Legislative Update: June 7 primary election results, state budget, 2016 ballot measures and Legislative Awards
Published: June 8, 2016
The November 2016 ballot is set to feature 17 current and former school board members vying for 16 seats in the California Legislature – this includes nine school board members running for first-time seats and eight incumbent members of CSBA’s informal legislative School Board Caucus seeking re-election.
Of the nine school board members who advanced as one of the top two vote-getters in the June 7 primary races, eight are current board members. Seven of the nine are in contests for open seats in the Legislature, while two will challenge incumbents in the Assembly.
Scott Markovich (D-Crestline) of Rim of the World Unified School District squares off against incumbent Asm. Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia) in Assembly District 33, while incumbent Asm. Mark Steinorth (R-Rancho Cucamonga) will be challenged in Assembly District 40 by San Bernardino City Unified School Distrct trustee Abigail Medina (D-San Bernardino), who garnered 49.7 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s primary.
The 48th Assembly District race will be a contest between two school board members, after Cory Ellenson (R) of Glendora USD and Blanca Rubio (D) of Baldwin Park USD finished one-two in a close primary race to succeed Asm. Roger Hernández (D-West Covina), who is also a former school board member.
Santa Barbara USD board member and CSBA Delegate Monique Limón (D) and Newhall USD board member Christy Smith (D) were both top vote-getters in the races for Assembly Districts 37 and 38, respectively.
Templeton USD board member Jordan Cunningham (R) also made the top-two in Assembly District 35, while Walnut Valley USD trustee Phillip Chen (R) narrowly edged former West Covina USD Mike Spence (R) for a spot in the Assembly District 55 race.
In the Senate, former San Francisco USD board member Jane Kim (D) advanced, and will face fellow San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener (D).
All eight of the incumbent members of the informal School Board Caucus advanced in their re-election bids. Of the current 14 members of this informal caucus, comprised of sitting legislators who formerly served as school board members, four will not return to their seats after 2016.
In all, 22 current and former school and county board members entered the primary election vying for 15 seats in the Legislature, with 13 members finishing outside of the top two in their respective races.
View a complete list of current and former school board members who sought seats in the June 7 primary..
Note: This report is solely for informational purposes and does not indicate endorsement or preference for any candidate – CSBA does not support or oppose any individual candidates for office
.Sample Resolutions on Statewide Ballot Measures Available
Sample board resolution language is available online for the four statewide ballot measures which CSBA supports, including the temporary extension of Proposition 30 income tax revenues, the $9 billion school facilities bond, the tobacco tax measure and the repeal of Proposition 227. CSBA encourages school and county boards statewide to voice support for these measures by passing resolutions as far in advance of the November election as possible.
2016 Legislative Awards Program Nominations are Open
CSBA Governmental Relations is now accepting nominations for the 2016 Legislative Awards Program, which annually recognizes of the California Senate and Assembly (and members of Congress) who demonstrate strong leadership for public education. Nominations must be received or postmarked by Friday, Sept. 2, 2016 to be considered.
2016-17 State Budget Update
The Senate and Assembly’s Joint Budget Conference Committee convened on June 1 and remains in meetings this week to finalize its 2016-17 state budget. The Committee is likely to finalize a budget this week to be sent to both houses for their approval the week of June 13. The deadline for the two houses to approve the budget and send it to the Governor is June 15, who has until July 1 to sign it.
In addition to overviews of Proposition 98 funding, the committee will weigh in on only six items affecting K-12 education: early childhood education, teacher workforce proposals, academic and behavioral support programs, LCFF and LCAP, the Senate college readiness proposal and miscellaneous budget augmentations.
While the Proposition 98 guarantee and LCFF investment from both houses remains strong, the Committee’s relatively compact education agenda is largely due to the fact that little to no new money was added to the Governor’s May budget revision from his initial January proposal. The agenda and analyses can be viewed online.
After the Senate and Assembly both rejected Gov. Brown’s proposal to consolidate early education funding into a block grant and eliminate transitional kindergarten, child care and preschool remain a top K-12 issue in the Joint Committee’s negotiations. The Assembly has proposed mostly one-time funds for ongoing programs, splitting $405 million in General Fund dollars for child care and $213 million in Proposition 98 funds for preschool. To the extent that these programs are funded in a final budget, CSBA urges the use of ongoing funds for these programs, so that other programs are not negatively impacted to sustain the activities in out years.