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Las Virgenes Unified School District elections (2015)
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Two seats on the Las Virgenes Unified School District Board of Education were up for general election on November 3, 2015.[1][2] The seats held by incumbents Jill M. Gaines and Cindy Iser were on the ballot.[3]
Neither incumbent filed to run for re-election. Linda Menges and Mathy Wasserman defeated Gary Mittin for the open seats.[4][5][6][7]
See how this race compared to past school board elections in both the district and the state in the "Election trends" section.
About the district
Most of the Las Virgenes Unified School District is located in Los Angeles County in southwestern California, but a small portion of it resides in neighboring Ventura County. The county seat of Los Angeles County is Los Angeles, and the county seat of Ventura County is Ventura. In 2014, Los Angeles County was home to 10,116,705 residents, and Ventura County was home to 846,178 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[8][9] During the 2012-2013 school year, Las Virgenes Unified School District was the 145th-largest school district by enrollment in California and served 11,200 students.[10]
Demographics
Los Angeles County underperformed compared to the rest of California in terms of higher education achievement in 2013, but Ventura County outperformed the state. The United States Census Bureau found that 29.7 percent of Los Angeles County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 31.4 percent for Ventura County and 30.7 percent for California as a whole. The median household income for Los Angeles County was $55,909, compared to $76,544 in Ventura County and $61,094 for the entire state. The percentage of people below poverty level for Los Angeles County was 17.8 percent, compared to 11.1 percent in Ventura County and 15.9 percent statewide.[8][9]
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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 Las Virgenes Unified Board of Education consists of five members elected at-large to four-year terms. Board members are elected on a staggered basis every November of odd-numbered years. There are no primary elections.[13] Three seats were up for election on November 5, 2013, and two seats were on the ballot on November 3, 2015.[1]
School board candidates had to be at least 18 years old, residents of the school district and qualified voters. They could not be employees of the school district while in office.[14] To get on the ballot, candidates had to file their declaration of candidacy with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk by August 7, 2015.[15]
To vote in this election, residents of the district had to register by October 19, 2015. Voters could cast vote-by-mail ballots from October 24, 2015, through Election Day.[15] Photo identification was not required to vote in California.
Elections
2015
Candidates
At-large
Linda Menges 
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Gary Mittin | Mathy Wasserman
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Election results
| Las Virgenes Unified School District, At-large, General Election, 2015 | ||
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Linda Menges |
48.8% | 2,842 |
| Mathy Wasserman |
37.4% | 2,182 |
| Gary Mittin | 13.8% | 804 |
| Total Votes | 5,828 | |
| Source: Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "NOVEMBER 03, 2015 - LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL CONSOLIDATED ELECTIONS: Final Official Election Returns," accessed November 24, 2015 and Ventura County Recorder/Registrar of Voters, "Official Final Results: UDEL General Election November 3, 2015," accessed November 24, 2015 | ||
Endorsements
Gary Mittin was endorsed by Craig Huey from The Election Forum, the Concerned Parents of California and the Concerned Parents of Conejo Valley.[16][17] Linda Menges was endorsed by Agoura Hills City Council member Bill Koehler.[18]
Campaign finance
At the time of this election, the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk did not publish school board candidate campaign finance reports online. Ballotpedia staffers requested this information, but the only free method of viewing the files was at their office.
The Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk targeted the end of 2018 to make school board candidate campaign finance reports available online for free. From that point forward, Ballotpedia began including campaign finance data for Los Angeles County school board candidates.[19][20][21]
Campaign finance reporting requirements in California vary depending on how much money candidates spend or raise. For candidates planning to raise or spend less than $1,000, an Officeholder and Candidate Campaign Statement Short Form (Form 470) must be filed with their county or city elections office. If candidates plan to spend up to $1,000, including their own funds, they must also file a Candidate Intention Statement (Form 501). "If a candidate does not raise any money and personal funds are used only to pay filing or ballot statement fees, the candidate is not required to file the Form 501," according to the Fair Political Practices Commission. If candidates raise money outside of their own funds, a separate campaign bank account must be established.[22]
Candidates raising or spending more than $1,000, including their personal funds, must file a Candidate Intention Statement (Form 501), file a Statement of Organization (Form 410) and establish a separate bank account for campaign funds. They must then file Recipient Committee Campaign Statements (Form 460) to disclose their contributions and expenditures throughout their campaigns. If they receive more than $1,000 from a single source within 90 days of the election, they must file a 24-hour Contribution Report (Form 497).[22]
If you have any information regarding the campaign finance disclosures in this race, please contact the school board elections team at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2013
2011On November 8, 2011, two seats on the Las Virgenes Unified School District Board of Education were up for election. Candidates Jill M. Gaines and Cindy Iser were unopposed and won the uncontested election. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What was at stake?
2015
Election trends
- See also: 2013 school board elections
With two seats on the ballot on November 3, 2015, nearly half of the Las Virgenes Unified Board of Education had to potential to change hands. Neither incumbent filed to run for re-election, guaranteeing two newcomers would join the board. A total of three candidates ran in this election, bringing the average number of candidates per seat to 1.5.
