Democratic Club
by Mary Larson
LW contributor
The May membership meeting of the LW Democratic Club featured a panel discussion about the future of public schools in California, with a special emphasis on local community. In response to a question, Marlys Davidson—vice chair of Los Alamitos Board of Trustees—outlined the relationship of local school district to the Orange County Board of Education.
One issue of concern expressed by Davidson was the county board’s apparent willingness to approve new charter schools despite the objection of the locally elected school boards in the areas involved. Reportedly, out of the county’s 43 approved charter schools, 27 have been approved only by the OC Board of Education.
To deal with this concern, two state lawmakers—Josh Newman and Dave Min—coauthored Senate Bill 907 that would move the OC Board of Education elections to November and expand the board from five to seven members. If the governor signs this bill, which has now been adopted by the legislators, it will take effect in 2025 but not be applied until the 2026 election. The reason to move the election to November was so that more voters will participate.
The OC Board of Education is also currently involved in the selection of a new Superintendent of Education.
The LW Democratic Club supports the following local school board candidates who will be on Leisure World ballots in the November General Election:
• Chris Forehan: Running for re-election in Trustee Area 2.
• Matt Bragman:Running for election in Trustee Area 5.
• Farnaz Pardasani: Running for election in Trustee Area 4.
The June 19 Voter Education meetings will be focused on the history of fascism. This is the second meeting on the subject and has been scheduled as the result of a unanimous request coming from those who attended the first session. Advance reservations are not required. More information is available by calling Bev Bender at 562-594-9148, or emailing Beverleybender@gmail.com.
Democrats and supporters can subscribe to the club’s newsletter by emailing editor, Mary Larson, at mlarson. telfords@gmail.com or calling 562-2968521. Requests must include complete contact information, including name, address, phone number and e-mail.
