Perry Smith contributed to this report.
Elections in three Santa Clarita Valley school districts were canceled by Los Angeles County due to candidates running unopposed.
The elections for board members in the Newhall, Castaic Union and Sulphur Springs Union school districts were canceled by the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk on Aug. 12 due to candidates running unopposed.
Steve Doyle, Castaic Union School District superintendent, acknowledged two candidates during the Aug. 13 board meeting: Fred Malcomb and Janene Maxon will be on the board of trustees as they were the only people running for each available seat.
“Malcomb ran unopposed and will be returning to the governing board for another four-year term in December,” according to the Castaic district board meeting minutes.
Maxon was running for trustee area A, previously filled by Stacy Dobbs before Dobbs resigned, according to Charmin Ortega, executive assistant to the superintendent of the Castaic district. She added since Maxon was running unopposed, she is expected to join the board of trustees.
Isaiah Talley and Sue Solomon were running unopposed for seats on the Newhall School District’s board, according to Jeff Pelzel, NSD superintendent. The board of trustees acknowledged the notice from the county during the Sept. 15 board meeting.
“Only one person has been nominated each for trustee areas 4 and 5, full-term offices that were scheduled for election,” said a document sent from the registrar-recorder/county clerk to the Newhall District. “Therefore, the aforementioned district election will not be held, and the governing board shall appoint the qualified persons at the organizational meeting of the board.”
Catherine Kawaguchi, superintendent for the Sulphur Springs Union School District, confirmed that, per the Los Angeles County Registrar/Recorder’s Office records, no one filed to run for the three seats available for the SSUSD board.
This resulted in the registrar cancelling the November election for trustee area Nos. 1, 2 and 3. This means that Shelley Weinstein (Area No. 1); Denis DeFigueiredo (Area No. 2); and Paola Jellings (Area No. 3) all are expected to remain on the board. Jellings’ term is for two years, as she is filling a seat that was vacated by Martinez Gerson.
(Click here for a complete list of 2020 elections for Los Angeles County.)
