For the first time in six years, Malibu finally has a representative on the Board of Education thanks to a victory by local candidate Craig Foster.
Foster finished second in the Santa Monica-Malibu Board of Education race and nabbed one of four spots up for grabs on the board. Incumbent Ralph Mechur was ousted in the race, while newcomer Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein finished third, followed by incumbent Oscar de la Torre. Incumbent Laurie Lieberman garnered the highest percentage of votes, with 20.8 percent.
Foster won 16.7 percent of the vote, signifying a strong campaign in which he worked to get his name out in Santa Monica, where the crux of the Board of Ed votes lie.Â
Tahvildaran-Jesswein received 16.1 percent votes, just half a percentage behind Foster. De la Torre was reelected with 16.1 percent. The top four victors are guaranteed spots on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s governing body. In a predicted twist, though, a fifth spot is now up for grabs because of Ben Allen’s victory in the 26th District State Senate race. Allen’s departure from the board means board members are likely to appoint someone to the position when terms end in December.
Full results:
Laurie Lieberman: 20.78% (11,336 votes)
Craig Foster: 16.66% (9,087)
Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein 16.61% (9,061)
Oscar de la Torre 16.12% (8,795)
Ralph Mechur: 15.64% (8,531)
Dhun May: 7.13% (3,889)
Patty Finer: 7.07% (3,857)