Twin Rivers Unified School District elections (2016)
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Four of the seven seats on the Twin Rivers Unified School District board of trustees were up for general election on June 7, 2016. The race for the open Trustee Area 5 seat was marked by conflict when the Democratic Party of Sacramento County challenged Michelle Deleon's ability to label herself an "educator" on her candidate statement. The party endorsed Basim Elkarra, the winner of the seat and Deleon's only competition in the race. A judge ruled in favor of the party, and Deleon was forced to change her description to "community volunteer."[1] Elkarra unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2015 in a recall election against incumbent Sonja Cameron. Cameron, who retained her seat in that race, did not file to run for re-election in 2016.[2][3]
In Trustee Area 3, incumbent Walter Garcia Kawamoto was defeated by challenger Ramona Landeros. Trustee Area 7 incumbent Linda Fowler, who was under investigation by the California Fair Political Practices Commission at the time of the election, won another term against challengers Francisco Garcia and Daniel Savala. The Trustee Area 1 election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Incumbent Michael Baker was unopposed in his bid for re-election, so he was automatically appointed to another term.[2][3]
Adding two new board members in the 2016 election was not unprecedented in the district. At least one challenger defeated an incumbent to gain a seat on the board in the past two election cycles. To see how this race compared to past elections in both the district and the state, check out the election trends section below.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Twin Rivers Unified board of trustees consists of seven members elected by district to four-year terms. Seats are up for election on a staggered basis every even-numbered year in June. The District 2, 4, and 6 seats were up for election on June 3, 2014, and the District 1, 3, 5, and 7 seats were up for election on June 7, 2016. There was no primary election.[4][5]
Candidates who sought a seat on the board had to be at least 18 years old, citizens of California, registered voters, residents of the school district, and "not legally disqualified from holding civil office," according to the board's bylaws. The filing deadline for school board candidates to secure a place on the ballot in the general election was March 11, 2016.[5][6]
To vote in this election, citizens of the district had to register by May 23, 2016.[7] Photo identification was not required to vote in this election.
Candidates and results
Trustee Area 1
Results
The Trustee Area 1 election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Incumbent Michael Baker was unopposed in his bid for re-election, so he was automatically appointed to another term.[2]
Candidates
Michael Baker ![]() | |
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Trustee Area 3
Results
Twin Rivers Unified School District, Trustee Area 3 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
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52.98% | 1,468 |
Walter Garcia Kawamoto Incumbent | 46.37% | 1,285 |
Write-in votes | 0.65% | 18 |
Total Votes | 2,771 | |
Source: Sacramento County, "Official Results: Primary Election - June 7, 2016," accessed July 5, 2016 |
Candidates
Walter Garcia Kawamoto | Ramona Landeros ![]() | ||
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Trustee Area 5
Results
Twin Rivers Unified School District, Trustee Area 5 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
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55.76% | 2,566 |
Michelle Deleon | 43.98% | 2,024 |
Write-in votes | 0.26% | 12 |
Total Votes | 4,602 | |
Source: Sacramento County, "Official Results: Primary Election - June 7, 2016," accessed July 5, 2016 |
Candidates
Michelle Deleon | Basim Elkarra ![]() | ||
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Trustee Area 7
Results
Twin Rivers Unified School District, Trustee Area 7 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
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40.48% | 1,197 |
Francisco Garcia | 30.10% | 890 |
Daniel Savala | 29.29% | 866 |
Write-in votes | 0.14% | 4 |
Total Votes | 2,957 | |
Source: Sacramento County, "Official Results: Primary Election - June 7, 2016," accessed July 5, 2016 |
Candidates
Linda Fowler ![]() |
Francisco Garcia | Daniel Savala | |||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: California elections, 2016
The Twin Rivers Unified School District election shared the ballot with the state's presidential primary, as well as primary elections for United States Senate, United States House of Representatives, California State Senate, California State Assembly, Superior Court Judge, and Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. There was also a general election for the Sacramento County Board of Education.[5]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Twin Rivers Unified School District election in 2016:[5][7]
