Petition Seeks Ouster of Appointed Trustee, Scheduling of Special Vote

A petition drive has been launched to try to force the Cerritos Community College District trustees to rescind a recent appointment to the board, and hold a special election.

Hawaiian Gardens Mayor Kathleen Navejas, who had supported a candidate who was passed over for the trustee position, is leading the petition effort.

She said trustees should have scheduled an election to replace board President Barbara J. Hayden, who resigned after being elected to the Downey City Council in June. Hayden was elected last November to a 4-year term.

The board on Aug. 16, appointed Cerritos resident John H. Moore, 40, to the position for 15 months. An election will be held in November, 1989, to select a trustee for the rest of the term.

Elections Are Costly

The board chose to appoint a trustee because of the cost of an election, said Mark Wallace, public information officer. It would have cost about $80,000 to include a trustee race in the upcoming general election in November. A special election would cost about $160,000, Wallace said. The trustees wanted to avoid another election during the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, Wallace said.

Trustee Robert D. Epple said he had suggested an election for the November ballot, but the proposal was rejected. Epple, the Democratic nominee in the 63rd Assembly District, said a special election would be too costly.

Mark Durant, the interim board president, said he is “livid” over the petition drive. “It is distasteful. These are just silly little political games,” he said. Money for a special election “would have to be taken out of the students’ educational programs. That’s unfair,” Durant said.

A total of 24 candidates applied for the position on the seven-member board. The field was narrowed to seven before the final selection was made.

Recruitment Officer

Navejas supported Art Perez, who runs a nonprofit youth counseling service in Hawaiian Gardens. Perez was a recruitment officer for the college.

Moore, the first black trustee in the school’s 33 years, said he is disappointed in the petition drive. “I competed fair and square for the position,” he said. “I think they are trying to intimidate the board.”

He said he had not decided whether to seek election in 1989 for the remainder of the term. “I’m excited about serving,” he said. “It is premature to make a decision if I will run later. I just got the job.”

Moore is an account manager for Oscar Mayer Food Corp. in Los Angeles.

Navejas said the group would need signatures of 1.5% or about 2,400 of the registered voters in the college district, which includes the cities of Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Lakewood, La Mirada, Norwalk and Hawaiian Gardens.

Deadline Is Sept. 16

Navejas said the group has until Sept. 16 to turn in the necessary qualified signatures to the county Office of Education. The signatures will be forwarded to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, who will determine whether the petition qualifies.

If the signatures qualify, the appointment would be nullified and a election scheduled within 120 days, according to state law.

The petition drive, which is just getting under way, is being coordinated by Dave Manuel, a Bellflower resident, Navejas said. Manuel, a community activist, could not be reached for comment.

Norwalk Councilwoman Grace Napolitano, a supporter of Perez, said she had agreed to help Navejas collect signatures.

Both Napolitano and Navejas said there should be some type of balance on the board, perhaps a representative from each city. The members are selected at large and not by areas. “There are no representatives from Hawaiian Gardens,” Navejas added.