Los Angeles County has 13 community college districts, with 21 colleges among them. Each district has its own board of trustees.

This guide focuses on the L.A. Community College District (LACCD), which is the largest community college district in California and among the largest in the nation. Depending on where you live, you might instead see another district on your ballot, or none at all. Regardless of what district you live in, however, this guide will still help you with tips for making an informed choice.

If I'm not a community college student or employee, why should I care?

Even if you don’t attend or work at a community college, there are plenty of reasons to care about what these boards do. Board members oversee huge district budgets (made up of your tax dollars), which go toward all kinds of projects beyond academics. Think: new buildings, land development, and construction, all of which affect the surrounding community.

Community colleges also offer events and other opportunities that are open to the public. East Los Angeles College, for instance, has an art museum — a rarity in that part of town.

These colleges are a blue-collar educational engine for the region. Students are often the first in their families to pursue higher education, and more than half of them earn an income at or below the poverty line. Roughly three-fourths of LACCD students are people of color.

In addition to students seeking vocational training to improve their job prospects and students who plan to transfer to a university, the colleges can also serve as a place to launch a career change or learn another language.

If you think social mobility and an educated workforce are good for the country, then you care about community colleges.

Fast facts about LACCD

The L.A. Community College District is huge. Its boundaries cover 882 square miles, including the city of L.A. and dozens of other incorporated cities, such as Culver City, Montebello, and San Fernando. In 2023-24, the district had a $10.4 billion budget.

The district includes the following institutions:

• East L.A. College
• Harbor College
• L.A. City College
• L.A. Trade-Technical College
• Mission College
• Pierce College 
• Southwest College
• Valley College
• West L.A. College

The challenges ahead

The current chancellor, Francisco Rodriguez, recently announced that he will retire this fall, after a decade in the role — and after a vote of no confidence against Rodriguez and the Board of Trustees earlier this year. Recent notable lawsuits against the district include accusations of corruption in building a new performing arts center at Valley College and failure to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The district has also been enmeshed in sexual harassment lawsuits.

Like other community college districts in California, its enrollment fell dramatically during the pandemic, and still hasn’t recovered. More on that below.

What does the Board of Trustees do?

Think of the community college boards of trustees as school boards that govern community colleges instead of K-12 schools. Board members are elected for four-year terms, and they do not have any term limits. The trustees earn $24,000 per year. 

The Board of Trustees sets the vision and goals for the district. LACCD’s seven-member elected board:

• is accountable for how money gets spent and for making changes needed to help students succeed;
• hires and fires the district’s top executive, the chancellor (who is essentially the CEO); 
• can push for certain policies, such as establishing campus food pantries, working with agencies to provide free transportation, and allocating money to help students pay for housing; and
• makes sure community members’ needs are reflected in district priorities.

What’s on the agenda for next term?

• California’s community colleges lost tens of thousands of students during the pandemic. Students are the lifeblood of the colleges, not only because it’s their mission to educate students, but also because a big chunk of the money that campuses use to pay employees and keep things running depends on enrollment. State community college funding laws gave the campuses a few years to recover before the state reduces enrollment-based funding, but that deadline is approaching and LACCD’s headcount continues to fall. Currently, the district’s nine colleges have 193,841 full- and part-time students — down from 202,735 students in 2021-22.
• Hiring a new chancellor will be another priority for board members, along with mending a fractured relationship with the faculty. Rodriguez said he is resigning to help his family care for his ailing father. However, Angela Echeverri, president of the district-wide faculty senate, noted that the chancellor is stepping down following that vote of "no confidence" against him. In a statement, Echeverri said the chancellor “circumvented calls for transparency, sidestepped meaningful reforms, and failed to adequately address concerns about sexual harassment, retaliation, and the use of public funds, particularly in the case of large public contracts.” She also told LAist: "It is important to note that none of these problems could occur without the Board of Trustees shirking their responsibilities and enabling troubling behavior, including egregious sexual harassment and retaliation against whistle-blowers."
• The rising cost of living is driving out the colleges’ core demographic. The trustees will have to ensure that students' basic needs are met, with a focus on affordable student housing. 

