Newly elected Las Lomitas board member steps down, leaving two seats to fill

Posted by Rick Moen
a resident of Menlo Park: University Heights
on Nov 19, 2020 at 1:56 pm
Rick Moen is a registered user.

I wish to thank Ms. Swartz again, for her excellent local reporting.

S.M. County Counsel Nibbelin indeed did state that LLESD's next regular election for Board trustees would be in December 2022, but I'm pretty sure the cited month is incorrect. My own records going back to 2008 show LLESD participating in California's Consolidated Municipal, School & Special District Election on the Tuesday after 1st Monday in November -- which in 2022 will be November 8th.

I think they were on more solid ground in saying that Trustee-Elect Jason Morimoto can be sworn in and seated in mid-December 2020, though my impression was that state and county / special-district elected officials generally take office the Monday following New Year's Day after their elections (Jan. 4, 2021, this time). I gather that LLESD must be an exception.

As to the rest: Having sat through last night's Board meeting held over Zoom, I'm a bit underwhelmed at the Board's vague and buzzword-heavy presentation in response to the obvious diversity concerns that hang heavily over the District, of late. I heard of no concrete actions whatsoever. This concern me -- especially when all of the principals spent a great more time congratulating and praising each other, than they did talking about the elephant in the room. It makes me wonder if Dr. Leng might have seen remaining institutional problems that she decided, on reflection, she could not justify adding to her busy professional schedule. That's just a pessimism-leaning suspicion, not anything more, but I had hoped to see more substantive action and less mutual admiration.

-- Rick Moen
(Web-search my name, if my e-mail address is needed)

Posted by Carol Mayer Marshall
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Dec 9, 2020 at 4:20 pm
Carol Mayer Marshall is a registered user.

It seems that the person who came in third after the two winners should be appointed to the Leng vacancy. She received a large number of votes and therefore would represent a large portion of the voters.