by Mick Rhodes | editor@claremont-courier.com

The election for Claremont Unified School District Board of Directors new trustee areas 1, 3 and 4 takes place November 8, and time is running out for those who wish to run.

Candidates must turn in their papers to the L.A. County Registrar-Recorders Office no later than Friday, August 12.

Information on how to file to run for the school board race is available at CUSD’s website, by calling (562) 462-2919, or via email to ecu@rrcc.lacounty.gov. Candidates for school board must be registered voters and reside within the boundaries of their trustee area.

In district 4, current board president Steven Llanusa is thus far running unopposed.

Llanusa’s district runs north from Foothill Blvd., is bracketed by Indian Hill Blvd. and Towne Ave., then branches west at the 210 Freeway to Williams Ave., and east roughly at Thompson Creek Trail to Mills Ave., then continues north into the Claremont Wilderness Park foothills.

At press time, former COURIER editor Kathryn Dunn was the sole potential candidate in district 1, which runs from Arrow Hwy. to the south, zigzags north to Foothill Blvd., and is roughly bounded by Carnegie Ave. to the west and Claremont Blvd. on the east.

“I pulled papers last week and have begun the process of sorting through the forms,” wrote Dunn in a text. “I have also contacted a few potential committee members and endorsements, but I’m still in the decision phase.”

Former COURIER editor Kathryn Dunn may run for a CUSD board seat.

Dunn, who spent more than a decade overseeing the COURIER’s coverage the CUSD board, knows more about the job than most anyone in town.

“It’s a big commitment, so I want to seriously consider everything,” she said. “I want to ensure I can dedicate a good amount of time to both campaigning and serving.”

If nobody runs in districts 1 and/or 3, “appointment to each elective office will be made as prescribed by Section 5328 of the Education Code and Section 10515 of the Elections Code,” according to a July 8 letter from L.A. Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan to former CUSD Superintendent Jeff Wilson.

To see who may have pulled papers to run in this or any other county election, go to https://www.lavote.gov/Apps/CandidateList/Index?id=4300.

Current CUSD board members Bob Fass and Kathy Archer represent district’s 2 and 5 and are not up for reelection until November 2024.

The district began discussions to move to trustee area elections way back in 2018. After a series of board meetings and public comment on the numerous proposed trustee maps, the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization approved the board’s choice on March 30, making the move official.