What areas do the board seats represent?

The board seats are elected at-large, which means a candidate can run for any of them — they don't correspond to geographical areas, like how Los Angeles Unified School Board seats do.

Meet the candidates

LAist asked all the candidates to share their top priorities, as well as details about their backgrounds. They responded with email statements.

Board Seat 1

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Courtesy of Baltazar Fedalizo

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Baltazar Fedalizo

Private equity investor

According to Fedalizo, LACCD’s biggest problems are: financial waste, a lack of accountability, and “scope creep” — that is, when a project's scope increases beyond its original description, after the project has started.

Priorities include:

• Examine what district initiatives have been completed and whether students are benefitting from them. 
• Heighten student voice in the decision-making process.

Fedalizo studied at Harbor College, then earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations at Cal State Dominguez Hills and an MBA at University of Redlands. He has been a chef instructor at Le Cordon Bleu, served in the armed forces, and participated in an Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has also been a delegate to the Republican National Convention and owns Nature's Hotline, a food bank in South Central.

More voter resources:

• Website: BaltazarBiz.com

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Courtesy of Andra Hoffman

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Andra Hoffman

Incumbent. Director of career services and job placement at Glendale Community College

Hoffman is a member of the Board of Trustees and is running for re-election. She chairs the Budget & Finance Committee, which oversees the district’s budget, including how construction bond money is spent. Hoffman was also elected by her peers to serve on the California Community College Trustees (CCCT) board, where she is part of a task force focused on college affordability and basic needs, including access to nutritious food, transportation, and childcare. In Hoffman’s view, enrollment decline is the district’s biggest challenge. “The district serves some of the poorest and most diverse students in the state of California, and college affordability continues to be a barrier for most students due to the high cost of living in the L.A. area,” she adds.

Priorities include:

• Engage in a national search to hire a new chancellor.
• Build affordable student housing.
• Increase the number of LACCD colleges that offer bachelor’s degrees, especially in high-demand careers like nursing. 

For nearly three decades, Hoffman has worked at Glendale Community College, overseeing the transfer center, career center, and job placement. She attended Los Angeles Valley College, received her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Antioch University, and earned a master’s degree in public administration from California State Northridge. She was also an adjunct professor at Glendale Community College in the political science department, where she taught classes on California and U.S. Government.

More voter resources:

• Website: LACCD.edu

We have requested an image from the candidate. If and when it is received, this guide will be updated.

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LAist.com

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Peter Manghera

Teacher 

LACCD’s campuses need to be well-funded, Manghera says, so they can serve as “a guiding light,” a path toward careers in “construction, welding, plumbing,” and other hands-on fields.

Priorities include:

• Raising new sources of campus revenue
• Finding creative way to recruit new students
• Expanding neighborhood outreach as a way to also recruit new students and employees, as well as support the community.

Manghera believes that community colleges “should do a better job at recruiting students” by advertising on social media, radio stations, and small, local news outlets.

He would also like to see “more programs that involve the outside community.” For instance, Harbor College hosts an Alice in Wonderland musical every fall and invites the community to audition for parts in the play. “This is not only fun for the college and the community, but it creates a good feeling about Harbor College,” Manghera added. “This is a great recruiting tool!”

Manghera did not provide a bio, photo, or website to LAist.

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Courtesy of Cheyenne Sims

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Cheyenne Sims

Executive director of HBCU Route

Sims, who describes herself as “a proud South Central native,” has worked as a youth mentor and tutor. Her academic journey began at West L.A. College. She then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Afro-American Studies at Howard University, a private, historically Black institution in Washington, D.C.

Priorities include:

• Creating safer campuses for students and staff by “eliminating corruption, intimidation, and discrimination.”
• Improving LACCD’s transfer pathway. 
• “Tangible improvements” in meeting students’ basic needs.