In 2013, only one incumbent ran to retain her seat. She was re-elected to the board, and two newcomers were elected to the open seats. There was an average of 1.7 candidates running per seat in that race.
Both the 2013 and 2015 school board races in the Las Virgenes Unified School District had fewer candidates run per seat than the 2014 state average of 1.91 candidates per seat up for election in California's largest school districts. That year, just over 25 percent of board seats in those districts were unopposed, and 37.65 percent of seats went to newcomers.
Issues in the election
Measure E
In addition to two school board seats, a measure was also on the ballot on November 3, 2015. The district asked voters to approve Measure E, which sought to continue the district's annual parcel tax—a kind of property tax based on units of property rather than assessed value—of $98 per parcel for 12 years.[23] Voters approved the measure.
District voters originally approved this tax in 2004 and renewed it in 2007. It was designed to expire in 2015 without approval of a measure continuing the tax, such as Measure E. In 2011, voters defeated Measure K, which would have authorized a $95 per year parcel tax for eight years.
The full text of the resolution calling for Measure E can be read here. The measure appeared on the ballot as the following question:
| “ | To protect the quality of education in our local schools, fund core programs in math, science, reading, technology and the arts, attract/retain highly qualified teachers, counselors, and technology specialists, maintain smaller class sizes, enhance student achievement and prepare our students for success in college and careers, shall Las Virgenes Unified School District continue for twelve years the existing $98 annual school parcel tax without raising the current rate, with an exemption for seniors, and all money staying local?[23][24] | ” |
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Las Virgenes Unified School District election in 2015:[15][25]
| Deadline | Event |
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| June 8, 2015 - August 7, 2015 | Candidate filing period |
| July 31, 2015 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
| August 5, 2015 - November 2, 2015 | 24-hour campaign contribution reporting period |
| September 7, 2015 - October 20, 2015 | Write-in candidate filing period |
| September 24, 2015 | Pre-election campaign finance report due |
| October 19, 2015 | Voter registration deadline |
| October 22, 2015 | Pre-election campaign finance report due |
| October 24, 2015 | First day voters can cast vote-by-mail ballots |
| November 3, 2015 | Election Day |
| February 1, 2016 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: California elections, 2015
A parcel tax measure for the Las Virgenes Unified School District shared the ballot with the school board election. A number of other school districts in Los Angeles County also held school board elections on November 3, 2015, though they were not on the same ballot.[23][26]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Las Virgenes Unified School District California. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Las Virgenes Unified School District | California | School Boards |
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External links
- Las Virgenes Unified School District
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
- Ventura County Elections
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, “2015 Scheduled Elections,” accessed January 27, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, “Running for Office,” accessed January 27, 2015
- ↑ Las Virgenes Unified School District, "Board of Education Homepage," accessed January 27, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Candidate List: Local and Municipal Consolidated Elections - 11/3/2015," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ Ventura County Elections, "Qualified Candidate List UDEL Election," accessed August 10, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "NOVEMBER 03, 2015 - LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL CONSOLIDATED ELECTIONS: Semi-Final Official Election Returns," accessed November 4, 2015
- ↑ Ventura County Recorder/Registrar of Voters, "Semi Official Final Results: UDEL General Election November 3, 2015," accessed November 4, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 United States Census Bureau, "Los Angeles County, California," accessed September 23, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 United States Census Bureau, "Ventura County, California," accessed September 23, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 29, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Past Election Results," accessed July 1, 2014
- ↑ Ventura County Registrar of Voters, "Historical Election Results & Statement of Votes," accessed July 16, 2014
- ↑ Las Virgenes Unified School District, "Board of Education," accessed August 6, 2015
- ↑ Las Virgenes Unified School District, "Board of Education Members," accessed August 6, 2015
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Calendar of Events," accessed July 29, 2015
- ↑ Election Forum, "November 3, 2015 Election Recommendations for L.A. County," October 21, 2015
- ↑ Gary L. Mittin, "Endorsements," accessed October 28, 2015
- ↑ Linda Menges Running For Las Virgenes USD School Board, "About Linda Menges," accessed October 28, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed July 2, 2014
- ↑ Daniel Anderson, “Email communication with Brenda Duran, Los Angeles County Public Information Officer," October 7, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Brenda Duran, Los Angeles County Public Information Officer," January 2, 2018
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Fair Political Practices Commission, "Local Candidates, Superior Court Judges, Their Controlled Committees, and Primarily Formed Committees for Local Candidates: Campaign Disclosure Manual 2," accessed August 5, 2015
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Los Angeles County Elections Office, “Measures appearing on the ballot on November 3, 2015,” accessed September 8, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 3, 2015," accessed August 5, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Local And Municipal Consolidated Elections - 11/3/2015," accessed July 29, 2015
| 2015 Las Virgenes Unified School District Elections | |
| Los Angeles County, California | |
| Election date: | November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Linda Menges • Gary Mittin • Mathy Wasserman |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
