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Huntington Beach Union High School District elections (2016)
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Two of the five seats on the Huntington Beach Union High School District board of trustees were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Susan Henry and Michael Simons defeated challengers Trung Ta, Saul Lankster, and Colin Melott.[1][2]
Simons and Melott participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. Click here to read their responses.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Huntington Beach Union board of trustees consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held at large on a staggered basis every November of even-numbered years. Three seats were up for election on November 4, 2014, and two seats were up for election on November 8, 2016. There was no primary election.[3]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to register with the county elections office by August 12, 2016. If incumbents did not file by that deadline, the filing deadline was extended for non-incumbent candidates until August 17, 2016.[4]
To vote in this election, residents of the school district had to register by October 24, 2016.[5] Photo identification was not required to vote in this election.[6]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Huntington Beach Union High School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Michael Simons Incumbent |
33.92% | 64,677 |
| Susan Henry Incumbent |
33.15% | 63,220 |
| Trung Ta | 13.81% | 26,332 |
| Saul Lankster | 12.77% | 24,354 |
| Colin Melott | 6.35% | 12,101 |
| Total Votes | 190,684 | |
| Source: Orange County Registrar of Voters, "2016 Presidential General Election Official Results for Election," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Susan Henry 
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Michael Simons
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Saul Lankster | |||
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| Colin Melott | Trung Ta | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: California elections, 2016
The district's school board election shared the ballot with a number of statewide ballot measures and elections for the following offices:[7][8]
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Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for California school board elections in 2016:[9][10]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| August 1, 2016 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
| August 10, 2016 - November 8, 2016 | 24-hour campaign contribution reporting period |
| August 12, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| August 17, 2016 | Extended filing deadline for non-incumbent candidates for open seats |
| September 29, 2016 | First pre-election campaign finance report due |
| October 24, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| October 27, 2016 | Second pre-election campaign finance report due |
| November 8, 2016 | Election Day |
| January 31, 2017 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
Endorsements
The Democratic Party of Orange County endorsed challenger Trung Ta.[11] The Huntington Beach Union High School District Education Association endorsed incumbents Susan Henry and Michael Simons.[12]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates in this race were required to file two pre-election reports. The first was due on September 29, 2016, and the second was due on October 27, 2016. If candidates received more than $1,000 from a single source between August 10, 2016, and November 8, 2016, they had to file a campaign finance report within 24 hours of receiving the contribution.[10]
Candidates who did not raise or spend more than $2,000 on their campaigns had to file an exemption form by September 29, 2016. They did not have to file additional campaign finance reports.[10]
Candidates who had a remaining balance from previous campaigns or who had raised or spent money on their campaigns prior to the candidate filing deadline had to file a semi-annual campaign finance report by August 1, 2016. The next semi-annual campaign finance report was due January 31, 2017.[10]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $5,241.57 and spent a total of $5,241.57 in the election, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.[13]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susan Henry | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Michael Simons | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Saul Lankster | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Colin Melott | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Trung Ta | $5,241.57 | $5,241.57 | $0.00 |
Past elections
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What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in school board elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many school districts. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local school district. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
Survey responses
Two candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from incumbent Michael Simons and challenger Colin Melott.
Hope to achieve
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Simons stated:
| “ | Continued strong fiscal integrity and budgetary control. Ensure safe, well maintained campuses for students to learn in. Meaningful educational programs for students of all capabilities and interests.[14] | ” |
| —Michael Simons (October 25, 2016)[15] | ||
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Melott stated:
| “ | The three pillars of a successful education are formed through the cooperation between Student, Parent and Teacher. As a board member I would seek to regularly take input from all three groups ensuring those who my decisions affect will always have a voice. I will strive to maintain the high standards of the District by keeping those standards locally informed and not outsourcing them to a national think-tank. Education should never be treated as a for profit institution, our tax dollars should go to serving the students in the most efficient manner possible. Students who are actively involved in their communities have a better opportunity to succeed later in life. The school district should encourage this activity through community partnership programs with the world class business in our region. School Safety is a top priority.[14] | ” |
| —Colin Melott (October 26, 2016)[16] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidates were asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays their rankings:
| Issue importance ranking | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issue | Simons' ranking | Melott's ranking | ||
| Expanding arts education | ||||
| Improving relations with teachers | ||||
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | ||||
| Improving post-secondary readiness | ||||
| Closing the achievement gap | ||||
| Improving education for special needs students | ||||
| Expanding school choice options | ||||
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked to answer nine multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. A link to their responses can be found below.
About the district
The Huntington Beach Union High School District is located in Orange County in southern California. The county seat is Santa Ana. Orange County was home to 3,169,776 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[17] The district was the 96th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 16,431 students.[18]
Demographics
Orange County outperformed California as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 37.3 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 31 percent of state residents. The median household income for Orange County was $75,998, compared to $61,489 for the entire state. The percentage of people in poverty in the county was 12.9 percent, while it was 16.4 percent statewide.[17]
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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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Huntington Beach Union High School District' 'California'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Huntington Beach Union High School District | California | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Orange County Registrar of Voters, "Candidate Filing Log," accessed August 15, 2016
- ↑ Orange County, "Orange County Unofficial Results for Election," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Huntington Beach Union High School District, "Board Members," accessed July 22, 2016
- ↑ California Elections Code, “Part 5, Section 10600-10604: School District And Community College District Governing Board Elections,” accessed June 15, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "California Online Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ Orange County Registrar of Voters, "Candidate Filing Log," accessed September 23, 2016
- ↑ Orange County Registrar of Voters, "Measures Appearing on the Ballot," accessed September 23, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016, General Election Calendar," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 8, 2016," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ Democratic Party of Orange County, "Democratic Party of Orange County Official Endorsements for The November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ California Teachers Association, "CTA Locally Endorsed Candidates," September 28, 2016
- ↑ Orange County Registrar of Voters, "Orange County Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed February 23, 2017
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Michael Simons' responses," October 25, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Colin Melott's responses," October 26, 2016
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 United States Census Bureau, "Orange County, California," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Orange County Registrar of Voters, "Election Results Archive," accessed July 11, 2014
| 2016 Huntington Beach Union High School District Elections | |
| Orange County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Susan Henry • Incumbent, Michael Simons • Saul Lankster • Colin Melott • Trung Ta |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
