L.A. College Board Shuns Costly Election, Will Appoint Trustee

The Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees on Thursday approved a plan to fill by appointment its lone vacant seat by the end of this month.

The need to find a seventh member for the board, which oversees the financially troubled nine-college system, occurred when board member Rick Tuttle was elected last month as Los Angeles city controller.

Board member Monroe Richman had sought a special election to fill the post. But the Los Angeles city clerk’s office told the trustees Thursday that such an election would cost the district between $1.8 million and $2.2 million.

That persuaded the board, on a 5-1 vote, to fill the vacancy itself. Richman cast the dissenting vote.

The board set July 19 as the deadline for the acceptance of applications for the position. Potential candidates must include biographical information and a written statement on how they “can make a significant contribution” to the college district.

Interviews of all candidates will be conducted July 23. The board will whittle the list down to 10 candidates, who will return to the district’s downtown headquarters July 25 for a final round of interviews.

Then the board will vote until a new board member is selected.

Since it became an elective office in 1969, the board has been used as a launching pad by many political figures. Former Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr., Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner and Assemblywoman Marian W. La Follete, (R-Northridge), among others, all began their political careers on the board.

The Tuttle vacancy is expected to attract a substantial number of Latino candidates. Although 23% of the district’s enrollment is Latino, no Latino serves on the board.

Earlier in its meeting, Richman was elected president of the board, succeeding Arthur Bronson. Richman, a San Fernando Valley physician, served two consecutive terms as president of the board in the early 1970s.