Palm Springs Unified School District elections (2014)
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Three seats on the Palm Springs Unified School District Board of Education were up for general election on November 4, 2014. Karen Cornett was the only candidate running for re-election. She defeated challenger Anna Nevenic for the Trustee Area 3 seat. Candidates James Williamson, Vanessa Sheldon, Noel E. White and K. Magdalena Andrasevits ran for the open Trustee Area 4 seat, and the Trustee Area 5 race featured candidates John Gerardi and Eduardo Medina.[1] Williamson won the Trustee Area 4 seat, and Gerardi won the Trustee Area 5 seat.
This was the first year Palm Springs Unified School District elected members to the board of education by trustee area. Prior to 2014, members were elected at large.[2]
About the district
Palm Springs Unified School District is located in Riverside County, California. The county seat of Riverside County is Riverside. Riverside County was home to 2,292,507 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[3] In the 2011-2012 school year, Palm Springs Unified School District was the 54th-largest school district by enrollment in California and served 23,676 students.[4]
Demographics
Riverside County underperformed compared to the rest of California in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 20.5 percent of Riverside County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 30.5 percent for California as a whole. The median household income for Riverside County was $57,096 compared to $61,400 for the entire state. The percentage of people below poverty level for Riverside County was 15.6 percent while it was 15.3 percent statewide.[3]
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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.
Voter and candidate information
The Palm Springs Unified School District Board of Education consists of five members elected to four-year terms by specific geographic areas. This was the first time members were elected by geographic areas. Prior to 2014, members of the board of education were elected at large.[2] There was no primary election, and the general election was held on November 4, 2014. The seats from Trustee Areas 3, 4 and 5 were up for election in 2014, and the seats from Trustee Areas 1 and 2 were up for election in 2016.[1][6]
School board candidates had to file with their county elections department during the candidate filing period. The filing period began July 14, 2014, and ended August 8, 2014. To vote in the 2014 general election, voters had to register by October 20, 2014. Voters could request vote-by-mail ballots from October 6, 2014, through October 28, 2014.[7]
Elections
2014
Candidates
Trustee Area 3
- Karen Cornett
- Incumbent
- Graduate, Azusa Pacific University
- Former school principal
- Anna Nevenic
- Registered nurse
- Author
Trustee Area 4
- K. Magdalena Andrasevits
- Educator
- Vanessa Sheldon
- Professional harpist
- Professor, College of the Desert
- Noel E. White
- Retired teacher
- James Williamson
- Education and business consultant
Trustee Area 5
- John Gerardi
- Professor, College of the Desert
- Certified public accountant
- Eduardo Medina
- Bus operator
Election results
Trustee Area 3
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Karen Cornett Incumbent |
64% | 5,364 | |
| Nonpartisan | Anna Nevenic | 36% | 3,011 | |
| Total Votes | 8,375 | |||
| Source: Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Consolidated General Election, November 4, 2014," accessed December 23, 2014 | ||||
Trustee Area 4
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | James Williamson |
41.5% | 2,885 | |
| Nonpartisan | Vanessa Sheldon | 24.7% | 1,717 | |
| Nonpartisan | Noel E. White | 22.8% | 1,586 | |
| Nonpartisan | K. Magdalena Andrasevits | 11% | 762 | |
| Total Votes | 6,950 | |||
| Source: Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Consolidated General Election, November 4, 2014," accessed December 23, 2014 | ||||
Trustee Area 5
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | John Gerardi |
61.6% | 2,349 | |
| Nonpartisan | Eduardo Medina | 38.4% | 1,466 | |
| Total Votes | 3,815 | |||
| Source: Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Consolidated General Election, November 4, 2014," accessed December 23, 2014 | ||||
Endorsements
The newspaper The Desert Sun endorsed Trustee Area 3 incumbent Karen Cornett, Trustee Area 4 candidate James Williamson and Trustee Area 5 candidate John Gerardi.[8] The Desert Stonewall Democrats also endorsed Cornett and Williamson.[9] The community organization Evolve endorsed Trustee Area 4 candidates Vanessa Sheldon and Noel E. White.[10]
Cornett was additionally endorsed by the Riverside County Democratic Party.[11]
Williamson was further endorsed by the following organizations and state officials:[12][13]
- Democrats of the Desert
- Democratic Women of the Desert
- Planned Parenthood Action Fund of the Pacific Southwest
- Equality California
- Palm Springs National Organization for Women
- Victory Fund
- Congressman Mark Takano (D)
- State Assmeblyman Manuel Perez (D)
Sheldon was also endorsed by the following organizations:[14][15]
- Central Labor Council of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties
- California Women 4 Women
- Building Industry Association of Southern California
- California Friends of the African-American Caucus
- University Professional and Technical Employees Communications Workers of America (UPTE-CWA)
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 440
- San Bernardino and Riverside Counties Building and Construction Trades Council
Campaign finance
Candidates had to file contribution reports within 24 hours of receiving an aggregate total of $1,000 or more from a single source. The first scheduled pre-election report filing deadline was October 6, 2014. If candidates raised or spent less than $1,000 during the 2013 and 2014 calendar years, they had to file Form 470 at that time. If candidates raised or spent more during that time, they had to file Form 460 by the pre-election report filing deadline.[16]
Candidates required to file Form 460 also had to file a second pre-election report on October 23, 2014, and they had to file termination reports by December 31, 2014. If a termination report was not filed, candidates had to file a semi-annual report by February 2, 2015.[16]
Reports
Both Trustee Area 3 candidates filed Form 470 with the Riverside County Registrar of Voters, indicating they did not intend to raise or spend more than $1,000 for their 2014 campaign. Because of this, they did not have to file any additional campaign finance reports.[17][18]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karen Cornett | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Anna Nevenic | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Trustee Area 4 candidates received a total of $36,173.43 in contributions and spent a total of $6,524.68 in expenditures, according to campaign disclosure reports published by the Riverside County Registrar of Voters as of October 29, 2014.[19][20][21][22]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| K. Magdalena Andrasevits | $2,598.43 | $2,551.13 | $47.30 |
| Vanessa Sheldon | $4,775.00 | $852.10 | $3,922.90 |
| Noel E. White | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| James Williamson | $28,800.00 | $3,121.45 | $25,678.55 |
Both Trustee Area 5 candidates had not reported any contributions or expenditures to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters as of October 29, 2014.[23][24]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Gerardi | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Eduardo Medina | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
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2012
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What was at stake?
