The final ballots have been set for the Nov. 6 election, and the 2018 local political season has begun for San Benito county boards of education.
The Free Lance sent questionnaires last week to each candidate.
Here are the candidates at a glance:
Gavilan Community College Joint District
Board of Trustees
Trustee Area 1
Laura Perry
Age: 67
Family: Two children, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild
Previously held elected or appointed office: Member of the Gavilan College Board of Trustees since November 1992.
Current occupation: Family law attorney
Past political campaigns: Gavilan College Board of Trustees; first elected November 1992. Candidate for State Assembly, 2000.
Trustee Area 3
Edwin Diaz
Age: 64
Family: Wife of 42 years, Delia, and two adult daughters, Danielle and Brianna
Current occupation: Retired after 35-year career in public education. Held positions of teacher, assistant principal, principal, director, assistant superintendent and superintendent of both Gilroy and Pasadena Unified School Districts.
Past political campaigns: none
Campaign slogan if applicable: n/a
Walter Glines (incumbent)
No information provided
Trustee Area 5
Richard Perez
Age: 49
Family: Wife (29 years); two sons (ages 27 and 30); two grandkids (9,10)
Previously held elected or appointed office: Chairman, Community Action Board; vice chairman, Workforce Development Board; District 2 commissioner, City of Hollister
Current occupation: Small business owner; retired telecommunications specialist, 20 years with Alcatel-Lucent
Past political campaigns: Board of Supervisors District 3, 2018
Campaign slogan: “Quality Education is my Community Commitment”
Jeanie Wallace
Age: 60
Family: husband Ken Johnson (also a teacher); daughter Kenisha, 21 (UCLA student); son Geoffrey, 17 (Sobrato HS senior)
Previously held elected or appointed office: San Benito County Democratic Central Committee Chair
Current occupation: Social studies teacher, Sobrato High School
Campaign slogan: Education is for Everyone
Trustee Area 7
Mike Alcorn
Age: 56
Family: Two children, Bryan and Alyssa Alcorn, both San Benito HS graduates.
Previously held elected or appointed office: Elected to board of directors, Sunnyslope County Water District in 2014; appointed to serve on four San Benito County Civil Grand Juries.
Current occupation: IT project manager, business Information analyst
Campaign slogan: Gavilan: Your College. Your Future. Close to Home.
Irma C. González
Age: 60
Family: Married with four children and two grandchildren
Previously held elected or appointed office: None
Current occupation: Website designer
Campaign slogan: Fairness. Accountability. Future.
Jason Hopkins
Age: 37
Family: Single
Previously held elected or appointed office: San Benito County Republican party member
Current occupation: Independent sales representative
Campaign slogan: Students First
Hollister School District
Board of Education
(3 at-large seats)
Brande Barrett
Age: 56
Family: single mother
Previously held elected or appointed office: Vice president of Oak Grove Educator’s Association, Vice President Works Gallery
Current occupation: Art teacher
Past political campaigns: Mineta for Congress
Jan Grist
Age: 64
Family: A multi-generational home with my daughter, son-in-law, and my special needs grandson.
Previously held elected or appointed office: Many leadership teams at the HSD district level and school level; elected President of the School Site Council many times; elected two terms as President of the Hollister Elementary School Teachers’ Association and appointed lead negotiator; elected as treasurer to my homeowner’s association for 13 years.
Current occupation: Newly retired middle school history teacher (June 2018) from the Hollister School District.
Stephen Kain
Age: 66
Family: Married to Toni Notar with 4 grown children.
Previously held elected or appointed office: President of HESTA several times
Current occupation: Retired Educator
Campaign slogan: Students First
Patricia Moore
No information provided
Roxanne Stephens
Age: 56
Family: Married with 4 sons. Two granddaughters
Previously held elected or appointed office: none
Current occupation: Retired Social Work Administrator
Past political campaigns: N/A
Carlotta Torres-DeLuna
Age: 43
Family: daughter of Cruz and Digna Torres. Married to Eddie DeLuna with two daughters, Citlalli, 12, and Ixiim, 8.
Current occupation: Social Work
San Benito High School District
Board of Education
Trustee Area 2
Miguel Sahagun Jr.
Age: 49
Family: Three children, one student in San Benito High School
Current occupation: Self-employed
Trustee Area 3
Steve Delay
Age: 66
Family: Five kids attend SBHSD. I have seven grandkids and one more on the way. All will attend SBHSD someday.
Previously held elected or appointed office: I have won three SBHSD elections, 2006 (four-year term), 2012 (two-year term) and 2014 (four-year term). Appointed to fill vacancy in 2012.
Current occupation: I retired from SBHSD in 2005. During my 32 years there, I was a teacher, coach, assistant principal and, for the last 20 years, chief financial officer.
Past political campaigns: SBHSD
Trustee Area 4
Juan Robledo
Age: 67
Family: Married to Angela M. Robledo, retired teacher of 31 years from the HSD; son Carlo Robledo is an alumnus of SBHS Class of 1992. Daughter Erica Robledo-Dickens, the director of student activities at Rancho San Justo and also a math teacher. Five grandchildren; one is a sophomore at SBHS, one is a seventh-grader at RSJ and another is a fourh-grader at Ladd Lance School.
Previously held elected or appointed office: San Benito High School District board in 2014
Current occupation: Retired educator and a member of the SBHSD Board of Trustees. I worked for San Benito High School for 38 years as a Spanish teacher, social science teacher, soccer coach, club and class adviser, mentor teacher, bilingual resource teacher, division chairperson and finally the director of student activities. Chief negotiator and president of the Teachers Association for eight years.
Past political campaigns: SBHSD Board in 2014 and various bond measures.
San Benito County Office of Education
Board of Education
District 3
Joan Campbell-Garcia (incumbent, board president)
No information provided
District 4
Reb Monaco
Age: 74
Family: Married with two adult children, K-8 Southside, San Benito HS, and two grandchildren
Previously held elected or appointed office: County supervisor, two terms 2002-2010
Current occupation: Retired school teacher, 32 years with HSD