Sims says a safe campus involves “robust internal controls to prevent undue influence from administrators with a history of sexual violence or corruption.” Sims also believes that LACCD “should prioritize racial equity in faculty hiring, ensuring that the faculty composition reflects the demographics of the community and campus.” Doing so will “enhance student success and foster a more inclusive educational environment,” she said.

Sims says she wants to see funding directed toward development officers that can secure grants “dedicated to racial equity and social justice.” She also aims to ensure that programs like Umoja and Puente, which work to increase the number of Black and Latino college graduates, respectively, are present across the district. She wants to see weekly farmers' markets on campus that accept SNAP/EBT. And she wants to triple the funding for gateway housing programs, which provide temporary or transitional shelter for people who are experiencing homelessness.

More voter resources:

• Website: LinkedIn.com

Board Seat 3

We have requested an image from the candidate. If and when it is received, this guide will be updated.

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LAist.com

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Nancy Pearlman

Environmentalist, anthropologist, and former college educator

In the 1990s and from 2017 to 2020, Pearlman taught anthropology and communications at several LACCD schools. She’s also a former trustee, who wants to reclaim a seat to serve as “a watchdog for the billions of dollars that the LACCD spends.”

Priorities include:

• Financial oversight.
• Making campuses more “ecological and sustainable.”
• Providing free textbooks and allowing students who are experiencing homelessness to park on campus and use the facilities at night, like other districts have done.

Pearlman attended L.A. City College and then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree at UCLA, three teaching credentials, and a master’s degree in urban studies and planning at Antioch College/West.

More voter resources:

• Website: NancyPearlman.net 

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Courtesy of Louis Shapiro

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Louis Anthony Shapiro

Retired educator 

Shapiro tells LAist that the biggest problem plaguing LACCD is “small-mindedness” — an emphasis on salary as the goal of education. “We should become thinkers, explorers, and adventurers as we grow up and work, form families, and live in society. … Yes, we need money, but there are other things to get besides what money can buy.”

Priorities include:

• “To instill a love for learning in students.”
• “To show students that a good education makes life more fulfilling.”
•  “To increase an appreciation for their elders, who have wisdom, whether they have a formal education or not.”

Shapiro did not provide a website to LAist.

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Courtesy of David Vela

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David Vela

Incumbent, consulting firm owner  

Vela is running for re-election. He says the district needs to be on the lookout for significant drops in funding. “I will continue to advocate for our schools to be fully funded in front of the California State legislature,” he says. “I will also look for other funding sources at the federal level to make sure no program is cut.” To help boost enrollment, Vela has also been promoting dual enrollment at local schools.

Priorities include:

• Job placement.
• Students’ basic needs.
• Growing enrollment.

“We touch so many parts of the job industry, and we have the ability to train students to enter the workforce in many different industries, including film, TV production, hospitality and so much more,” he said. “I want to ensure that students have the amazing opportunity to work in places like the upcoming Olympics, while also continuing to meet the workforce needs of Los Angeles County.”

Vela, who takes pride in being “the only [openly] LGBTQ + trustee,” earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology at UCLA and a master’s degree in public policy at Pepperdine University.

More voter resources:

• Website: LACCD.edu

Board Seat 5

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Courtesy of Elaine Alaniz

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Elaine Alaniz

Medical healthcare recruiter

Alaniz says the biggest challenges that LACCD face are the decline in enrollment and “unnecessary overspending.”

Priorities include:

• Provide electronic textbooks for all courses, “at no cost to the student.” 
• “Restore future expectations of workforce success by investing in career-ready training and vocational programs throughout all nine campuses.” 
• Elevate the quality of programs that provide food to students.

Alaniz was born in Weslaco, Texas. She earned an associate’s degree in cinema production from L.A. City College in 2018 and an associate’s degree in fire science technology from Valley College in 2021. In addition to working as a healthcare recruiter, she’s served on the Westlake North Neighborhood Council as treasurer and president. Alaniz has also been a delegate to the Republican National Convention, chair of the Los Angeles County Republican Central Committee, and a volunteer with the Los Angeles City Mayor's Office Crisis Response Team.

