West Contra Costa Unified School District elections (2014)
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Three seats on the West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education were up for general election on November 4, 2014. Incumbents Madeline Kronenberg and Elaine Merriweather faced eight challengers for the three at-large seats.[1] Board President Charles T. Ramsey did not file for re-election.[2]
Incumbent Madeline Kronenberg and challengers Elizabeth Block and Valerie Cuevas won the election, defeating incumbent Elaine Merriweather and six other challengers.[3]
The election featured the largest amount of money of any November 2014 school board race in the United States. Candidates raised $224,880.00 in contributions and outside groups spent $352,480.05, for a combined total of $577,360.05 during the election.
Kronenberg raised the most of any candidate with $95,323.00. Challenger Peter Nicholas Chau came in second with $39,850.00. Both candidates raised a majority of their contributions from unions and the construction industry. Two challengers, Elizabeth Block and Valerie Cuevas, raised a combined total of $41,601.00, but they also benefited from the spending by outside groups. Several organizations, including Education Matters and the California Charter Schools Association Advocates Independent Expenditure Committee, spent $129,557.78 to support Block, $84,860.79 to support Cuevas and $138,061.48 to oppose Kronenberg.[4]
Block publicly denied seeking support from these groups. She stated, "They make it harder for me because from the very beginning of this campaign, it was clear from the questions we've had in our forums that charter schools were going to be an issue that would be raised to be divisive and to try to characterize both Val and myself as pro charter. [...] There's a group of people who are using this to run a negative campaign against Val and myself and it's interesting because this is really meant to be a distraction from all the campaign contributions that Madeline Kronenberg and now Peter Chau this year are taking from construction companies and architectural firms who are participating in our bond programs."[5] At the time of the election, the district was under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the financing of a construction program paid for with general obligations bonds issued by the school district between 2009 and 2013.[6]
About the district
West Contra Costa Unified School District is located in Contra Costa County, California. The county seat of Contra Costa County is Martinez. Contra Costa County is home to 1,094,205 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.[7] In the 2011-2012 school year, West Contra Costa Unified School District was the 36th-largest school district by enrollment in California and served 29,883 students.[8]
Demographics
Contra Costa County outperformed the rest of California in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 38.6 percent of Contra Costa County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 30.5 percent for California as a whole. The median household income for Contra Costa County was $78,187 compared to $61,400 for the state of California. The percentage of people below poverty level for Contra Costa County was 10.2 percent while it was 15.3 percent for the state of California.[7]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Voter and candidate information
The West Contra Costa Unified Board of Education consists of five members elected at-large to four-year terms. There was no primary election, and the general election was held on November 4, 2014. Three seats were up for election in 2014.[2]
School board candidates had to file with their county elections department during the candidate filing period. The filing period began July 14, 2014, and ended August 8, 2014. To vote in the 2014 general election, voters had to register by October 20, 2014. Voters could request vote-by-mail ballots from October 6, 2014, through October 28, 2014.[10]
Elections
2014
Candidates
At-large
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Election results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Elizabeth Block |
19.5% | 21,463 | |
| Nonpartisan | Madeline Kronenberg Incumbent |
15.4% | 16,950 | |
| Nonpartisan | Valerie Cuevas |
13.5% | 14,857 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mister Phillips | 11.8% | 13,027 | |
| Nonpartisan | Raquel Donoso | 10.1% | 11,064 | |
| Nonpartisan | Elaine Merriweather Incumbent | 8.8% | 9,737 | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter Nicholas Chau | 7.8% | 8,609 | |
| Nonpartisan | Chester R. Stevens | 4.5% | 4,946 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ayana Kirkland Young | 4.2% | 4,607 | |
| Nonpartisan | Otheree Christian | 4% | 4,429 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 390 | |
| Total Votes | 110,079 | |||
| Source: Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters, "Official Results - November 4, 2014 General Election," accessed January 2, 2015 | ||||
Endorsements
Incumbent Madeline Kronenberg received endorsements from:[11]
- West Contra Costa Unified School District Trustees Randall Enos, Todd A. Groves, Charles T. Ramsey
- Former West Contra Costa Unified School District Trustees Don Lau, Antonio Medrano, Karen Fenton, Karen Pfeifer
- California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson
- U.S. Representative George Miller (D)
- State Senator Mark DeSaulnier (D-7)
- State Senator Loni Hancock (D-9)
- State Assembly member Nancy Skinner (D-15)
- El Cerrito Mayor Janet Abelson
- Hercules Mayor Myrna de Vera
- Pinole Mayor Tim Banuelos
- San Pablo Mayor Paul Morris
- United Teachers of Richmond
- Richmond Police Officers Association
- Richmond Firefighters Local 188
- Contra Costa County Central Labor Council AFL-CIO
- Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades Council
- Public Employees Union, Local 1
- Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3, District 20
- Carpenters Local Union 152
- Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 342
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 302
- United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 159
- Northern California Chapter National Electrical Contractors Association
- Bricklayers, Tilelayers and Allied Craftworkers Local No. 3 - AFL-CIO
- Sprinklerfitters Local 483
- SMWIA Local Union No. 104
Incumbent Elaine Merriweather received endorsements from United Teachers of Richmond, the California Federation of Teachers and Public Employees Union, Local 1.[12]
Challenger Elizabeth Block received endorsements from the Contra Costa Times and Students For Education Reform.[13]
Challenger Otheree Christian received an endorsement from West Contra Costa Unified School District Trustee Randall Enos.[14]
Challenger Valerie Cuevas received endorsements from:[15]
- The Contra Costa Times
- U.S. Representative George Miller (D)
- State Senator Carol Liu (D-25)
- California School Board Association President-elect Jesus Holguin
- The East Bay Stonewall Democrats
Challenger Raquel Donoso received endorsements from:[16][17]
- West Contra Costa Unified School District Trustee Randall Enos
- Former West Contra Costa Unified School District Trustees Tony Thurmond, Glen Price and Antonio Medrano
- California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson
- State Senator Mark DeSaulnier (D-7)
- State Assembly member Nancy Skinner (D-15)
- East Palo Alto Mayor Laura Martinez
- El Cerrito Mayor Janet Abelson
- The Contra Costa Times
- California Democratic Party
- Democratic Party of Contra Costa County
- Public Employees Union, Local 1
- Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA)
- Richmond Chamber of Commerce
- Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades Council
- United Firefighters of Contra Costa County, Local 1230
Challenger Mister Phillips received endorsements from:[18]
- West Contra Costa Unified School District Trustee Randall Enos
- West Contra Costa Unified School District Trustee Elaine Merriweather
- U.S. Representative Mike Thompson (D)
- State Senator Mark DeSaulnier (D-7)
- El Cerrito Mayor Janet Abelson
- Hercules Mayor Myrna de Vera
- San Pablo Mayor Paul Morris
- California Democratic Party
- Democratic Party of Contra Costa County
- Association Employees Union
- Black American Political Action Committee of Contra Costa County
- Black Women Organized for Political Action
- Northern California Coalition of Black Trade Unionists
- Public Employees Union, Local 1
- United Professional Fire Fighters of Contra Costa County
Campaign finance
Candidates reported $224,880.00 in contributions and $107,540.65 in expenditures during the election, according to the Contra Costa County Elections Division.[4]
The Contra Costa Times noted in an article on October 19, 2014, that outside groups and committees had also spent significant sums to influence the election. Several organizations, including Education Matters and the California Charter Schools Association Advocates Independent Expenditure Committee, spent $129,557.78 to support challenger Elizabeth Block. Several of the same groups spent $84,860.79 to support challenger Valerie Cuevas and $138,061.48 to oppose incumbent Madeline Kronenberg. Outside group spending totaled up to $352,480.05.
