Three for the College Board

The Los Angeles Community Colleges need decisive leadership to meet the twin missions of preparing students for higher education and for rewarding employment. Money is tight. The district must do more with less.

More than 104,000 students attend classes on nine campuses. Some students come straight from high school, in need of direction. Some students come after interruptions in their education, in need of remedial help. Some students come from other countries, in need of English classes. Older students juggle books and babies, tuition bills and household bills, class schedules and work schedules. The challenges are neither neat nor easy.

A runoff election on June 2 will fill three seats on the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees. All candidates run at large. We recommend one incumbent, Marguerite Archie Hudson and two newcomers, Wallace Knox and David Lopez-Lee.

In Office 1, Wallace Knox, an attorney, could make his eye for detail and his political connections pay off for students and faculty. His opponent, Patricia Hollingsworth, a community college English instructor who wrote her dissertation on the district, needs more political seasoning. Knox merits election.

In Office 3, Marguerite Archie Hudson, an administrator for UCLA, has put to good use her counseling background to improve counseling at the community colleges. She has advocated on behalf of minority students whose needs may have otherwise gone unnoticed. She has made tough, unpopular decisions that prove that she can stand up to the faculty union and to popular opinion. She faces Julia L. Wu, a librarian with strong credentials. Archie Hudson deserves another term.

In Office 7, David Lopez-Lee, a professor of administration at USC, would bring fresh leadership to the board. His administrative expertise, his academic background, his activism and his political experience are assets. His opponent, Richard E. Ferraro, a long-time educator and former member of the Los Angeles Board of Education, has proven divisive during his previous public service. Lopez-Lee is the stronger candidate.