The election for Long Beach Unified School District Governing Board Areas 2 and 4 and the Long Beach City College Board of Trustees Districts 2 and 4, as well as for city councilmembers in even-numbered districts, will take place on Tuesday, April 12. The Signal Tribune has asked candidates to share information about themselves, their platforms and endorsements (limited to six). All but one of the eight candidates responded for this special section. Those seven candidates submitted the following information, and we are publishing their responses in alphabetical order. (For information about the city council candidates, see the Feb. 26 issue of the Signal Tribune.)
Long Beach Unified School District Governing Board District 2
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Dr. Felton Williams
Age 69
Years residing in district 43
Years residing in Long Beach 43
Education B.A.; MBA. Ph.D. (higher education, Claremont Graduate University)
Occupation Dean, Business & Social Science, Long Beach City College (ret.)
Previous offices held
County Democratic Committee, elected in 1974
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
Vice President, Leadership Long Beach
Member, College of Business, CSULB
Commissioner, Comm. Development Advisory Commission
Goals if elected/platform
Continue to advance access and equity in closing the achievement gap; to encourage and promote parent participation; to increase the use of technology in the instructional process; to continue training for faculty and staff.
Endorsements
Congressman Alan Lowenthal
Congresswoman Janice Hahn
Mayor Robert Garcia
Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell
Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert
Former Mayor Beverly O’Neill
Campaign website Feltonwilliams.com
Ed. note: The other qualified candidate for this position is Jessica Vargas-Chavez, whom the Signal Tribune was unsuccessful in reaching.
Long Beach Unified School District Governing Board District 4
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Jon Meyer
Age 79
Years residing in district 56
Years residing in Long Beach 79
Education
BA history Stanford University, MA history CSULB, administrative credential UC Irvine. Vice President
Occupation Vice president LBUSD Board of Education
Previous offices held LBUSD Board President, Board Member LB BLAST, Board Member LB Boys and Girls Club, Board Member Tichenor Orthopedic Clinic
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
I have been a board member with the Tichenor Orthopedic Clinic for children, a board member with the Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach and a board member with Long Beach Blast. The later nonprofit organization is devoted to a collaborative with LBCC and CSULB, to recruit and train mentors to work with our Long Beach Unified School District students. The Tichenor Clinic works with the LBUSD to identify and serve our children who badly need therapy and rehabilitative physical therapy. The nonprofit work with the Boys and Girls Club is well documented.
Goals if elected/platform
Board of Education members are responsible for establishing and forming policy for the LBUSD. We exist to do all possible to guarantee the personal and intellectual success of every student. It is our charge to guarantee safe and clean schools equipped with the best of up-to-date educational technology. My goal is to continue to sustain the success of our superintendent, teachers and support staff that have given us the acclaim as one of the five best urban school districts in the world. It is unheard of for a large urban district like Long Beach to have been led by only two superintendents in the last 22 years. School board stability which focuses on students first breeds superintendent stability and ever steady progress towards exemplary excellence. I want to do all possible to guarantee that our superintendent Chris Steinhauser remains our leader for at least four more years.
Endorsements
Mayor Beverly O’Neill
Governor and Mrs. George Deukmejian
Superintendent Chris Steinhauser
Councilwoman Suzie Price
City Auditor Laura Doud
The Teachers Association of Long Beach
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Rosi Pedersen
Age 72
Years residing in district 56
Years residing in Long Beach 58
Education BA in education, BA in history, MA in education administration
Occupation Retired educator
Previous offices held None
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
Assistance League, CAMEO chair 2009 and 2013, member from 1994 to present
Pacific Gateway Workforce, chair elect-member from 2005 to present
Citizen Oversight Committee for Measure K for LBUSD, 2011 to present
Steel Magnolias, new member
Goals
My priorities as your Long Beach School District Board member include:
• Fight for smaller class size and increase support staff at schools by thoroughly examining our budget priorities.
• Ensure student access to modern technology in each classroom
• Promote careers and internships for all students
• Promote transparency by utilizing technology to create easier access to school and district information for parents.
Throughout my 30-year career in the Long Beach Unified School District, I have been a classroom educator, an innovator in English-language learning programs, an administrator of the Adult Educational Program and Reid Continuation High School. I am especially proud of being a part of bringing the first career tech high school to Long Beach— McBride High School.
