Yamagata-Noji to Seek Another Board Term

With elections approaching this November, school board member Audrey Yamagata-Noji announced her intention this week to run for a third term.

Yamagata-Noji, the dean of student development at Rancho Santiago College, held a brief press conference outside school district headquarters before Tuesday’s meeting of the Santa Ana Unified School District to make the announcement.

Yamagata-Noji, 43, was flanked by fellow board member Robert W. Balen, City Councilman Robert L. Richardson and leaders from the Laotian, Cambodian and Latino communities. She received the endorsement of the teachers union.

Issues facing the district include bilingual education, overcrowding, and building the state’s first Space Saver school, which will be located in a strip mall.

Yamagata-Noji did not address those issues but said she would champion public education rather than criticize it as other board members have done.

During the regular board meeting, Yamagata-Noji was unanimously elected clerk of the board to replace Tom Chaffee, who unexpectedly resigned last month effective immediately because he said he was moving out of the district.

The board also set a special election for November to fill the remaining two years of Chaffee’s term. In addition to Yamagata-Noji’s term being up, the November elections will also fill seats currently held by Sal Mendoza and Rosemarie Avila. The terms are for four years.