San Diego

San Diego businessman Steve Vaus Monday announced his candidacy for the District B seat on the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education.

Speaking at a press conference at the Mason Street School in Old Town, Vaus said his platform would call for a return to basics in education with a strong curriculum in reading, writing and arithmetic. He pledged to increase security on campuses, fight drug abuse among students and keep clinics dispensing contraceptives out of the schools.

Vaus is the first official candidate for the seat now occupied by board member Larry Lester, who announced last week he would not seek reelection. The northeastern district includes San Carlos, Del Cerro, Tierrasanta, Mira Mesa and other communities.

A reserve officer with the San Diego Police Department, Vaus owns a production company that writes, produces and records jingles for ad campaigns and sound tracks for movies. He was formerly executive vice president of Youth Development Inc., a nationwide nonprofit organization based in San Diego that works with community youth groups as well as runaway and missing children. He lives with his wife and three children in Scripps Ranch.