Endorsements
Don Knabe, LA County supervisor
Larry Forester, mayor of Signal Hill
Daryl Supernaw, Long Beach city councilmember
Ron Piazza, Vice Mayor of the City of Lakewood
Vivien Shimoyama, chair of Pacific Gaeteway Workforce Board
Dr. Mario Molina, CEO- Molina Healthcare
Website rosiforlbusd2016.com
Long Beach Community College Board of Trustees Area 2
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Irma Archuleta
Age 63
Years residing in district 16
Years residing in Long Beach 30
Education
I graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills with a bachelor’s degree in human studies with an emphasis on bilingual education, and a master’s degree in public administration.
Occupation
Retired college administrator and educator
Previous offices held In 2014, I was appointed to serve the unexpired term of former Trustee and current Councilmember Roberto Uranga.
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
Community College League of California (CCLC)
Latino Caucus, CCLC
Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT)
Intersegmental Chicano/Latino Convocation
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
Goals if elected/platform
As a member of the Board of Trustees, I will continue to work hard every day to expand access to college opportunities in our region, improve student success by reducing the length of time that students take to complete a degree and facilitate the process of paying for college, so that money is not a barrier.
Over the past year and a half, we have expanded the Long Beach Promise free tuition program, enhanced funding for career training programs and responsibly managed our district budget to ensure we are getting the best value from our precious tax dollars. We have also invested in needed campus upgrades, built new partnerships with local industry and established standards to increase graduation and transfer rates.
I have over 33 years of experience as a college administrator and educator, and I am proud of the all the progress that we have made during my tenure on the board. I believe I have the experience and know-how needed to continue leading Long Beach City College forward.
Endorsements
State Senator Ricardo Lara
Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia
Long Beach City Councilmember Dee Andrews
Long Beach City Councilmember Roberto Uranga
Long Beach Councilmember Rex Richardson
Campaign website
IrmaArchuleta.com
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Vivian Malauulu
Age 42
Years residing in district 16
Years residing in Long Beach 16
Education
Bachelor of arts degree in journalism with an emphasis in broadcast news, CSU Northridge
Master of arts in educational administration with an emphasis in curriculum development, CSU Dominguez Hills
Professional clear teaching credential, State of California
Administrative services credential, State of California
Bilingual cross-cultural language acquisition and development (BCCLAD) credential for Spanish-speaking natives, State of California
English equivalency credential with an authorization to teach language arts, CSU Long Beach
Occupation Professor of Journalism at Long Beach City College who, as a career educator, has taught university, college and high school students for more than 20 years
Registered member of ILWU Local 13 with 16 years of experience as a longshore worker at the twin ports complex of Long Beach/Los Angeles
Professional freelance bilingual journalist with more than 25 years of clips and bylines contributed to a variety of media sources in radio, television and print in both English and Spanish.
Previous offices held None
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
Chair, Commission on Youth and Children, City of Long Beach
Board of Managers member, YMCA of Greater Long Beach Early Childhood Education Program
Executive board member, Trades Advisory Council of Long Beach City College
Executive board member, CCA-CHI (Community College Association Certificated Hourly Instructors) of Long Beach City College
National Council for Higher Education
Delegate, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor for the Faculty at Long Beach City College
Executive Board Member, ILWU Local 13
Chair, Public Relations/Publicity Committee of ILWU Local 13
Delegate, Southern California District Council of ILWU
Society of Professional Journalists
Latina Leadership Project
Latino Victory Project
Goals if elected/platform
There are several goals that I will focus on once elected, specifically:
1. Increasing student achievement by allocating budget resources to making more classes available that will in turn reduce the time it takes for students to graduate.
2. Restoring vocational training programs for students, veterans and working men and women in the community who need to brush up on existing industrial skills or learn new ones to become/remain current in workplaces that rely on technically-apt employees.
3. Improving faculty and staff morale on campus by addressing the alarming wage disparity issue between them and their colleagues at other colleges.
4. Building a stronger sense of community between the residents of west Long Beach and the campus by serving as their designated trustee who is active and present in the area.
