Voters select new name for Norwalk-La Mirada school board

NORWALK -- A new face is joining the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District board of education.

A crowded field of six candidates were vying for four open seats on the school board Tuesday.

Jorge Tirado was the new person elected to the board. Re-elected were Ana Valencia, Darryl Adams and Jude Cazares.

Darryl Adams, Ana Valencia, and Jude Cazares, pictured far left, middle left, and far right, were all successfully reelected. Norma Amezcua, pictured middle right, lost her seat. Photo Courtesy Norma Amezcua Facebook.

Norma Amezcua, appointed to the board earlier this year after the resignation of Sean Reagan, finished in fifth place and lost her seat.

Valencia was the top vote-getter, capturing 20.53 percent of all ballots, followed by Cazares (17.78%), Adams (17.37%) and Tirado (15.94%).

“We worked every weekend. We walked many neighborhoods. We hoped that we would win. We hoped that we would have the chance to give children hope. We have been given that chance,” said Cazares.

“My goal is a better future for our children. Let’s work harder...let’s hold dearer our students’ futures so that their triumph is greater than anything else we will ever accomplish. Let’s be better for them. Let’s be the best for them. Let’s be a part of something that is greater than ourselves.”

Adams thanked voters for giving him another term in office.

“I would like to thank the Norwalk-La Mirada communities for electing me to the school board for a 7th term,” he said. “I am both humbled and honored. Thanks for your trust and faith in me.”

Amezcua was gracious in her defeat.

“First and foremost I would like to thank all who helped me through this journey,” she said. “It was an amazing experience, one who many would never even think about going through.

“Unfortunately I did not make it, but rest assure that my passion and dedication for serving our communities will not end.”

SENATE: Bob Archuleta coasted to an easy win in the race for the state Senate’s 32nd seat, which encompasses Norwalk.

Archuleta, a Democrat, beat Republican Rita Topalian with 65.3% of the vote.

A reserve police officer before retirement, Archuleta previously served on the Pico Rivera City Council.

Archuleta won the seat vacated by Tony Mendoza, who resigned after several allegations of sexual misconduct.

“I will serve my district the best I can and make my family, friends, the people living and working in the 32nd District, and promise to make them proud as I serve them as a California State Senator,” Archuleta said.

He will be sworn into office Dec. 8.

HOUSE: Rep. Linda Sanchez (D) had no trouble winning re-election, beating Republican party candidate Ryan Downing by a wide margin.

Sanchez captured 67.27% of all votes cast.

Sanchez will now serve her ninth term in Congress, where she served the past two years as the Vice Chair for the House Democratic Caucus, which is considered the fifth-ranking leadership position among the party’s House members.

Sanchez represents the 38th Congressional District, which includes Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, parts of Whittier, and other local cities.

Sanchez didn’t comment on her re-election, but said Tuesday’s election was about women.

“My vote is my voice. I’m voting today for all the women, especially women of color, who have had to suffer in silence, live in fear, and put up with the BS of inequality,” Sanchez wrote on Facebook Tuesday.

“Today, in the year of the woman, is when we say “ENOUGH.”

ASSEMBLY: Embattled state Assemblymember Cristina Garcia cruised to victory Tuesday over her Republican opponent, despite a massive and expensive campaign to get her out of office.

Earlier this year, Garcia was stripped of her committee posts and ordered to complete sexual harassment and sensitivity training after allegations that she sexually assaulted a former staffer.

An investigation cleared her of the most serious charges, however.

Voters on Tuesday gave Garcia an additional two years in office as she soundly defeated Mike Simpfenderfer, a mortgage banker and victims’ advocate from Bellflower.

Garcia finished with 64.8% of the vote.

“Like many communities across California and our nation, voters went to the polls [Tuesday] and expressed their collective disdain for the politics of hate, division, and the undue influence of special interest groups over our civic government,” Garcia said in a statement published on her website.

“In my district, voters went further by rejecting those who have attempted to blatantly distort and lie about the successes we have achieved in demanding that the needs of our communities no longer be ignored.

“Today, by honoring me with a large electoral victory, voters of the 58th District reminded those same special interests that they are not blind to the underlying motives for their negative attacks. By rejecting the deliberate negative campaign that spent over $2 million in this race, residents of the 58th Assembly District made it clear that outside special interest groups will not decide who best represents their hopes and values.

“Finally, the voters of the 58th Assembly District have also made it clear today that bullying tactics aimed at keeping them, and their elected representatives, quiet on crucial issues such as environmental racism will never be accepted. We won’t be bullied. We are not going back to the margins. We are taking our seats at the table.

“I am proud to be re-elected to represent the residents of southeast Los Angeles County and will continue to be the same vocal advocate for justice and equity. I look forward to returning to Sacramento and fully engaging in the legislative process and bringing a full legislative package that continues to address key issue such as environmental racism and economic opportunities for the communities I represent.”