Deadline | Event |
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February 1, 2016 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
February 16, 2016 - March 11, 2016 | Candidate filing period |
March 9, 2016 - June 7, 2016 | 24-hour campaign contribution reporting period ($1,000 threshold) |
March 16, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline for non-incumbents if no incumbents filed |
April 28, 2016 | Pre-election campaign finance report due |
May 23, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
May 26, 2016 | Pre-election campaign finance report due |
June 7, 2016 | General election date |
July 1, 2016 | Term begins for election winners |
August 1, 2016 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
Endorsements
The following is a list of endorsements made in the Twin Rivers Unified elections:
Candidate endorsements | ||||||||
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Endorsement | Michael Baker | Walter Garcia Kawamoto | Ramona Landeros | Michelle Deleon | Basim Elkarra | Linda Fowler | Francisco Garcia | Daniel Savala |
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Local media | ||||||||
Sacramento Bee[12] | ||||||||
Community organizations | ||||||||
Twin Rivers United Educators (TRUE)[10][13] | ||||||||
California School Employees Association 1717[10] | ||||||||
Sacramento Central Labor Council[14] | ||||||||
Sacramento-Sierra’s Building and Construction Trades Council[10] | ||||||||
International Union of Operating Engineers - Local 3[15] | ||||||||
Rainbow Chamber PAC of Sacramento[10] | ||||||||
100 Strong[10] | ||||||||
Evolve[16] | ||||||||
State officials | ||||||||
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones (D)[10] | ||||||||
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson[10] | ||||||||
California State Treasurer John Chiang (D)[10] | ||||||||
California State Assembly member Ken Cooley (D-8)[10][13] | ||||||||
California State Assembly member Jim Cooper (D-9)[10][13] | ||||||||
California State Assembly member Kevin McCarty (D-7)[10] | ||||||||
County officials | ||||||||
Sacramento County Board of Supervisors member Susan Peters[13] | ||||||||
Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy[10] | ||||||||
Sacramento County Office of Education Board member Brian Rivas[10] | ||||||||
Sacramento County Office of Education Board member Harold Fong[10] | ||||||||
Sacramento County Office of Education Board member Greg Geeting[10] | ||||||||
Twin Rivers Unified board of trustees | ||||||||
Michael Baker[10] | ||||||||
Bob Bastian[10] | ||||||||
Rebecca Sandoval[17] |
Incumbents Michael Baker and Walter Garcia Kawamoto and challenger Daniel Savala were also endorsed by local officials. To read more about their supporters, click the links below:
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 who raised or spent more than $2,000 toward their campaigns had to file two regular campaign finance reports. The first filing deadline for campaign finance reports for this election was April 28, 2016, and the second filing deadline was May 26, 2016. Candidates who did not raise or spend more than $2,000 had to file a form attesting to that fact by April 28, 2016.[18]
If candidates raised more than $1,000 from a single source between March 9, 2016, and June 7, 2016, they had to file a contribution report within 24 hours of receiving the contribution. Two semi-annual campaign finance reports were also required from candidates. For 2016, the semi-annual reports were due on February 1, 2016, and August 1, 2016. Candidates who did not raise or spend more than $1,000 during the reporting period for the semi-annual reports had to file a report attesting to that fact.[18]
Reports
The Sacramento County Department of Voter Registration and Elections does not publish and freely disclose school board candidate campaign finance reports unless they are filed online. The majority of the candidates in this race filed in the county's office, so those reports were unavailable to Ballotpedia. Two candidates reported the following contributions and expenditures online as of August 1, 2016:[19]
Candidate | Existing balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
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Basim Elkarra | $15,124.95 | $39,268.58 | $37,794.81 | $16,598.72 |
Daniel Savala | $0.00 | $12,835.00 | $12,835.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
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2014Trustee Area 2
Trustee Area 4Trustee Area 4 incumbent Bob Bastian ran unopposed and won re-election by default without appearing on the ballot. Trustee Area 6
2012Trustee Area 1
Trustee Area 2
Trustee Area 3
Trustee Area 4Bob Bastian ran unopposed and won the Trustee Area 4 seat with a two-year term by default without appearing on the ballot.[20] Trustee Area 5
Trustee Area 6
Trustee Area 7
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What was at stake?
