Three Seats for School Board on November Ballot

South San Francisco, CA            September 8, 2014

This November our ballot will include eight well qualified candidates for the three open seats on our School Board. As a community we all have a vested interest in our schools and it is important that we educate ourselves on the candidates. And vote. (UPDATE: Monica Boyd has suspended her campaign and will not be seeking a position on the SSFUSD Board although her name will appear on the ballot. There are now 7 candidates) 

Voting is our right, and it is also our responsibility.  We have soldiers deployed in other countries to help others obtain this right to vote, we must not waste ours. The blood of our forefathers, and those who continue to serve, deserve our respect and our community deserves our vote. We thank each and everyone of our candidates for putting themselves out there and doing the hard work involved in campaigning. And their willingness to continue this hard work for this next four year term on behalf of our children and our community. Please know your vote shows your appreciation to our candidates as well.

If you are not currently registered to vote in our city, please CLICK HERE to gain more information and to register to vote. If you have recently moved into our city, changed your name, or your party affiliation since the last election you must re-register. Your Voter Registration Form must be applied on-line by midnight no later than 15 days before the election. The upcoming election takes place November 4, 2014.

We have asked our candidates 7 questions with one being ‘Why should the community at large vote in this election for SSFUSD Board members?’. It may seem a non-issue to you, yet it is very important in our community and for the future of our youth, and our city.

The Mission of our School Board is clear:

‘The mission of the South San Francisco Unified School District, through collaboration with home and community, is to graduate responsible, productive, and environmentally aware citizens who have the academic and social skills necessary to contribute to a changing global society, through active participation in a quality instructional program defined by a challenging and creative curriculum which ensures opportunities for a diverse population to experience individual expression and collaborative problem solving in a safe and stimulating environment.’

In addition statements from each candidate have been submitted to the Elections Office as they will appear in our sample ballots. In time they can be viewed CLICK HERE. Below is the list of candidates, the ones in BLUE with ** have participated in our Q&A. Click on the name to read the exchange between ESC and the candidate. We did not receive replies from Boyd, Olinger, or Weise.

**Rosa Acosta Occupation: Management Analyst

**John Baker Occupation: State Grant Analyst

Monica Peregrina Boyd: Occupation: Financial Consultant (UPDATE: Has suspended campaign yet name will appear on ballot)

**Patrick A. Lucy Occupation: Appointed Incumbent (12/2013)

**Patricia “Pat” Murray Occupation: Community Volunteer

**Rick Ochsenhirt Occupation: South San Francisco Planning Commissioner

Sue A. Olinger Occupation: Educator

Philip Weise Occupation: Incumbent (Serving since 1997)

OTHER BALLOT ISSUES

In addition to our local School Board Trustees we have other important issues on this November ballot. Please study over the items and remember you DO NOT NEED TO VOTE ON EVERY ISSUE. Choose a few items that are important to you personally, study up on them, and VOTE. To view this upcoming ballot CLICK HERE

Judicial

California Supreme Court (Yes/No)

• Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar
• Goodwin Liu
• Kathryn Mickle Werdegar

Justice, California State Court of Appeal; District 1, Division 1 (Yes/No)

• Kathleen M. Banke
• Jim Humes

Justice, California State Court of Appeal; District 1, Division 2 (Yes/No)

• J. Anthony Kline
• Therese M. Stewart

Justice, California State Court of Appeal; District 1, Division 3 (Yes/No)

• Martin J. Jenkins
• Stuart R. Pollak

Justice, California State Court of Appeal; District 1, Division 4 (Yes/No)

• Ignazio John Ruvolo

Justice, California State Court of Appeal; District 1, Division 5 (Yes/No)

• Terence L. Bruiniers
• Mark B. Simons

State Executive

Governor

• Neel Kashkari, Republican
• Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown, Democratic

Lieutenant Governor

• Gavin Newsom, Democratic
• Ron Nehring, Republican

Secretary of State

• Pete Peterson, Republican
• Alex Padilla, Democratic

Controller

• Betty T. Yee, Democratic
• Ashley Swearengin, Republican

Treasurer

• Greg Conlon, Republican
• John Chiang, Democratic

Attorney General

• Ronald Gold, Republican
• Kamala D. Harris, Democratic

Insurance Commissioner

• Ted Gaines, Republican
• Dave Jones, Democratic

State Superintendent of Public Instruction

• Marshall Tuck
• Tom Torlakson

State Board of Equalization; District 2

• Fiona Ma, Democratic
• James E. Theis, Republican

United States Representative; District 14

• Robin Chew, Republican
• Jackie Speier, Democratic

Member of the State Assembly; District 22

• Kevin Mullin, Democratic
• Mark Gilham, Republican

Board Member; South San Francisco Unified School District (3 Elected)

• Patrick A. Lucy
• Sue A. Olinger
• Rosa Acosta
• Patricia “Pat” Murray
• Rick Ochsenhirt
• Monica Peregrina Boyd
• John Baker
• Philip Weise

Commissioner; San Mateo County Harbor District; 2 Year Term

• Robert S. Grant
• Tom Mattusch
• Will Holsinger

Commissioner; San Mateo County Harbor District; 4 Year Term (2 Elected)

• Kimberley Collins
• Shawn Mooney
• Robert Bernardo
• Brian Rogers
• James “Jim” Tucker
• Nicole David

State Propositions

Proposition 1 Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014

Should the state sell $7.1 billion in additional general obligation bonds–as well as redirect $425 million in unsold general obligation bonds that were previously approved by voters for resource-related uses–to fund various water-related programs? 

Proposition 2 State Budget. Budget Stabilization Account

Should the State Constitution be amended to change how the state pays down debt and saves money in reserves? 

Proposition 45 Healthcare Insurance. Rate Changes

Should changes in some health insurance rates require the Insurance Commissioner’s approval before going into effect? 

Proposition 46 Drug and Alcohol Testing of Doctors. Medical Negligence Lawsuits

Should California require random drug testing of doctors, require doctors to check a statewide database before prescribing certain drugs, and raise the cap on noneconomic damages in medical negligence lawsuits? 

Proposition 47 Criminal Sentences. Misdemeanor Penalties

Should the penalties for certain offenders convicted of nonserious, nonviolent crimes be reduced from felonies to misdemeanors? 

Proposition 48 Indian Gaming Compacts

Should the tribal gaming compacts negotiated by Governor Brown with the North Fork and Wiyot Tribes and ratified by legislative statute be allowed to go into effect?