Endorsements
Long Beach City College Full and Part-time Faculty Associations (Community College Association—CCA)
California Teachers Association (CTA)
American Federation of Teachers— Long Beach Council of Classified Employees (AFT-LBCCE)
Long Beach Firefighters Association
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
State Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell (Chairman, Assembly Education Committee)
Campaign website VivianMalauulu.com
Long Beach Community College Board of Trustees Area 4
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Davina Keiser
Age 60
Years residing in district 60 (Long Beach native, still live in childhood home)
Years residing in Long Beach 60
Education
LBUSD (Fremont Elementary, Jefferson Junior High, Wilson High)
LBCC
USC (biological science and astrophysics)
BA, music, CSULB
CA secondary teaching credential, music, CSULB
CA supplemental teaching credential, mathematics, University of LaVerne
Occupation High school teacher (mathematics, Woodrow Wilson High School, Long Beach)
Previous offices held California State Commission on Professional Competence (current); Treasurer, Teachers Association of Long Beach (current, 10 years); Past area advisor, Long Beach Council PTA; Past president, Fremont Elementary PTA; Past chair National Association Republican Educators Caucus; Past chair, 70th (formerly the 54th) Assembly District, Republican Central Committee; Past secretary and assistant secretary, Republican Party of Los Angeles County; Executive Committee Member, Republican Party of Los Angeles County; Past 1st vice-president, Long Beach Republican Women Federated
Nonprofit/professional affiliations Teachers Association of Long Beach, California Teachers Association, National Education Association, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Astonomical Society of the Pacific, Music Teachers Association of California, Sigma Alpha Iota Professional Music Fraternity, PEO, PTSA (Wilson High)
Goals if elected/platform
1) Return the 11 vocational programs (aircraft mechanic, welding, etc.) terminated by current Board of Trustees to meet needs of the community.
2) Expand communication to include social media so that all stakeholders will receive news in a timely manner and have opportunity for two-way dialogue.
3) Improve relationship between the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students and the community to promote a more collegial and collaborative atmosphere by giving a voice to all.
Endorsements Republican Party of Los Angeles County; others pending (LBCC PAC and more)
Campaign website
DavinaKeiser.com
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Doug Otto
Age 67
Years residing in district Over 20
Years residing in Long Beach 59 total
Education
Long Beach City College
Stanford University (bachelor’s degree)
Union Theological Seminary (master’s degree)
University of Chicago (law degree)
Occupation Attorney
Previous offices held
Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees, 4th Trustee District (12 years—elected)
Long Beach Planning Commission (8 years—elected)
Long Beach Blue Ribbon Citizen’s Transportation Task Force (2 years—appointed)
Long Beach Downtown Business and Development Advisory Committee (6 years—appointed)
Long Beach Ethics Task Force (2 years—appointed)
Long Beach Strategic Plan 2010 (2 years—appointed)
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
I’m an attorney, former law professor and educational leader in Long Beach. I’m the incoming president of the California Community College Trustee Association and the Community College League of California.
Locally, I’ve been active in founding Long Beach’s historic preservation organizations and chaired the following: City of Long Beach’s Blue Ribbon Citizen’s Transportation Task Force, the Long Beach Planning Commission, the Downtown Business and Development Advisory Committee and the Long Beach Strategic Plan 2010.
I’m active in several nonprofit and community organizations, including Long Beach Heritage, Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation, the Aquarium of the Pacific and St. Mary Medical Center.
Goals if elected/platform
My priorities for the next four years are:
Providing the highest quality affordable education
• Providing a foundation of success for students and families with access to high quality college education by expanding the Long Beach College Promise
• Continue improving course options for students that meet high tech current demands
Graduating students on time
• Continuing to improve the graduation and certificate rates
• Lowering the time it takes for the average LBCC student to complete a course of study from six years to three years.
Creating jobs of the future
• Developing programs to link prepared and highly qualified students with their future employers
• Continue expanding transfer degree programs
Endorsements
Hon. Alan Lowenthal, Congressman, California’s 47th District
Hon. Ricardo Lara, California State Senator, 33rd District
Hon. Patrick O’Donnell, California State Assemblymember, 70th District
Hon. George Deukmejian, Former Governor of California
Hon. Don Knabe, Los Angeles County Supervisor, 4th District
Hon. Robert Garcia, Mayor, City of Long Beach
Campaign website dougottoforlbcc.com
