David Vela
David Vela is a member of the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees in California, representing Seat No. 3. His current term ends in 2028.
Vela ran for re-election to the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees to represent Seat No. 3 in California. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Vela completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
David Vela was born in Los Angeles, California. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1998, and a master's degree from Pepperdine University in 2001.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Municipal elections in Los Angeles County, California (2024)
General election
General election for Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees Seat No. 3
Incumbent David Vela defeated Nancy Pearlman and Louis Shapiro in the general election for Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees Seat No. 3 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | David Vela (Nonpartisan)  | 61.3 | 904,236 |
 | Nancy Pearlman (Nonpartisan) | 23.8 | 350,446 | |
| Louis Shapiro (Nonpartisan) | 14.9 | 220,434 | ||
| Total votes: 1,475,116 | |||
| = 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
Vela received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Vela's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Los Angeles County, California (2020)
General election
General election for Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees Seat No. 3
The following candidates ran in the general election for Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees Seat No. 3 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Vela (Nonpartisan) | 37.0 | 628,619 |
 | Gerry Anderson (Nonpartisan) | 17.7 | 300,993 | |
 | Lydia A. Gutiérrez (Nonpartisan) | 15.7 | 267,275 | |
| Sylvia Brooks Griffin (Nonpartisan) | 7.4 | 125,896 | ||
 | Anthony Joseph Danna (Nonpartisan) | 4.9 | 82,757 | |
| Ruffin Eugene Patterson (Nonpartisan) | 3.8 | 64,890 | ||
| Samuel Paul Whitehead (Nonpartisan) | 3.8 | 64,445 | ||
| Michael Batie (Nonpartisan) | 3.6 | 61,527 | ||
| Robert Payne (Nonpartisan) | 3.2 | 54,035 | ||
 | Chatura De Silva (Nonpartisan) | 3.0 | 50,716 | |
| Total votes: 1,701,153 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!
Endorsements
To view Vela's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
2017
A special election for the position of California State Assembly District 51 was called for December 5, 2017. A special primary election was held on October 3, 2017.[2] The seat became vacant following Jimmy Gomez's (D) election to the U.S. House of Representatives on June 6, 2017.
To qualify for the race, candidates had to obtain nomination documents from election officials in their county of residence by August 10, 2017. Candidates could have qualified by paying a $1,041.18 filing fee. Candidates could have also qualified by submitting 214 petition signatures by July 31, 2017. The filing deadline for write-in candidates was September 19, 2017.[3]
Wendy Carrillo (D) defeated Luis Lopez (D) in the general election on December 5, 2017.[4]
| California State Assembly, District 51, Special Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Wendy Carrillo |
53.5% | 11,100 | |
| Democratic | Luis Lopez | 46.5% | 9,631 | |
| Total Votes | 20,731 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
Carrillo and Lopez were the top-two finishers in the primary election. There were 13 candidates qualified to run in the primary election on October 3.[5] The 10 Democrats who filed to run were:
Libertarian Andrew Aguero, Peace and Freedom party candidate John Prysner, and independent Patrick Koppula also filed to run.
| California State Assembly, District 51, Special Primary Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Wendy Carrillo |
22.2% | 5,058 | |
| Democratic | Luis Lopez |
18.6% | 4,243 | |
| Democratic | Ron Birnbaum | 9.7% | 2,213 | |
| Democratic | Alex De Ocampo | 7.9% | 1,803 | |
| Democratic | Mike Fong | 16.1% | 3,675 | |
| Democratic | Mario Olmos | 0.5% | 122 | |
| Democratic | Gabriel Sandoval | 10.4% | 2,370 | |
| Democratic | Barbara Torres | 1.2% | 284 | |
| Democratic | Mark Vargas | 4.5% | 1,022 | |
| Democratic | David Vela | 4.7% | 1,075 | |
| Libertarian | Andrew Aguero | 1.8% | 405 | |
| Peace and Freedom | John Prysner | 1% | 232 | |
| Independent | Patrick Koppula | 1.4% | 328 | |
| Total Votes | 22,830 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
2015
Two of the five seats on the Montebello Unified School District Board of Education were up for general election on November 3, 2015. The election was held at large.[6][7] Incumbents Edgar Cisneros and David Vela were up for re-election. They faced challengers Joanna Flores and Nancy Hernandez.[8] Cisneros won re-election, and Flores was elected to the other seat on the board.[9] Hernandez unofficially withdrew from the race in October 2015 due to her pregnancy. Her name did still appear on the ballot.[10][11]
Results
| Montebello Unified School District, At-large, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Edgar Cisneros Incumbent |
33.7% | 4,176 |
| Joanna Flores |
30.9% | 3,828 |
| David Vela Incumbent | 26.7% | 3,317 |
| Nancy Hernandez | 8.7% | 1,083 |
| Total Votes | 12,404 | |
| Source: Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "NOVEMBER 03, 2015 - LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL CONSOLIDATED ELECTIONS: Final Official Election Returns," accessed November 24, 2015 | ||
Funding
At the time of this election, the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk did not publish school board candidate campaign finance reports online. Ballotpedia staffers requested this information, but the only free method of viewing the files was at their office.
The Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk targeted the end of 2018 to make school board candidate campaign finance reports available online for free. From that point forward, Ballotpedia began including campaign finance data for Los Angeles County school board candidates.[12][13][14]
The first campaign finance reporting deadline was September 24, 2015, and the second one was October 22, 2015. If candidates raised or spent more than $1,000 from a single source, including their own funds, between August 5, 2015, and November 2, 2015, they had to file a campaign finance report within 24 hours.[15]
If you have any information regarding the campaign finance disclosures in this race, please contact the school board elections team at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Endorsements
Vela received endorsements from the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO and the community organization Evolve.[16][17][18]
2011
The district canceled elections scheduled for November 8, 2011, as only two candidates filed for election for two available seats.[19]
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
David Vela completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Vela's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Access to High-Quality Education: I am committed to ensuring that all students have access to a high-quality education that equips them for success in both their academic and professional pursuits.
- Supporting Students' Basic Needs and Civil Rights: I will prioritize providing essential resources such as housing, food, and educational support, while safeguarding students' civil rights to ensure they have the foundation needed to excel.
- Addressing the Workforce Gap in Los Angeles County: I am dedicated to preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow, aligning education with the needs of our local workforce to bridge the employment gap in Los Angeles County.
AFT 1521A
Armenian American Democrats
Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley
EQCA
Faculty Association of the California Community Colleges
HONOR PAC
LA County Federation of Labor
LA Times
Los Angeles County and Orange County Building Trades
San Fernando Valley Young Democrats
SEIU 721
SEIU 99
Stonewall Democratic Club
Stonewall Young Democrats
Teamsters 911
Victory Fund
Westside Young Democratic ClubAssemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur
Congressman Robert Garcia
Senator Ben Allen
Supervisor Lindsey Horvath
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara
Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang
Senator Lena Gonzalez
Assemblymember Laura Friedman
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
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released October 5, 2020 |
David Vela completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Vela's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
- This year, we faced significant uncertainty due to COVID-19, and as Trustee, I have worked with my colleagues to seamlessly shift learning from the physical classroom to a virtual learning space. Providing students with limited means laptops and critical resources to support their education.
- I worked to provide low-cost quality transfer education, job training, and lifelong learning through campuses all our campuses.
- Implemented a framework for Racial Equity and Social Justice to ensure equitable access and increase resources for African American, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ communities.
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.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees Seat No. 3 |
Officeholder Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees Seat No. 3 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 6, 2020
- ↑ U.S. News and World Report, "California Governor Sets December Election to Replace Gomez," July 24, 2017
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Information Sheet: Qualifications and Requirements," accessed July 25, 2017
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Labor activist Wendy Carrillo will be L.A.'s newest Assembly member," December 6, 2017
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official Certified List of Candidates," August 16, 2017
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, “2015 Scheduled Elections,” accessed January 27, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, “Running for Office,” accessed January 27, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Candidate List: Local And Municipal Consolidated Elections - 11/3/2015," accessed August 11, 2015
- ↑ Whittier Daily News, "Challenger defeats incumbent in Montebello school board race," November 4, 2015
- ↑ Whittier Daily News, "4 seek 2 seats on Montebello Unified School District Board of Education," October 1, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Local And Municipal Consolidated Elections: Final List Of Qualified Candidates To Appear On The Ballot," accessed October 29, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed July 2, 2014
- ↑ Daniel Anderson, “Email communication with Brenda Duran, Los Angeles County Public Information Officer," October 7, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Brenda Duran, Los Angeles County Public Information Officer," January 2, 2018
- ↑ Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 3, 2015," accessed August 5, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Democratic Party, "Endorsements," accessed October 27, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, "Endorsements," accessed October 27, 2015
- ↑ Evolve, "2015 Endorsements: November 03, 2015 Election," accessed October 27, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "November 8, 2011 Local And Municipal Cancelled Elections," August 29, 2011