2016
Issues in the election
Judge rules candidate cannot call herself 'educator'
On April 1, 2016, Trustee Area 5 candidate Michelle Deleon was told by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny that she could not label herself an "educator" on her candidate statement. Though Deleon said she used the term because she educated parents and students about school district programs and community support as a volunteer, Kenny said she had to be "more precise."[1]
The challenge to Deleon's petition was filed by the Democratic Party of Sacramento County, which endorsed Basim Elkarra, the winner of the Trustee Area 5 race and Deleon's only challenger. Kerri Asbury, chairwoman of the party, said that none of the positions Deleon held made her an educator, according to The Sacramento Bee.[1]
Deleon changed her candidate statement to "community volunteer" after the court ruling, but she said she was disappointed. “Community volunteer. I’m more than just that,” she said.[1]
Issues in the district
High truancy rates in district's high schools
The Twin Rivers Unified School District's three high schools had truancy rates between 84 percent and 91 percent for the 2014-2015 school year, according to a report from the California Department of Education. “We’re really concentrating on meeting with parents to see what the issues are in not getting to school on time or missing days,” said Rudy Puente, Student Services Director for Twin Rivers Unified.[21]
Students were considered truant if they missed three or more days of school without an excuse or if they came to school half an hour late three or more days throughout the year. The high truancy rates in Twin Rivers Unified followed a trend for the region. High schools in the Elk Grove Unified, Natomas Unified, and Woodland Joint Unified school districts had truancy rates above 70 percent during the 2014-2015 school year.[21]
In the Sacramento area, one out of three public school students were considered truant for the 2014-2015 school year. This was up from one out of four students for the 2011-2012 school year. Some of the rise in truancy rates can be attributed to better tracking rather than an increase in unexcused absences, according to “In School + On Track,” a report released by the California Attorney General in 2015. That report also detailed that truancy and chronic absence correlate with poverty, with 75 percent of students with attendance problems coming from low-income backgrounds.[21]
Puente said students with truancy problems often have more responsibilities at home, such as ensuring their younger siblings get to school. The Attorney General's Office detailed other problems low-income students face in getting to school, including homelessness, health problems, and transportation challenges.[21]
Board president under investigation by FPPC
A conflict of interest complaint against Twin Rivers Unified Board President Linda Fowler was filed with the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) on June 30, 2015, and as of the election, it was still under investigation. The complaint was filed by Jacob Walker, academic coordinator of the Highlands Community Charter School where Fowler was paid as a consultant. Walker alleged that Fowler had broken conflict of interest laws "by using her position on the Twin Rivers board to pressure the school into hiring her," according to The Sacramento Bee.[17][22][23]
The Highlands Community Charter School, an adult charter school designed to help students over the age of 22 earn a high school diploma, learn a vocation, or study English as a second language, was established on March 4, 2014, when the Twin Rivers Unified Board of Education approved its charter in a 7-0 vote. Prior to that vote, Fowler had met with three others, including Walker, to set up the foundation for the school. Fowler said she had been promised a paid position at the school by the other founders.[22]
California's conflict of interest laws for public school districts forbid elected officials from influencing governmental decisions if they have a financial interest, but charter school laws are not required to abide by those same laws. A bill that would have required charter schools to abide by the same laws as public schools was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown (D) in September 2014.[22] A second bill passed in the California State Assembly in June 2015, but it died in the State Senate.[24]
Though charter schools do not have to abide by the conflict of interest laws governing public schools, they do have to follow the California Corporations Code that governs nonprofits, according to Eric Premack, executive director of the Charter Schools Development Center. That code details that board members should refrain from voting on issues in which they have a financial interest.[22]
The Highlands Community Charter School first paid Fowler through her consulting firm, LAED Consulting, in October 2014. They paid installments equaling a total of $13,000 for the firm to pursue a federal grant to fund the creation of the new school. Prior to receiving those payments, Fowler had served as a board member for the charter school after she was chosen by her fellow Twin Rivers Unified board members to be a liaison between the school and the district. She served in that position until the Highlands board members approved the contract for her consulting firm in September 2014. Fowler did not participate in that vote.[22]
The contract with LAED Consulting was terminated when Kirk Williams, one of the four original founders of the charter school and its principal, said Fowler had a conflict of interest and that the contract with her firm lacked accountability and was too expensive. Williams also asked the Highlands board to call on the Twin Rivers Unified Board of Education to remove Fowler as the district's liaison. Williams also alleged that Fowler had threatened the school. “Many of us were witness to Ms. Fowler’s threats like, ‘It’s because of me that the school got its charter, I can cause the school to lose it,’” Williams said in a letter to the Highlands board. In his complaint to the FPPC, Walker also mentioned those alleged threats.[22]
Fowler disputed that claim. She said she had never threatened the school or anyone attached to it. She said that once the charter had been approved, Walker and Williams had wanted Fowler out of the school's dealings.[22]
Walker filed the complaint with the FPPC when the Highlands board conditionally voted to start paying their board members, which included paying Fowler as the district liaison. “Basically we are going to pay her to represent us when she is supposed to be here for oversight,” said Walker. “It makes us look like this dirty charter school.”[22]
After filing the complaint against Fowler, Walker wrote a letter to the Twin Rivers Unified Board of Education in July 2015, asking them to remove Fowler as the district liaison to the charter school, just as Williams had suggested to the Highlands board. Walker also asked the board not to appoint Fowler as board president, saying he believed the district "should be led by ethical individuals." Fowler was appointed president in a 4-2 vote, and she was not dismissed as the district's liaison.[22]
A few days after that vote, on July 6, 2015, the district published a statement in regards to the FPPC complaint. "We take the allegation seriously. The district will fully cooperate with the FPPC, and the superintendent will provide a report to the Board of Trustees if and when a final determination is made," the statement read.[22]
Election trends
- See also: School board elections, 2014
The 2016 election for four seats on the Twin Rivers Unified Board of Trustees attracted a total of eight candidates, averaging two candidates per seat. This was consistent with the average number of candidates who ran in the district's school board elections in recent years. The 2012 election attracted an average of 2.14 candidates per seat, and the 2014 election attracted two candidates per seat, which was higher than the average number of candidates California's largest school districts attracted in 2014 (an average of 1.91 candidates).
