Board, "Biography," accessed November 21, 2013
- ↑ Cardenas for MUSD School Board, "Endorsements," accessed November 21, 2013
- ↑ Cardenas for MUSD School Board, "Candidate Statement," accessed November 21, 2013
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