Central Unified School District elections (2016)
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Three of the seven seats on the Central Unified School District board of trustees were up for by-district general election on November 8, 2016. Trustee Area 3 incumbent Leonard Ramirez did not file for re-election, leaving the seat open for a newcomer. Candidates Phillip Cervantes and Maria Petrogonas Brar vied for the seat, and Cervantes won. In her bid for re-election to Trustee Area 5, incumbent Cynthia Berube faced challengers Randy Rocca and Richard Solis. Solis was elected to the seat. In Trustee Area 6, incumbent Terry Cox defeated challenger Richard Martinez Jr.[1][2] On top of choosing candidates for the board of trustees, citizens of the school district also voted on an $87.3 million bond measure in this election.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Central Unified board of trustees consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held by district on a staggered basis every November of even-numbered years. Four seats were up for election on November 4, 2014, and three 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. In order to qualify as candidates, they had to be at least 18 years old, citizens of California, residents of the school district, registered voters, and "not legally disqualified from holding civil office," according to the bylaws of the Central Unified board of trustees. Once they took office, school board members could not be employed by the school district.[4][5]
To vote in this election, residents of the school district had to register by October 24, 2016.[6] Photo identification was not required to vote in this election.[7]
Candidates and results
Trustee Area 3
Results
| Central Unified School District, Trustee Area 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Phillip Cervantes |
50.60% | 1,558 |
| Maria Petrogonas Brar | 48.81% | 1,503 |
| Write-in votes | 0.58% | 18 |
| Total Votes | 3,079 | |
| Source: Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, "Fresno County Official Final Results," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Maria Petrogonas Brar | Phillip Cervantes 
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Trustee Area 5
Results
| Central Unified School District, Trustee Area 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Richard Solis |
40.95% | 1,016 |
| Randy Rocca | 29.34% | 728 |
| Cynthia Berube Incumbent | 28.98% | 719 |
| Write-in votes | 0.48% | 12 |
| Total Votes | 2,475 | |
| Source: Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, "Fresno County Official Final Results," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Cynthia Berube | Randy Rocca | Richard Solis
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Trustee Area 6
Results
| Central Unified School District, Trustee Area 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Terry Cox Incumbent |
52.75% | 1,574 |
| Richard Martinez Jr. | 46.85% | 1,398 |
| Write-in votes | 0.4% | 12 |
| Total Votes | 2,984 | |
| Source: Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, "Fresno County Official Final Results," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Terry Cox
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Richard Martinez Jr. | ||
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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 bond measure for the school district, two bond measures for Fresno County, a number of statewide ballot measures, and elections for the following offices:[8][9]
- President and Vice President
- U.S. Senate
- U.S. House of Representatives
- California State Assembly
- Fresno County Board of Education
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for California school board elections in 2016:[10][11]
| 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 Fresno County Democratic Party and the community organization Evolve endorsed Trustee Area 6 challenger Richard Martinez Jr.[12][13]
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.[11]
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.[11]
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.[11]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $1,000.00 and spent a total of $0.00 in the election, according to the Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters.[14]
Trustee Area 3
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Petrogonas Brar | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Phillip Cervantes | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Trustee Area 5
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cynthia Berube | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Randy Rocca | $1,000.00 | $0.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Richard Solis | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Trustee Area 6
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Cox | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Richard Martinez Jr. | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
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2014
2012
2010Trustee Area 1This election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Incumbent Phil Rusconi won re-election by default.[15] Trustee Area 2
Trustee Area 4This election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Incumbent George Wilson Jr. won re-election by default.[16] Trustee Area 7This election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Incumbent Diana Milla won re-election by default.[17] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What was at stake?
2016
Issues in the election
Bond measure
In addition to choosing three candidates for the Central Unified School District board of trustees on November 8, 2016, citizens of the district voted on an $87.3 million bond measure to build a new high school and elementary school and to renovate other buildings in the district. The measure required a 55 percent majority to pass.[18] The measure was approved with over 69 percent of the vote.[19] The question appeared on the ballot as follows:
| “ | To continue renovating, constructing and equipping existing classrooms/school facilities, building a new high school and elementary school, and to be eligible for State matching funds, shall $87,300,000 of Central Unified School District bonds, an amount previously approved by voters in 2008, be reauthorized through issuance of new bonds, with no increase in total authorized District debt, interest rates within legal limits, annual audits, citizen oversight, all funds spent on local schools and no money for administrator salaries?[20] | ” |
| —Central Unified School District (2016)[18] | ||
Candidate survey
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About the district
The Central Unified School District is located in Fresno County in central California. The county seat is Fresno. Fresno County was home to 974,861 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[21] The district was the 102nd-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 15,490 students.[22]
Demographics
Fresno 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 19.5 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 Fresno County was $45,201, compared to $61,489 for the entire state. The percentage of people in poverty was 27.5 percent, while it was 16.4 percent statewide.[21]
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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 'Central Unified School District' 'California'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Central Unified School District | California | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Fresno County, California, "Contest/Candidate Proof List Presidential General Election," accessed August 15, 2016
- ↑ Fresno County, "Fresno County Unofficial Final Results," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Central Unified School District, "board of trustees Members," accessed June 29, 2016
- ↑ Central Unified School District, "Board Bylaws (9000)," accessed June 29, 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
- ↑ Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, "Local Measures Appearing on the November 8, 2016 Ballot," accessed September 23, 2016
- ↑ Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, "Contest/Candidate Proof List: Presidential General Election," accessed September 23, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016, General Election Calendar," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 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
- ↑ Fresco County Democratic Party, "Press Release: Local Democrats Announce Official Endorsements," September 21, 2016
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, "CampaignDocs eRetrieval: Search by Candidate's Last Name," accessed February 7, 2017
- ↑ Smart Voter, "Trustee; Central Unified School District; Trustee Area 1 Voter Information," accessed September 18, 2014
- ↑ Smart Voter, "Trustee; Central Unified School District; Trustee Area 4 Voter Information," accessed September 18, 2014
- ↑ Smart Voter, "Trustee; Central Unified School District; Trustee Area 7 Voter Information," accessed September 18, 2014
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, "Appendix A: Ballot Proposition Full Text," accessed October 20, 2016
- ↑ ABC 30, "California Elections," November 14, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 United States Census Bureau, "Fresno County, California," accessed June 29, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Fresno County Registrar of Voters, "Election Results," accessed July 15, 2014
| 2016 Central Unified School District Elections | |
| Fresno County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Trustee Area 3: • Maria Petrogonas Brar • Phillip Cervantes Trustee Area 5: • Incumbent, Cynthia Berube • Randy Rocca • Richard Solis Trustee Area 6: • Incumbent, Terry Cox • Richard Martinez Jr. |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
