Santa Clarita, Antelope Valley Voters to Decide 22 Contests Today

Residents of the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys vote in 22 election contests today, with Palmdale voters electing a mayor, two City Council members and members of the boards governing the Palmdale School District and Palmdale Water District.

Challenging Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford are Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Wright Carney and paralegal George Wolfe.

One City Council incumbent, Jim Root, decided not to run again. Another, Terence P. Judge, is seeking another term. There are nine candidates for their two seats: Lynne Van Trieste Cory, Sandy Corrales, Al Beattie, Timothy J. Jackson, Alan L. Lee Jr., Paul A. Senia, Dante Simi, Shelley Sorsabal and Jeff Storm.

Five candidates are vying for three open seats on the school board. Incumbents Sheldon Epstein, Frederick Thompson and Velma M. Trosin are opposed by Connie Petit and Barbara Walsh.

Water district voters will decide the fate of Measure X, a proposal that would change the way members of the board of directors are elected. The measure’s passage would require candidates to secure a majority in each of the district’s divisions, as well as in the district as a whole.

Also in the water district election, incumbent Nolan D. Negaard faces newcomer Wayne Marshall, while incumbent Ronald D. Cunningham is running unopposed.

Elsewhere in the Antelope Valley, there are eight candidates for three open seats on the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District Board. Incumbents Fred Fate, Martin Barofsky and Rebecca Small square off against Mark Nielsen, Ann Franz, Steven D. Harbeson, Patty Knechtli and Andrea D. Mathews.

Residents of both Los Angeles and Kern counties will have a say in the Antelope Valley Community College District Governing Board race. Incumbents James Valentine DuPratt Jr., H.E. Kicenski and Betty Lou Nash are competing with six challengers: Michael Adams, Michael R. Adams, David L. Edmonson, John A. Mayfield, Betty J. Wienke and Michael Williams.

Three seats on the Antelope Valley Union High School District Board are open. Incumbents Steve Landaker, William Olenick and Sue Stokka face challengers Yolanda Deschene, Deanna A. Larson, Brett Nelson and Wayne Woodhall.

Eastside Union School District officials in Lancaster hope voters approve Measure S, a $15.5-million bond issue that would fund the construction of a new middle school and elementary school. Officials maintain those new buildings would ease overcrowding that they say has forced 2,200 students into space originally intended for 1,300.

Three Eastside Governing Board positions are being contested by incumbents Martha D. Johnson and Willard Ritchie and challengers Charles Cooke and Ann Harris.

In the Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union School District, challenger Robert Leder faces incumbents Lola Mantooth, Charles Compton and David M. Haerle II.

Lancaster School District voters will choose among incumbent board members Jeff Hanson, Greg Tepe and Richard T. White and challengers Keith Giles and Edwin McClure for three open seats.

In the Littlerock Creek Irrigation District, incumbents Barbara Hogan, Charles Yingst and Frances Young are running against James D. Burhus, Ted Burhus, Jack K. Thomas and Jason Zink.

Westside Union School District board incumbents Larry Bosma, Christine LeBeau and Charles Haskell are vying for three open seats with challenger Robin Kessler.

Rounding out the Antelope Valley slate, three seats are open on the Wilsona School District Governing Board. Incumbent Michael Brown is opposed by five challengers: Roger Oliver, Gregory Rollins, Emma Montesdeoca, Rob Jackson and Patricia Greene.

In the Santa Clarita Valley, there are five races on the ballot. The contest for the Newhall County Water District board pits incumbents Lynne Plambeck, David Rapoport and Edwin Dunn against Tom Campbell, Barbara Dore and Val Thomas.

In the Castaic Union School District, incumbents Nora Emmons, Irene Massey and Dirk Gosda meet challengers Gregory Ferrier, Wendy Gingrich and Carl Seel for three open board seats.

The Saugus Union School District matches incumbents Eileen Connolly, Douglas Bryce and Judy Umeck against challengers Gary Murr and Jonathan Myl in a battle for three spots.

William S. Hart Union High School District voters will select from five candidates: incumbents William Dinenbacher, Patricia A. Hanrion and George V. Aliano, and challengers Dennis V. King and Gloria Mercado.

The Santa Clarita Community College District has two governing Board seats on the ballot. One belongs to unopposed incumbent Joan MacGregor. The other will be claimed by incumbent John D. Hoskinson or challengers Richard Peoples or Ernie Tichenor.