Costa Mesa, Calif.—The Orange County Board of Education has appointed Jorge Valdez, Tustin’s attorney and judge, to fill the vacancy in Area 1, which covers Garden Grove, Tustin, Santa Ana, and Fountain Valley. Board meeting on August 17th.
Valdez was one of three candidates interviewed by the board to replace former councilor Becky Gomez, who resigned after being sued for attending the board and Tustin City Council at the same time in March.
Two other candidates are Marlene Barba, a church ministry leader and Tustin speaker, and Director of the California Policy Center, who previously worked for the Santa Ana Unified Board of Education and the Santa Ana City Council. Cesi Iglesias.
During interviews, all candidates expressed support for the board’s position on parental rights and school choice.
The Trustees thanked each nominee, with Chairman Lisa Sparks saying, “The candidate pool was small but strong.”
Trustee Tim Shaw nominated Valdez for the position and Trustee Ken William nominated Iglesias.
Ahead of the interview, Shaw and trustee Mari Burke said they had worked with Iglesias in the past and had no conflicts of interest “out of a desire for transparency”, but Burke still abstained from voting for Iglesias. did.
After six split votes, Valdez was finally elected by a 3-1 vote, with Shaw, Burke and Sparks voting in favor and Williams abstaining and being sworn in on the same night.
The newly appointed trustee, who holds a law degree from Rutgers University, described himself as “a product of New Jersey’s public schools.”
He moved to California in 1997 to practice law with a focus on workers’ compensation advocacy. He ran for Tustin City Council in his 2020.
In an interview, Valdes said he decided to run because he believes that ensuring quality education is the best way to serve the community.
His legal background, he said, could be his greatest contribution to the board when it comes to reviewing interdistrict appeals and budget reviews.
He believes that the board’s most important job is to protect the rights of parents.
“The board is often accused of pushing a conservative agenda,” he said. “This is not a conservative agenda, it is a parental rights agenda. Nothing is more important than parents making decisions for their children.”
He supported the board’s pro-charter-school stance, but also said he wanted to ensure public schools were a quality option for families.
“Public schools are an important part of the education model,” he said. “There should be no monopoly in the educational structure.”
In his first act as trustee, Valdes said he plans to visit each school in Area 1.
“First I have to walk through school. I have to keep my feet on the ground, listen to community concerns, and come back and share them with the board,” he told The Epoch Times. I am not going to be one of the board members who just attends meetings.”
Valdes will continue Gomez’s remaining two-year term through June 2024. He said he plans to run for re-election.
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