George J. McKenna III
George J. McKenna III was a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District in California, representing District 1. He assumed office in 2014. He left office on December 13, 2024.
McKenna won re-election to the Los Angeles Unified School District to represent District 1 in California outright in the primary on March 3, 2020, after the general election was canceled.
Biography
McKenna grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. McKenna earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Xavier University, his master's degree in mathematics from Loyola University, and his doctoral degree in education from Xavier University.
His professional experience includes teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District and working as an education consultant for both school districts and law enforcement agencies. McKenna's educational administration experience includes serving as principal of the George Washington Preparatory High School, superintendent of the Inglewood Unified School District, deputy superintendent of the Compton Unified School District, and assistant superintendent of secondary schools for the Pasadena Unified School District. McKenna also worked as an engineer for North American Aviation on the Apollo Moon Shot Project.[1][2]
McKenna received the Congressional Black Caucus’ Chairman’s Award in 1989, and he was elected to the National Alliance of Black School Educators’ Hall of Fame in 1997. A story of McKenna's life was made into a movie called The George McKenna Story.[1][2]
Elections
2020
See also: Los Angeles Unified School District, California, elections (2020)
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education District 1
Incumbent George J. McKenna III won election outright in the primary for Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education District 1 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | George J. McKenna III (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 107,280 |
| Total votes: 107,280 | |||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michael Batie (Nonpartisan)
2015
Four of the seven seats on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education were up for primary election on March 3, 2015. Only one candidate, unopposed District 1 incumbent George J. McKenna III, received more than 50 percent of the votes cast in the primary. Because of this, he won his seat outright, and the top two vote-getters in Districts 3, 5 and 7 advanced to the general election on May 19, 2015.
Incumbents Tamar Galatzan, Bennett Kayser and Richard A. Vladovic from Districts 3, 5 and 7, respectively, received enough votes to advance to the general election. They each faced at least two challengers in the primary. In District 3, Galatzan faced five challengers, Elizabeth Badger Bartels, Filiberto Gonzalez, Ankur Patel, Carl J. Petersen and Scott Mark Schmerelson. She and Schmerelson faced each other again in the general election. Kayser and challenger Ref Rodriguez defeated challenger Andrew Thomas to continue on to the District 5 general election. In the District 7 primary, Vladovic ran against challengers Euna Anderson and Lydia Gutierrez. Gutierrez received enough votes to advance to the general election with Vladovic.
In the general election, both Galatzan and Kayser were unseated by their challengers. Schmerelson won the District 3 seat, and Rodriguez was elected to the District 5 seat. In District 7, Vladovic defeated Gutierrez to secure another term on the board.
Results
| Los Angeles Unified School District, District 1 Primary Election, 5-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  George J. McKenna III Incumbent |
100% | 28,456 | |
| Total Votes | 28,456 | |||
| Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Primary Nominating Election: Official Election Results," accessed March 23, 2015 | ||||
Funding
McKenna reported $38,173.94 in contributions and $26,273.29 in expenditures to the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, which left his campaign with $11,900.65 as of February 25, 2015.[3]
Endorsements
McKenna received endorsements from the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, United Teachers Los Angeles and the California Charter Schools Association Advocates.[4][5][6]
2014
One seat on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education was up for a special primary election on June 3, 2014. A special runoff election was held on August 12, 2014.[7]
A total of seven candidates filed to run for the District 1 seat in the primary election. They were Genethia Hudley-Hayes, Alex Johnson, Rachel Johnson, Omarosa Manigault, Hattie McFrazier, George J. McKenna III and Sherlett Hendy Newbill.[8]
Johnson and McKenna won the primary election and competed for the seat in the runoff election.[7] McKenna was elected to the board with 52.81 percent of the vote.[9]
Results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | George J. McKenna III |
52.8% | 17,025 | |
| Nonpartisan | Alex Johnson | 47.2% | 15,211 | |
| Total Votes | 32,236 | |||
| Source: Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Certified Results: LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (LAUSD), BOARD DISTRICT 1 SPECIAL RUNOFF ELECTION," accessed February 2, 2015 | ||||
Primary election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | George J. McKenna III |
44.6% | 19,803 | |
| Nonpartisan | Alex Johnson |
24.5% | 10,884 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sherlett Hendy Newbill | 9.6% | 4,250 | |
| Nonpartisan | Genethia Hudley-Hayes | 6.9% | 3,072 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rachel Johnson | 5.2% | 2,318 | |
| Nonpartisan | Omarosa Manigault | 5.2% | 2,330 | |
| Nonpartisan | Hattie McFrazier | 4% | 1,785 | |
| Total Votes | 44,442 | |||
| Source: Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk | ||||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
George J. McKenna III did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Los Angeles Unified School District, "George McKenna Bio," accessed February 2, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 George McKenna for School Board District 1 Facebook page, "About," accessed February 2, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, "2015 City and LAUSD Elections," accessed April 13, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Democratic Party, "Endorsements," accessed February 2, 2015
- ↑ United Teachers Los Angeles, "Election Information," accessed February 2, 2015
- ↑ California Charter Schools Association Advocates, "CCSA Advocates Endorses Four Candidates in LAUSD Elections," January 9, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Certified List of Candidates: Special Runoff Election," July 2, 2014
- ↑ Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Certified List of Candidates: Special Primary Election," March 19, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles City Clerk's Office, "Certified Results: LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (LAUSD), BOARD DISTRICT 1 SPECIAL RUNOFF ELECTION," accessed February 2, 2015