Issues in the district
District named in student exercise lawsuit
Palm Springs Unified School District, along with 36 other school districts across the state, was named in a lawsuit alleging the district's students were not getting enough exercise. The state mandates schools give students in kindergarten through sixth grade 200 minutes of exercise every 10 days of class, in addition to lunch and recess. The lawsuit was filed by Marc Babin and the nonprofit organization Cal200, which he lead as of 2014. Palm Springs Director of Elementary Education Tony Knapp said this was the first time the district has ever received a complaint about the number of minutes students exercise and that though teachers do meet the guidelines, they are stretched thin. In order to prepare for the lawsuit, teachers were asked to keep their lesson plans detailing the time and activities students spent on exercise from the 2013-2014 school year.[25] An attorney for districts named in the case said Babin did not have a relationship with Palm Springs Unified School District before filing the lawsuit.[26]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Palm Springs Unified School District election in 2014:[16][27]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 14, 2014 | First day for candidates to file nomination documents |
| August 8, 2014 | Last day for candidates to file nomination documents |
| October 6, 2014 | First day to request vote-by-mail ballot |
| October 6, 2014 | First pre-election report due |
| October 20, 2014 | Last day to register to vote |
| October 23, 2014 | Second pre-election report due |
| October 28, 2014 | Last day to request vote-by-mail ballot |
| November 4, 2014 | Election Day |
| December 31, 2014 | Termination report due |
| February 2, 2015 | Semi-annual report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: California elections, 2014
This election shared the ballot with general elections for several state executive offices, four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, one state Senate seat, seven state Assembly seats and a number of municipal elections.[28]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Palm + Springs + Unified + School + District + California"
See also
- California
- Palm Springs Unified School District, California
- California school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Riverside County, California ballot measures
- California ballot measures
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Contest/Candidate Proof List Consolidated General Election," accessed September 9, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Desert Vortex News, "City Finally Gains School Rep," January 13, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Riverside County, California," accessed July 3, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ County of Riverside Registrar of Voters, "Past Elections," accessed July 3, 2014
- ↑ Palm Springs Unified School District, "Board of Education," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Summary of November 4, 2014, General Election Calendar," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ The Desert Sun, "Our Voice: Desert Sun endorsement roundup," October 29, 2014
- ↑ Desert Stonewall Democrats, "2014 Candidate Endorsements," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: November 04, 2014 Election," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Riverside County Democratic Party, "2014 RCDP Non-Partisan Endorsements," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Planned Parenthood Action Fund of the Pacific Southwest, "Election Info From PPAFPSW," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ James Williamson: Vote for a Brighter Future, "Endorsements," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Central Labor Council of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, "COPE Endorsed List 2014," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Gold 2 Ivory, "Endorsements," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 4, 2014," accessed August 19, 2014
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Viewing filing activity for Cornett, Karen," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Viewing filing activity for Nevenic, Anna," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Viewing filings made by James Williamson for School Board 2014," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Viewing filing activity for Sheldon, Vanessa," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Viewing filing activity for White, Noel E," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Viewing filings made by Committee to Elect K. Magdalena Andrasevits for Palm Springs USD / TA4 2014," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Viewing filing activity for Gerardi, John," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Viewing filing activity for Medina, Eduardo," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Channel 3 News, "Local school districts face lawsuit over PE teachings," August 6, 2014
- ↑ The Desert Sun, "Mystery group sues over school physical education," July 8, 2014
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Uniform District Election Law November 4, 2014," accessed July 3, 2014
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Consolidated Primary election June 3, 2014 Official Final Results," accessed July 7, 2014
| 2014 Palm Springs Unified School District Elections | |
| Riverside County, California | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | Trustee Area 3: • Incumbent, Karen Cornett • Anna Nevenic Trustee Area 4: • K. Magdalena Andrasevits • Vanessa Sheldon • Noel E. White • James Williamson Trustee Area 5: • John Gerardi • Eduardo Medina |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
