School Board Elections Thread

Well, a few days ago, Qui Nguyen came knocking on our door.  He was working his way down our street and and handed us one of his flyers.

.

I like his flyer.  It reminds me of one of some of the things I wrote up and printed myself on my laser printer during a few of our past campaigns.  That is to say, it has the homemade look to it.  It doesn't look hookie or cheesy or bad or anything like that.  But it does look homemade.

.

He's a very enthusiastic individual, and displays a real passion for education.  And I like the idea of a low-budget insurgent, relying on door-to-door canvassing and meeting the voters, one-on-one.

.

After a few minutes of talking with  him, I decided that he was exactly the sort of person we could use on our local school board.  So my wife and I told him that we'd vote for him, and that we wished him luck.  He then asked if I would give him my formal endorsement.  I told him that I was not sure if that would be a net positive or a net negative, but that I would be proud to do so.

.

The next morning, as I left for work, I walked down the street and saw Qui Nguyen yard signs all over the street.  Apparently, we're not the only ones who were impressed with this guy.

Janet Chin is a candidate for Garvey School Board.  She's having a fundraiser in Sunday, September 16, startin at 6:30pm at the Lo/Chin headquarters, 2236 San Gabriel Blvd, Rosemead, CA  91770.  I can't remember if this was north or south of Klingerman, but it's right around there.

.

The attraction (or repellant, depending on your inclination!) for this one is a Salsa dance lesson, "taught by the talented Bobby G.!" [I'm quoting from the flyer--I don't know  how entertaining or talented Bobby G is :D].

.

Visit Janet Chin's website www.janetchin.org for more information.

.
[Well, it turns out there's no information about the fundraiser on her site. But you can learn more about the candidate there!]

Some of you may recall Joan Vizcarra.  She came to a number of SOC meetings and a couple of our fundraisers to pick up pointers on fighting La Piazza and doing a referendum petition (unfortunately, their group, like ours, never got a chance at a vote, either).  Well, it turns out she's running for school board in Temple City.  I can't vote in TC, but if you can, I'd suggest a vote for her.

Both can use your support over the next few days.  Their headquarters is located on San Gabriel Blvd, just south of Klingerman.

Over the hill, there are only three candidates for School Board. David Manuel, David Vela, and Marcella Calderon. Due to work, I cannot comment extensively on these folks.

Incumbent Calderon has money, and has sent out a few mailings. Maybe she's got a targeted message going to my home -- it's all about test scores rising to above average at all schools. [I just got a mailer from the mta, and it notes that Calderon was a BGHS alumnae.]

Vela hasn't sent anything to me afaik, but his resume is very strong - academically, and also with regard to public policy. He's a graduate of BGHS. http://davidvela4musd.com/aboutus.aspx

David Manuel has not sent me anything afaik. He has no website, but a few hits turned up the fact that he's a member of the Lion's club, along with Siccama and Bagwell. He's also on the planning commission.

At Topix forums (http://www.topix.com/forum/city/montebello-ca/TEVFAGI8QU79S00BE/p2), Manuel is favored by people who don't like professional politicians. Of course, that isn't necessarily a good thing when it comes to getting state and federal money into the district.