Andra Hoffman wins community college seat

Andra Hoffman, a Glendale Community College employee, beat Francesca Vega for the last remaining seat on the Los Angeles Community College board of trustees, officials announced Saturday.

Hoffman won by about 1,100 votes in the winner-take-all race, according to the city clerk. The three other open seats on the board were decided several weeks ago, but the Hoffman and Vega race was so close that absentee ballots could have made the difference.

At the close of polling earlier this month, Hoffman led by less than 1,000 votes with 43,000 ballots to be counted, according to the city clerk’s office.

The district’s seven-member board of trustees oversees nine two-year colleges and a nearly $1.1-billion budget.

Vega had the support of the district’s faculty union, which supported the three other winners. She also had a $13,000 lead in fundraising over Hoffman, who was backed by the district’s staff union as well as the Glendale Community College faculty.

“I’m looking forward to playing a leadership role in helping the district meet its many challenges,” Hoffman said in a statement.

Vega could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Vega-Hoffman race was hard-fought as the two camps traded accusations over false ballot descriptions, fraudulent mailers and ducked debates.

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