The Los Angeles city election will decide who holds four open seats on the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees, the group that oversees Pierce College and all other community colleges in the district.
The winners of the March 3 election will decide the fate of Pierce’s construction projects, as well as the future applications of the former Pierce Farm Center land.
The board, which manages a fund of up to $5.7 billion, was the subject of a 2011 investigation by the Los Angeles Times that revealed spending and ethical issues.
There were allegations that developers received lucrative construction contracts in exchange for campaign contributions, and that there was a direct correlation between the size of the contract and the amounts contributed.
The election could see a new majority of fresh faces take hold of a platform that has historically served as a political jumping-off point for higher office, such as with Gov. Jerry Brown.
Andra Hoffman, candidate for seat one, shared some of her thoughts about the Pierce Farm Center.
“My grandma took me to the farm,” Hoffman said. “I would never support construction.”
Hoffman has been endorsed by 10 Democratic clubs and the Los Angeles Times.
One of Hoffman’s opponents for the first seat on the board is Francesca Vega, a college policy director seeking to reintroduce transparency to the board.
“I am a huge proponent of town halls and roundtables,” Vega said. “I would definitely be an advocate for engaging each voice.”
Glenn Bailey, candidate for seat three, is a former Pierce student who participated in student government.
“You will see me not only on the college campuses, but also out in the community,” Bailey said.
Bailey said he would be “very supportive” of the Agricultural Conservation Easement. The proposal would restrict the Farm Center land to agricultural purposes and place a moratorium on development of the land.
Sam Kbushyan, a college instructor with ties to the Little Armenia community in East Hollywood, is running against Bailey.
Kbushyan said the Board of Trustees is “used for its own purpose in the political field as a tool.”
He expressed dismay at the way the district has handled business, and worries about the long-term effects the politicking can have on the city as a whole.
“We’re talking about the future of the city of Los Angeles, the financial capital of the Pacific Rim,” Kbushyan said.
Kbushyan describes himself as “an insider’s insider.” If he wins, he said he will attempt to expand the availability of online education courses.
Scott Svonkin, running again for his position on the fifth seat, spoke briefly about his time as board president. He emphasized his role in the rising ratings of LACCD bonds, and in the reform of the bond sale system into an open and competitive process that no longer occurs “behind closed doors.”
John Burke, one of four candidates for the seventh seat, said he supported President Obama’s plan “of making community colleges free again.”
Additionally, he recognized that a huge factor in the cost of student education is the price of textbooks, especially those sold in campus bookstores. To alleviate those costs, Burke said he would like to introduce discounts for textbooks purchased on-campus.
He also expressed concern about the fate of the Farm Center.
“When I was 8 or 9, my parents would take me down to Pierce,” Burke said.
He said the new developments proposed for the Farm Center land are the “worst ideas I’ve ever heard.”
However, he was strongly in favor of the proposed easement.
“That idea would have my 100 percent support,” Burke said.