This election was guaranteed to put one newcomer on the board with three of the four incumbents whose seats were on the ballot running for re-election. Another new member was elected in Trustee Area 3 after she defeated incumbent Walter Garcia Kawamoto. The Trustee Area 1 and 7 incumbents won re-election.
In 2014, the district welcomed one new board member after a challenger defeated an incumbent for the seat. A total of 66.67 percent of incumbents who ran for re-election won additional terms in the district that year. In 2012, when all seven of the Twin Rivers Unified board seats were up for election, six newcomers joined the board. Three of them defeated incumbents to win their seats, and the other three won open seats. Incumbents experienced a 25 percent success rate that year. Overall in 2014, California's largest school districts saw 37.65 percent of seats go to newcomers, and 79 percent of incumbents who ran to retain their seats won re-election.
The 2012, 2014, and 2016 school board elections in Twin Rivers Unified each featured one unopposed seat. Just over 25 percent of school board seats in California's largest school districts were unopposed in 2014.
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About the district
Twin Rivers Unified School District is located in central California in Sacramento County. The county seat is Sacramento. Sacramento County was home to 1,482,026 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[25] The district was the 28th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 31,122 students.[26]
Demographics
Sacramento County underperformed compared to California as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 28.2 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 in the county was $55,615, compared to $61,489 statewide. The poverty rate in the county was 18.1 percent, compared to 16.4 percent for the entire state.[25]
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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 'Twin Rivers Unified School District' 'California'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
Twin Rivers Unified School District | California | School Boards |
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External links
- Twin Rivers Unified School District
- Sacramento County Department of Voter Registration and Elections
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The Sacramento Bee, "Twin Rivers board candidate can’t call herself ‘educator,’ judge rules," April 1, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sacramento County Department of Voter Registration and Elections, "Contest/Candidate Proof List: 2016 Presidential Primary Election," accessed March 14, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sacramento County, "Unofficial Results: Primary Election - June 7, 2016," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Twin Rivers Unified School District, "Meet Our Board," accessed March 10, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Sacramento County Registrar of Voters, "Candidate Guide 2016," accessed March 10, 2016
- ↑ Twin Rivers Unified School District, "BB 9220 Board Bylaws: Governing Board Elections," accessed March 10, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections, "Abbreviated Election Calendar," accessed April 26, 2016
- ↑ Democratic Party of Sacramento County, "DPSC Endorsements for June 7, 2016 Primary Election," accessed May 31, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Ramona Landeros For Twin Rivers School Board," March 31, 2016
- ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 10.15 10.16 10.17 10.18 10.19 10.20 10.21 Walter Garcia Kawamoto for Twin River USD Trustee, "Endorsements," accessed May 31, 2016
- ↑ Sacramento County Young Democrats, "Election 2016 HQ," accessed May 31, 2016
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Elkarra, Savala, Kawamoto for Twin Rivers board," May 12, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Michael Baker, "Endorsements," accessed April 1, 2016
- ↑ California Labor Federation, "June 2016 Endorsements: Sacramento Central Labor Council," accessed May 31, 2016
- ↑ International Union of Operating Engineers, "Local 3 Primary Election recommendations – California," accessed May 31, 2016
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: June 7, 2016 Election," accessed May 31, 2016
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Sacramento Bee, "Twin Rivers school trustee faces serious challenge to retain long-held seat," May 25, 2016
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on June 7, 2016," accessed March 21, 2016
- ↑ Sacramento County Department of Voter Registration and Elections, "County of Sacramento Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed May 27, 2016
- ↑ League of Women Voters of California Education Fund, "School Contests for Sacramento County, CA - June 5, 2012 Election," accessed May 26, 2014
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Sacramento Bee, "Truancy the norm at some Sacramento area high schools," April 30, 2016
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 22.7 22.8 22.9 The Sacramento Bee, "Twin Rivers board president receives payments from charter school she helped form," July 16, 2015
- ↑ California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Enforcement Case Resolutions," accessed September 29, 2016
- ↑ Open States, "AB 709," accessed April 27, 2016
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 United States Census Bureau, "Sacramento County, California," accessed March 10, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Report of Registration as of January 5, 2016," accessed March 10, 2016