Voters will get to choose at least one new board member. If local propositions pass, it could mean more money for the school district.
By Jonathan Friedman / The Malibu Times
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District voters on Tuesday will choose four people among eight candidates for seats on the Board of Education. This election comes at a difficult time for the district when reduced state funding has forced the SMMUSD to cut its budget significantly, with a grass roots summer fundraising effort and one-time money from the federal government preventing teacher layoffs. A sales tax measure on the City of Santa Monica ballot could help ease the pain for the next school year.
The candidates for school board are incumbents Oscar de la Torre, Barry Snell and Ralph Mechur, as well as challengers Patrick Cady, Laurie Lieberman, Chris Bley, Jake Wachtel and Nimish Patel. There will be at least one new person on the board after the election because current Board member Kelly Pye chose not to run again.
Endorsements from throughout the school district communities have varied, with the powerful Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights backing de la Torre, Snell, Mechur and Lieberman. The Malibu Times, Malibu Democratic Club and various Malibu education activists are supporting Cady (the lone Malibu resident in the race), Snell, Patel and Mechur.
Patel, a 41-year-old former CPA and current lawyer, has raised the most money with $72,000 as of Oct. 16 (further candidate fundraising information can be found on page A3). Snell is a member of the SMMUSD’s Financial Oversight Committee. His involvement in the district began about two years ago when he joined the site governance council for his daughters’ school.
Snell, 55, was elected to the school board in 2006. He currently serves as board president. Snell works as an accountant in Culver City.
Mechur, 60, was appointed to the board in 2007 to replace Emily Bloomfield, who moved to another city. The architect ran unopposed in 2008 to complete Bloomfield’s term. This is his first competitive election.
Cady, 63, is the first Malibu resident to run for a seat since 2004. That year, Kathy Wisnicki was elected to the board. She declined to run again in 2008, and Malibu has been without a board member since that time. A retired Santa Monica High School teacher and track coach, Cady has said during the campaign that he can bridge the friendship gap between the frequently feuding two cities of the district.
De la Torre, 38, was elected in 2002 and 2006. He heads the Pico Youth and Family Center in Santa Monica, an antiviolence facility that offers youth programs. He is a vocal critic of the district and the City of Santa Monica regarding racial and equity issues.
Lieberman, 57, is a former deputy city attorney for Santa Monica. She is still a member of the California bar, but does not currently practice. Her husband, Chris Harding, is also an education activist and is a powerful land-use attorney in Santa Monica.
Bley, 36, is a private high school history and government teacher. He ran in 2008, finishing a close fourth in the election for three seats. During the campaign, he has criticized the SMMUSD for what he considers to be financial irresponsibility.
Wachtel, 38, is a television producer and former teacher and journalist. Prior to the election, he had no significant involvement in local education activism. He said he was inspired to run when his daughter’s teacher was nearly laid off due to budget cuts.
Local ballot propositions
In addition to the school board race, there are two items on the Santa Monica ballot that should be of interest to many Malibu residents. A half-cent sales tax proposal, Measure Y, is estimated by city officials to bring in as much $12 million for the City of Santa Monica. The second measure, YY, is a non-binding request that the Santa Monica City Council designate half the Measure Y money to “education.” During the Santa Monica council meeting when YY was approved for the ballot, only the SMMUSD was discussed as a recipient of “education” money. But there has been recent talk that Santa Monica College could also be asking for a piece of the pie. Money designated by the City of Santa Monica to the SMMUSD would go to schools in both cities.
More information on other items on the Malibu ballot, can be found in News Briefs.
Endorsement information was provided by the candidates. The Malibu Times attempted to verify all the endorsements, but did not hear back from everybody. Some endorsements submitted to The Malibu Times are not included in the newspaper. The Times staff determined endorsements that should be listed as respected city organizations and people well-known by most Malibu residents for their local education activism.
Chris Bley
Status: Challenger
Age: 36
Occupation: Teacher
Major Malibu endorsements: Former Mayor Ken Kearsley and Former Mayor Sharon Barovsky
Patrick Cady
Status: Challenger
Age: 63
Occupation: Retired teacher
Major Malibu endorsements: The Malibu Times, Malibu Democratic Club, City Councilmember Laura Rosenthal, former Board of Education member Kathy Wisnicki, former Board of Education member Pam Brady, former Malibu High principal Mike Matthews, Malibu High PTSA Past President Heather Anderson, Malibu Special Education Foundation cofounder Laureen Sills, former SMMUSD Board of Education member Kathy Wisnicki
Oscar de la Torre
Status: Incumbent
Age: 38
Occupation: Youth center director
Major Malibu endorsements: Former SMMUSD Board of Education member Pam Brady, Education activist Mike Sidley, former SMMUSD Malibu High student board member Roya Sahafi
Laurie Lieberman
Status: Challenger
Age: 57
Occupation: Former municipal attorney
Major Malibu endorsements: Former Malibu Democratic Club President Ralph Erickson, Education activist Mike Sidley, former SMMUSD Board of Education member Dan Ross, former SMMUSD Board of Education member Pam Brady, former SMMUSD Board of Education member Connie Jenkins
Ralph Mechur
Status: Incumbent
Age: 60
Occupation: Architect
Major Malibu endorsements: The Malibu Times, Malibu Democratic Club, City Councilmember Laura Rosenthal, Malibu City Councilmember Lou La Monte, Malibu High PTSA Past President Heather Anderson, former SMMUSD Board of Education member Pam Brady, former Malibu Democratic Club President Ralph Erickson, education activist Mike Sidley, Malibu High PTSA President Wendy Sidley, Malibu Special Education Foundation cofounder Laureen Sills, former SMMUSD Board of Education member Kathy Wisnicki
Nimish Patel
Status: Challenger
Age: 41
Occupation: Attorney
Major Malibu endorsements: The Malibu Times, Malibu Democratic Club, City Councilmember Laura Rosenthal, City Councilmember Lou La Monte, Mayor Pro Tem John Sibert, Former Malibu High principal Michael Matthews, Former SMMUSD Board of Education member Kathy Wisnicki, former SMMUSD Board of Education member Michael Jordan, Malibu Special Education Foundation cofounder Laureen Sills, Malibu High PTSA President Wendy Sidley
Barry Snell
Status: Incumbent
Age: 55
Occupation: Accountant
Major Malibu endorsements: The Malibu Times, Malibu Democratic Club, City Councilmember Laura Rosenthal, City Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich, Malibu High PTSA Past President Heather Anderson, former Malibu High principal Mike Matthews, education activist Mike Sidley, Malibu High PTSA President Wendy Sidley, Malibu Special Education Foundation cofounder Laureen Sills, former SMMUSD Board of Education member Kathy Wisnicki
Jake Wachtel
Status: Challenger
Age: 38
Occupation: Television producer
Major Malibu endorsements: City Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich