Elizabeth Block
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Elizabeth Block is an at-large member on the West Contra Costa Board of Education in California. She was first elected to the board in the general election on November 4, 2014.
Biography
Elizabeth Block is a resident of Contra Costa County, California. Block earned her bachelor's degree in psychology and developmental psycholinguistics, her master's degree in education from the University of California at Berkeley and her administrative services credentials from St. Mary’s College. She has worked as an educator for more than three decades. Block served on the El Cerrito Human Relations Commission from 2010 to 2012.[1]
Elections
2014
The election in West Contra Costa featured three at-large seats up for general election on November 4, 2014. Incumbents Madeline Kronenberg and Elaine Merriweather faced eight challengers for the three at-large seats. The challengers were Elizabeth Block, Peter Nicholas Chau, Otheree Christian, Valerie Cuevas, Raquel Donoso, Mister Phillips, Chester R. Stevens, and Ayana Kirkland Young. Board President Charles T. Ramsey did not file for re-election.
Kronenberg, Block, and Cuevas won the 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 | ||||
Funding
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.[2]
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.[2]
Block reported $29,470.00 in contributions and $19,817.79 in expenditures during the election, which left her with $4,892.00 on hand according to the Contra Costa County Elections Division. Several organizations, including Education Matters and the California Charter Schools Association Advocates Independent Expenditure Committee, spent $129,557.78 to support Block.[3]
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."[4]
Endorsements
Block received endorsements from the Contra Costa Times and Students For Education Reform.[5]
Campaign themes
2014
Block published her priorities on her Voter's Edge profile:
| “ | Our struggling school district needs strong, capable leadership focused on student achievement and quality instruction. We need a new school board that will put the needs of the students first.
As a school board member, I will make sure that district funds are used to improve educational opportunities for all children, support teachers, and advance college and career readiness for students. I will strive to build a stronger connection between our community and the school board and restore public trust in our schools. I will set policies that hold district officials accountable for student learning and demand accountability for district expenditures. Throughout my career, I have always strived to ensure that each child receives the best possible education and I will continue that as a member of the board of education. Working on behalf of West Contra Costa County taxpayers and students, I will focus on four key areas: Students
Teachers and Principals
Parents and Community
Transparency and Accountability
|
” |
| —Elizabeth Block profile (2014)[7] | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Elizabeth + Block + West + Contra + Costa + Unified + School + District"
See also
- West Contra Costa Unified School District, California
- West Contra Costa Unified School District elections (2014)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Democracy.com, "Biography," accessed November 3, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 4, 2014," accessed August 19, 2014
- ↑ Contra Costa County Elections Division, "CampaignDocs Search Engine," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ Contra Costa Times, "Big money in West Contra Costa school board race," October 19, 2014
- ↑ Democracy.com, "Endorsements," accessed October 25, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Voter's Edge, "Elizabeth Block," accessed November 3, 2014