In that article, Block denied actively seeking support from these groups and insisted that, "They make it harder for me because from the very beginning of this campaign, it was clear from the questions we've had in our forums that charter schools were going to be an issue that would be raised to be divisive and to try to characterize both Val and myself as pro charter. [...] There's a group of people who are using this to run a negative campaign against Val and myself and it's interesting because this is really meant to be a distraction from all the campaign contributions that Madeline Kronenberg and now Peter Chau this year are taking from construction companies and architectural firms who are participating in our bond programs. [...] That just seems so much more egregious."[5]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madeline Kronenberg | $95,323.00 | $25,399.48 | $69,923.52 |
| Elaine Merriweather | $5,590.00 | $1,911.68 | $7,276.44 |
| Elizabeth Block | $29,470.00 | $19,817.79 | $4,892.00 |
| Peter Nicholas Chau | $39,850.00 | $20,915.13 | $15,334.87 |
| Otheree Christian | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Valerie Cuevas | $12,131.00 | $8,690.00 | $3,441.00 |
| Raquel Donoso | $21,920.00 | $18,786.16 | $3,133.84 |
| Mister Phillips | $19,801.00 | $10,317.00 | $9,484.00 |
| Chester R. Stevens | $595.00 | $522.89 | $72.11 |
| Ayana Kirkland Young | $200.00 | $1,180.52 | -$980.52 |
Candidates had to file contribution reports within 24 hours of receiving an aggregate total of $1,000 or more from a single source. The first scheduled pre-election report filing deadline was October 6, 2014. If candidates raised or spent less than $1,000 during the 2013 and 2014 calendar years, they had to file Form 470 at that time. If candidates raised or spent more during that time, they had to file Form 460 by the pre-election report filing deadline.[19]
Candidates required to file Form 460 also had to file a second pre-election report on October 23, 2014, and they had to file termination reports by December 31, 2014. If a termination report was not filed, candidates had to file a semi-annual report by February 2, 2015.[19]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
Issues in the district
SEC probe into construction bonds
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) began an investigation in August 2014 into the financing of a construction program in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. On August 1, 2014, the SEC issued a request for records from Board President Charles T. Ramsey and several other district and county officials who were involved with the financing team. When the SEC subpoenaed the records, there was no indication of wrongdoing. A public letter from the SEC characterized the investigation as "a non-public, fact-finding inquiry" meant to "determine whether there have been any violations of the federal securities law."[20]
The subpoena requested records on the general obligations bonds issued by the school district between 2009 and 2013, along with additional records involving recent and planned bond refinancing. The district sold $77.46 million in bonds as part of a bond refinancing plan on August 13, 2014. On that same date, the school board voted to cover Ramsey's legal expenses in response to the investigation. "It's not an indictment, it's just a request for records," Ramsey said. "They're not saying anybody's guilty of anything or that they have a negative opinion of anybody."[21]
Ramsey, who was first elected to the board in 1993, did not file for re-election in the 2014 race.[21] Elizabeth Block and Valerie Cuevas, who both won board seats in the 2014 election, criticized how the district handled the bond program during their campaigns.[22]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the West Contra Costa Unified School District election in 2014:[23]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 14, 2014 | First day for candidates to file nomination documents |
| August 8, 2014 | Last day for candidates to file nomination documents |
| October 6, 2014 | Early voting begins |
| October 20, 2014 | Last day to register to vote |
| October 28, 2014 | Last day to vote by mail ballot |
| November 4, 2014 | Election Day |
Additional elections on the ballot
This election shared the ballot with general elections for U.S. House seats, California state executive offices, state Senate and state Assembly seats. It also shared the ballot with county, municipal and judicial elections.[1]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "West + Contra + Costa + Unified + School + District + California"
See also
- California
- West Contra Costa Unified School District, California
- California school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Contra Costa County, California ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, California
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Contra Costa County Elections Division, "List of Candidates," accessed August 19, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 West Contra Costa Unified School District, "Meet the Board," accessed August 19, 2014
- ↑ Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters, "Unofficial Results - Election Night Final: November 4, 2014 General Election," accessed November 5, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Contra Costa County Elections Division, "CampaignDocs Search Engine," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Contra Costa Times, "Big money in West Contra Costa school board race," October 19, 2014
- ↑ Reuters, "SEC probes California's West Contra Costa Unified School District," August 15, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 United States Census Bureau, "Contra Costa County, California," accessed April 21, 2013
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ Contra Costa County Elections Division, "Past Election Results," accessed July 11, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Summary of November 4, 2014, General Election Calendar," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ Madeline Kronenberg, "Endorsements," accessed October 25, 2014
- ↑ Facebook, "Elaine Merriweather for School BoardMember," accessed October 25, 2014
- ↑ Democracy.com, "Endorsements," accessed October 25, 2014
- ↑ Otheree Christian for West Contra Costa School Board, "Endorsements," accessed October 25, 2014
- ↑ Facebook, "Valerie Cuevas for West Contra Costa Unified Board of Education," accessed October 25, 2014
- ↑ Raquel Donoso for School Board, "Supporters," accessed October 25, 2014
- ↑ Contra Costa Times, "Contra Costa Times editorial: Cuevas, Donoso and Block for West Contra Costa school board," October 12, 2014
- ↑ Mister Phillips for West Contra Costa Unified School District Governing Board, "Endorsements," accessed October 25, 2014
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 4, 2014," accessed August 19, 2014
- ↑ Reuters, "SEC probes California's West Contra Costa Unified School District," August 15, 2014
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Contra Costa Times, "West Contra Costa school district to pay board president's legal costs in investigation," August 14, 2014
- ↑ marinij.com, "Former West Contra Costa school board president still influencing district," March 8, 2015
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Section 7: November 4, 2014, General Election Calendar," accessed July 31, 2014
