Election 2016: Coast Community College District race draws 7 candidates
Three Coast Community College District board members will face challenges for their seats in the Nov. 8 election, some from products of the district.
Coast Community includes Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Golden West College in Huntington Beach and Coastline Community College, which has campuses in Newport Beach, Garden Grove and Westminster.
Trustee Jerry Patterson is facing off against Vong Nguyen, a teacher and a former student in the district, for the Area 2 seat on the five-member board.
Trustee Lorraine Prinsky, former Golden West College student Victor Valladares and businessman Rob Fishel are running in Area 3.
Trustee Mary Hornbuckle and chiropractor Jonathan Bao Huynh are vying for the Area 4 spot.
Many of the challengers support lowering the cost of community college education through more fiscal stability, grant programs and reducing costs for textbooks.
Current trustees said that, if reelected, they hope to improve student transfer rates, expand technology programs and upgrade facilities.
Here are the candidates by area, listed in the order they appear on the ballot:
AREA 2
Vong Nguyen
Age: 23
Professional occupation: Special-education teacher; business owner
Education: Doctoral candidate at Johns Hopkins University School of Education; bachelor of arts, USC, with honors; Orange Coast College; Golden West College
Time lived in city of residence: Over 20 years in Garden Grove
Previous public service: President-elect, Coastline Community College Associated Student Government; delegate-elect, Student Senate for California Community Colleges; California representative, American Student Assn. of Community Colleges; fellow, Campaign for College Opportunity
Immediate family: Mother and sister
What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?
1. As a first-generation Vietnamese college graduate and an alumnus of the community college district, I am running in the district’s only majority-Asian area to represent students of all backgrounds in our community colleges. As a former student, I will fight for more classes, an increase in full-time hiring and an adoption of textbook cost caps with open resources regarding textbook prices.
2. Strict oversight of Measure M dollars, transparency, upgrades in technology and facilities, investment in the district foundation.
3. Show off the success of our students in our communities, and partner with local business and nonprofit organizations to give students real-world experience.
Jerry Patterson
Age: 81
Professional occupation: Coast Community College District trustee, Area 2
Education: Juris doctor degree from UCLA; bachelor of arts degree from Cal State Long Beach
Time lived in city of residence: 16 years in Fountain Valley and, before that, 14 years in Huntington Beach
Previous public service: Trustee on governing board of Coast Community College District, 1996 to present; U.S. congressman, 1975-85; mayor and city councilman, Santa Ana, 1969-75; contract city attorney and public lawyer in various cities
Immediate family: Wife Linda, four children
What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?
1. Help every student succeed in accordance with their educational plan and goals.
2. Bring the student cost of textbooks and resources to zero.
3. Build facilities and renovate and upgrade them to state of the art for learning environment, and spend Measure M money efficiently and with citizen input.
AREA 3
Victor Valladares
Age: 30
Professional occupation: Physical vapor deposition operator. [PVD is used in the manufacture of items that require thin films for mechanical, optical, chemical or electronic functions.]
Education: Freshman at Golden West College
Time lived in city of residence: Over 25 years in Huntington Beach
Previous public service: Huntington Beach Citizen Participation Advisory Board; Democratic Central Committee, Assembly District 72; Oak View Comunidad grassroots organization; volunteer at Oak View Family Resource Center
Immediate family: Sons Andrew and Vincent, mother Bertha Valdez
What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?
1. Bring more funding to the community colleges from the state budget to support teaching and learning.
2. Reduce the high costs of college textbooks with grant programs that will encourage college course attendance by reducing costs. The average college student has a $1,200 budget for books and supplies, and this needs to be remedied.
3. See transfer rates increase. Nationally, fewer than one in seven community college students transfer and get a bachelor’s degree, but with increased awareness and focus on student achievement and course completion, these rates can increase.
Lorraine Prinsky
Age: 69
Professional occupation: Professor emeritus, Cal State Fullerton; Coast Community College District trustee, Area 3
Education: Ph.D. from UC Irvine
Time lived in city of residence: 40 years in Huntington Beach
Previous public service: Board of directors, Women in Leadership; MBA Advisory Board at Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles; Bolsa Chica Land Trust docent; mediator for Orange County Human Relations and Community Service Programs in Orange County Small Claims Court; Girl Scout leader for 10 years
Immediate family: Husband Jerry Goldfein, daughter Jenna, stepson Alex
What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?
1. Serve students and the community by advocating for quality and affordable community college education through development of quality full-time faculty.
2. Support the development and expansion of programs in emerging technologies so students will have the skills to participate in a global marketplace.
3. Promote educational opportunities that tackle the impending workforce crisis and shortage of skilled workers in Orange County. This is a serious problem for our community and our nation and must be addressed by the community colleges, which are serving on the front lines in the areas of vocational-technical training.
Rob Fishel
Age: 62
Professional occupation: Run a small business that does real estate investing and other investments
Education: Executive MBA from USC
Time lived in city of residence: 22 years in Huntington Beach
Previous public service: Coached youth sports; Smith Elementary PTA and site council; vice president for Huntington Beach High School Academy for the Performing Arts Dance Guild
Immediate family: Son at Tulane University and daughter at Huntington Beach High School
What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?
1. Ensure proper oversight of construction and use of Measure M funds.
2. Provide support for the development of bachelor degrees at the community college level, including curriculum, staff and accreditation.
3. Create partnerships with businesses to support the colleges, particularly in the area of training, AA degrees that fit current and future business requirements, apprenticeships and internships, and funding.
AREA 4
Mary Hornbuckle
Age: 73
Professional occupation: Retired early childhood educator
Education: Bachelor’s degree in organizational management
Time lived in city of residence: 50 years in Costa Mesa
Previous public service: Coast Community College District board of trustees since 2005; Costa Mesa City Council for 12 years, two years as mayor; Girl Scout Council of Orange County Governing Board; Newport-Mesa Schools Foundation, now a grant reader; Girls Inc. of Orange County; Costa Mesa Senior Center; Costa Mesa Historical Society; St. Mark Presbyterian Church elder and choir member; PTA president at three schools; Community College League of California education committee; numerous other local college-related committees
Immediate family: Husband Jerry, two daughters
What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?
1. Changes in the way student basic skills are evaluated and remediation is delivered.
2. Continued improvement in the student transfer rate to four-year schools, along with greater access to career technical education.
3. Good relationships with the communities we serve and increased support for our colleges.
Jonathan Bao Huynh
Age: 39
Professional occupation: Educator, doctor of chiropractic
Education: Bachelor of science in biochem/business econ; doctor of chiropractic
Time lived in city of residence: 16 years in Fountain Valley
Previous public service: Ambassador of Chamber of Commerce; founder of Asian Pacific Cultural Foundation; executive producer of Asian Pacific Festival; finance council for Holy Spirit Church; board for Horizon Cultural Community Center; facilitator/educator for leadership courses and senior active living
Immediate family: Eldest son in a family of three boys and three girls
What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?
1. Make certain all our colleges remain accredited.
2. Fiscal stability and getting the best education for the lowest cost per student.
3. Campus safety for all, including students, faculty, staff and visitors.
Twitter: @AlexandraChan10
