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Latest revision as of 03:16, 9 November 2025

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This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
George J. McKenna III
Prior offices:
Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education District 1
Years in office: 2014 - 2024
Successor: Sherlett Hendy Newbill (Nonpartisan)

Elections and appointments
Last election
March 3, 2020
Education
Bachelor's
Xavier University
Ph.D
Xavier University
Graduate
Loyola University
Personal
Profession
Education consultant

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

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this 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
Image of George J. McKenna III
George J. McKenna III (Nonpartisan)
 
100.0
 
107,280

Total votes: 107,280
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2015

See also: Los Angeles Unified School District elections (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 Green check mark transparent.pngGeorge 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
Los Angeles Unified School District, District 1 Special Runoff Election, 1-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngGeorge 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
Los Angeles Unified School District, District 1 Special Primary Election, 1-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngGeorge J. McKenna III 44.6% 19,803
     Nonpartisan Green check mark transparent.pngAlex 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


External links

Footnotes