Greater Orange News Service

eLECTION Watch 2008
an Orange Net News Special News and Analysis Series

Miyashiro pulls papers for OUSD Area 3
Riverside Community College District Police Department Chief James Miyashiro has taken out papers to run for the Orange Unified School District Area 3 Trustee Seat. Miyashiro was formerly the Chief of the Santa Ana Unified School District Police for eleven years before taking over the RCCD department on July 14th, 2008. In pulling nominating papers, Miyashiro listed his occupation as “Police Chief/ Educator”.

Miyashiro graduated from the Golden West Community College Police Academy in 1984. He has a bachelor's degree in business and management from the University of Phoenix and he has a commercial pilot's license. After graduating from Golden West, Miyashiro worked for municipal police agencies in La Palma, San Jacinto and Desert Hot Springs. He also worked at the UCLA and Cal State Long Beach police departments. Nothing in Miyashiro’s public resume or biography explains the “Educator” moniker he included when he pulled papers.

Will “Educator” label be challenged?
In Orange Unified, ballot occupation monikers have come under intense scrutiny since the election of controversial Orange Unified Trustee Steve Rocco. The fairy-tale out-of-nowhere victory for Rocco after not campaigning over a well-established and better financed candidate who did campaign is widely attributed to Rocco’s ballot occupation moniker of “Teacher” versus the “Park Ranger” occupation listed for his failed opponent. In 2006, during her re-election campaign Orange Unified Trustee Kim Nichols was not about to let the “teacher” ballot designation for her challenger Education Alliance candidate Chris Enami go unchallenged. Enami was a walk-on girl’s basketball coach, not a California Credentialed teacher. In a court challenge initiated by Nichols to have the ballot moniker changed, Enami would be represented by none other than Education Alliance founder conservative Orange County Attorney Mark Bucher. Nichols had gone up against Bucher over ballot language before (and won) during the Orange Recall Election. In this second Battle of Semantics, Bucher again lost to Nichols as Enami was ordered to change his ballot designation to “Coach/ Sports Program Director” description. Enami lost his OUSD race by a wide margin.

If Miyashiro files before the Wednesday August 13 deadline, he will be facing at least two other opponents. One, well financed Florice Hoffman is an attorney and could move to block Miyashiro’s “Educator” self-description. Also filing papers is another Riverside County educator, Jerry Winant. Winant works for the Lake Elsinore Unified School District and is listed on the ballot as “School Teacher/ Administrator”.

OUSD Area 1 Trustee Smith may have advantage in Area 3
Another possible candidate in Area 3 is OUSD Area 1 Trustee Melissa Smith. Smith, who pulled papers, but has not filed yet. Smith can only stand to reap benefits from a four-way race where her ballot designation of Orange Unified Trustee will make it appear that she is the incumbent in the race. However the reality of the situation is that Smith is currently the OUSD Trustee of Area 1 until 2010. A Smith win in Area 3 will create a vacancy in Area 1. The OUSD Board majority will then appoint a new member for Area 1 to finish Smith’s Area 1 term, most likely cementing a solid voting majority for Smith and her OUSD Board allies at one time known as the Godley Majority.

Poutsma planned not to run before illness
The filing deadline for OUSD Area 3 was extended to Wednesday August 13 when incumbent OUSD Area 3 Trustee Wes Poutsma did not file for the election. Poutsma had earlier announced he would not run for another term. Community sources report that over the weekend of August 9th Poutsma disclosed to close associates he recently learned he has a serious illness. Sources close to his family report that the diagnosis came several weeks after Poutsma had already decided not to seek another term and had no bearing on that decision. A spokesperson for Poutsma had issued a statement weeks ago that the decision not to seek re-election was so Poutsma could spend more quality time with his family.


Extended filing Greater Orange November 2008 Election

Orange Unified Trustee Area 3 (deadline extended to 8/13)

Florice Hoffman
Pulled papers and filed them

James Miyashiro
Pulled papers

Melissa “Lissa” Smith (Incumbent Trustee Area 1 until 2010)
Pulled papers

Jerry Winant
Pulled papers and filed

Silverado-Modjeska, Recreation and Park Dist (2 seats)
(deadline extended to 8/13 on one seat)

Mike Colgan
Pulled papers and filed

Kip Craig
Pulled papers and filed

Brett Peterson (Incumbent)
Pulled papers and filed

Marty Weel
Pulled papers and filed


Final Filing Greater Orange November 2008 Election

City of Orange Mayor

Carolyn Cavecche
Pulled papers and filed them

City of Orange Council Seat (2 open)

Stuart Campbell
Pulled papers and filed

Robert Douglas
Pulled papers and filed

Jon Dumitru (Incumbent)
Pulled papers and filed

Michael Farrel
Pulled papers and filed them

Tita Smith (Incumbent)
Pulled papers and filed

Adolfo Perez
Pulled papers

Carol Rudat
Pulled papers

Richard Siebert
Pulled papers

Orange City Clerk
Mary E. Murphy (Incumbent)
Pulled papers and filed

Orange City Treasurer
George Small
Pulled papers and filed

Helen Walker (Incumbent)
Pulled papers and filed them

Orange Unified Trustee Area 2
John Ortega (Incumbent)
Pulled papers and filed them


Orange Unified Trustee Area 6
Arianna Barrios
Pulled papers and filed them

Mark Wayland
Pulled papers and filed them

Villa Park City Council (2 seats)
Patricia Burnes
Pulled papers and filed them

Willard “Bill” Mac Aloney
Pulled papers and filed them

Rich Ulmer (Incumbent)
Pulled papers and filed them


Orange County Water District, DIV 2
Denis Bilodeau (Incumbent)
Pulled papers and filed

eLECTION Watch 2008
is an independent news service of /O/N/N/
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