Carolyn Inmon

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Carolyn Inmon

Nonpartisan

South Orange County Community College District District 1

Tenure

2020 - Present

Term ends

2028

Years in position

4

Predecessor

David Lang

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

South High School

Bachelor's

UCLA, 1964

Personal

Birthplace

Long Beach, Calif.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Teacher

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Carolyn Inmon is a member of the South Orange County Community College District in California, representing District 1. She assumed office on December 11, 2020. Her current term ends on December 8, 2028.

Inmon ran for re-election to the South Orange County Community College District to represent District 1 in California. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Inmon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Carolyn Inmon was born in Long Beach, California. She earned a high school diploma from South High School and a bachelor's degree from the UCLA in 1964. Her career experience includes working as a teacher and writer. As of 2024, Inmon was affiliated with the Exchange Club of Irvine.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Orange County, California (2024)

General election

General election for South Orange County Community College District District 1

Incumbent Carolyn Inmon defeated Katherine Daigle and Marlene Bronson in the general election for South Orange County Community College District District 1 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carolyn Inmon (Nonpartisan)	68.4	31,500
		Katherine Daigle (Nonpartisan)	19.8	9,115
	Submit photo	Marlene Bronson (Nonpartisan)	11.8	5,446

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 46,061
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Inmon in this election.

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Orange County, California (2020)

General election

General election for South Orange County Community College District District 1

Carolyn Inmon defeated Helen Locke, Aarti Kaushal, and Matt Waid in the general election for South Orange County Community College District District 1 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carolyn Inmon (Nonpartisan)	46.6	194,719
	Submit photo	Helen Locke (Nonpartisan)	29.0	121,487
		Aarti Kaushal (Nonpartisan)	15.1	63,076
		Matt Waid (Nonpartisan)	9.3	38,937

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 418,219
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Carolyn Inmon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Inmon's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Education has been a major part of my life forever. I attended El Camino Junior College before transferring to UCLA. After 15 years teaching in K-12, I became a full-time professor at Cerritos College and then Mt. San Antonio College where I taught in the classroom, Directed the Forensics program, Directed the Honors Program, and served as President of the Faculty at Mt. San Antonio College followed by being elected President of the statewide Community College Association. Why is this important? I know education because I taught every grade from k-12 plus community college. I am loving my job as Trustee of one of the best districts in the state and even nation. I am able to use my experience as a classroom teacher and an educational leader to understand issues and vote with experience, knowledge and understanding. I worked on a daily basis to help all students succeed. As our President Hernandez of Irvine Valley College states, "Admission without success is a broken promise." I help set policy so those promises aren't broken. I have taken extra care to assist foster youth with the "Trustee Inmon Guardian Scholarship." I have advocated locally and in Washington DC for our veteran students, our neediest students and our transfer students. I have much work left to do and hope to be re-elected so that I can do it.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Every student needs to feel welcome, seen, supported and part of the community college family.
• We must support the special communities in our colleges including foster youth, veterans, previously first generation, low income, and highly motivated transfer students.
• We must maintain low college fees without new taxes or bonds. We must prioritize resources to keep dollars in the classroom.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I have advocated in Washington, DC for veterans, foster youth, basic needs.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The community college is the unsung hero of the California educational system. We save lives, help people find their path, and work for success.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Michelle Obama. Her memoire is the best I've ever read. Like JFK, she believes in service. She writes beautifully, is genuine.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

There are many but I think of "The Fisher King," where the main character was homeless. When he threw away his medication, it was clear how complicated mental illness and homelessness are. My political philosophy is that most issues are very complex and a good elected person does not go for the simple solutions but works to understand the complexities and then make decisions that actually help people.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Leadership is learning and listening. As a communication major, I truly understand the importance of listening and am an active listener. Even though my career was 40 years in education, there is always more to learn and I actively pursue those opportunities.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a communicator. In addition to things mentioned above, I am a really good public speaker and debater.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I think it is crucial for an elected official to do their homework. That begins with preparing complete for every board meeting but it includes reading, researching, asking questions, attending conferences and being open minded to learn.

What legacy would you like to leave?

It is important for everyone to be of help to other people.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The election of JFK. It changed my life. I was a college freshman.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I played the piano for rehearsals of programs. It was only for about 6 months but I still have a $1` bill from the first day.

What is your favorite book? Why?

To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch risked everything to help[ the black man before it was acceptable.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

You raise me up. I love it.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Balance.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

So many people criticize our transfer rate, not realizing that is not the only thing we do. Our CTE (Career Technical Education) is an exam[ple of one of our other major goals. Incidentally, Irvine Valley College is #1 transfer community college in California.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily, but it is beneficial to have had some leadership experience. It is helpful if they understand the complexity of passing legislation so that they help make that happen.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Ability to learn, listen, analyze problems, see both sides and make judgments based on what is best for the students.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Faculty Assoc of South OC CC District, California Teachers Association, Democrats of Greater Irvine, Democratic Party of Orange County, Women in Leadership, others pending.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Both must occur.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Carolyn Inmon did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

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South Orange County Community College District District 1

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