by Mick Rhodes | editor@claremont-courier.com

The Courier reached out last week to the Los Angeles County Office of Education for some follow-up information on the successful petition drive that forced Claremont Unified School District to hold a special election to fill its now vacant Trustee Area 4 seat on its board of education.

The DOE sent us to the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder’s office. And after answering some of our questions, the registrar sent us to the Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools’ office.

In the meantime, here’s what we gleaned from registrar’s office spokesperson Michael Sanchez:

Of the 115 petition signatures, 102 were deemed valid by the registrar’s office, three more than the required 99.

The L.A. County Superintendent of Schools will determine the date of the election, which will take place on a Tuesday prior to July 29. California Education Code section 5091(c)(2)(A) includes information on the date range.

We asked the registrar if there an alternative to holding a stand-alone special election, such as folding it into the November 7, 2023 local and municipal elections. Sanchez’s one word answer was “No.”

We also asked what the requirements are for voting in the special election. Sanchez said voters must be registered, at least 18 years of age, have U.S. citizenship, have no felony convictions on their record, and have their primary residence inside Trustee Area 4.

Sanchez also confirmed the candidate with the most votes will be declared winner, with no majority or other threshold that must be met, and will serve through December 2026.

Also, the winner will become a member of the CUSD Board of Education after he or she is sworn in by the board. (We asked because former board member Hilary LaConte was immediately off the board when the results of the petition were made official/certified.)