Alana did not provide a website to LAist.

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Courtesy of Jason Aula

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Jason R. Aula

Business owner/journalist/lawyer 

Aula strongly opposes letting undocumented students pursue higher education and said that he intends to work with ICE, FBI, and local law enforcement to “clean up the district.”

Priorities include:

• Re-establishing a farm at Pierce College, which was once home to more than 100 cows, 250 sheep, 250 pigs, and 6,000 chickens. (Note: The college still has an agriculture program and a farm, with “small herds of cattle, sheep, and goats,” according to the Los Angeles Community College District.)
• Partner with the armed forces to recruit students, “for real-time employment in lieu of transfer or graduation.”
• Remove “Sharia law and LGBT terrorists” from the district’s nine campuses. (LAist reached out to an LACCD spokesperson, who said:"We do not get involved with LACCD Trustee campaigns. However, we want to reiterate our absolute commitment to equity, diversity, and safety for all our students and employees.")

“Presently, the LACCD does not serve U.S. citizens’ interests, in particular [B]lack and white students,” Aula said.

More voter resources:

• Website: JasonAula.com 

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Courtesy of Nichelle Henderson

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Nichelle Henderson

Incumbent. Faculty advisor and clinical field supervisor 

Henderson is running for re-election. She works for a Cal State teacher preparation program. There, she instructs and provides support for new and pre-service teacher candidates who are working toward their multiple subject teaching credentials.

She says that enrollment has been an ongoing issue for LACCD, especially since COVID. “We have had to adjust and figure out solutions to meet students where they are,” she says.

Priorities include:

• Increase awareness of and access to mental health and housing support services.
• Increase enrollment.
• Create and re-establish partnerships with faith-based organizations for Black/African American student outreach.

Henderson is also a member of the California Faculty Association (CFA/SEIU 1983). She’s been endorsed by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, where she’s served as co-chair of the credentials committee since 2016. Born and raised in the unincorporated Athens area of Los Angeles County, Henderson earned a bachelor’s degree at Cal State Los Angeles and a master’s degree at Chapman University.

More voter resources:

• Website: Nichelle.org

Board Seat 7

Pamela J. Evans

Evans told LAist she has decided not to run.

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Courtesy of Kelsey Iino

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Kelsey lino

Incumbent. Community college counselor

Iino says LACCD’s drop in enrollment could “devastate” the district. She also emphasizes the need to ensure a smooth rollout for new housing as it is built, to ensure students understand “this is transitional housing to allow students to figure out their goal, obtain it, then transfer to a four year university/college or be employed with a livable wage full time profession.”

Priorities include:

• Strengthening basic needs resources for students. 
• Increase enrollment.
• Maintain a strong budget.

Iino grew up in the South Bay. She’s worked as a counselor for over 17 years and currently counsels students in health science, athletics, creative arts, and MANA (an Asian American Pacific Islander initiative grant program to support the Native Hawaiian and Pasifika-community) at El Camino College, of which she is an alumna. After earning an associate’s degree in sociology, she transferred to UCLA to earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in counseling and student affairs. She also has a doctorate in educational leadership from USC. She is currently the president of the El Camino College Federation of Teachers-AFT1388, which represents nearly 1,000 full- and part-time faculty members.

More voter resources:

• Website: KelseyIino.com

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Courtesy of Robert Payne

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Robert Payne

Writer, researcher, and videographer 

Payne says that his past experience as a businessman will help him “oversee the billions of dollars of tax money invested in campus operations and the campus building programs. … With my experience in construction and research, I can read and question budget allocations.”

Priorities include:

• Integrate work training with academics.
• Eliminate “the expense of textbooks.”
• Hire adjuncts working with outside industries to introduce students to real-world contacts.

Born in Pacoima, Payne worked through college, then wrote stories, screenplays, and novels. He also ran an import business, which required dealing in three languages and global travel. Through courses at Mission College, he became a videographer and documentarian.

More voter resources:

• Website: PayneForLACCD.info

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This voter guide originally published Sept. 27.