Layton joins race for La Cañada school board seat

Another candidate has said he has plans to join the La Cañada school board race.

Joe Layton, a 24-year-old resident who unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the City Council in March, said on Friday that he has started the paperwork to run for a seat on the board. The election is Nov. 5.

The decision came after community members nudged Layton to start a campaign, he said. “I’ve kind of been inspired by how supportive the community has been and how receptive they’ve been.”

Layton never attended La Cañada schools. His family moved to the city in 2004 and he graduated from Loyola High School, followed by USC. But he said having two younger siblings currently enrolled in the district, along with the fact that he was recently a student, would give him a unique perspective.

But Layton said having different generations on the board is key.

“I think it’s good to have people more older and experienced as well as people who recently graduated from college,” he said.

Layton said key issues of his campaign will include a push to bring the westernmost part of the city into La Cañada Unified School District, know as the “Sagebrush” area, and the Common Core curriculum standards.

If elected, he wouldn’t be the youngest person on the board. Andrew Blumenfeld, who was elected in 2011, is 22. Blumenfeld campaigned while he was a junior at Princeton University.

David Sagal, who has two children enrolled in the district, pulled papers to run for a seat on the board with the county registrar’s office earlier this week.

The filing period for the election opened on Monday and ends on Aug. 9.

-- Tiffany Kelly, tiffany.kelly@latimes.com

Follow on Google+ and on Twitter: @LATiffanyKelly.

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