Bid to Halt Vote on School District Boundary Fails

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has thrown out a lawsuit aimed at halting a March 5 election over the transfer of 71 homes from the Pasadena Unified School District to the San Marino Unified School District.

Judge Ronald M. Sohigian refused to overturn a Sept. 14 decision by the state Board of Education authorizing the vote. Only one of more than 40 children in the unincorporated 22 acres attends Pasadena schools, according to the county Office of Education. The rest go to private schools. The homeowners argued that their neighborhood identifies with adjacent San Marino, where students score among the top in the state on standardized tests.

Pasadena school officials said the election would encourage white flight from their urban district. If the transfer is approved by a majority of about 100 voters in the area, it would take effect in July, 1992.