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Tag: Manuel Perez

  • Meet Manuel Perez, candidate for SJUSD school board

    Manuel Perez. Image courtesy, candidate.

    Note: As part of The Sentinel’s 2023 Special Election coverage, we have asked a series of six identical questions to both of the candidates running for the Area 7 seat on the San Juan Unified School Board. The questions are designed to give each of the candidates an opportunity to introduce themselves to the community and give voters an opportunity to learn more about each candidate’s life and background. Candidates replied via email, and those who responded to each question in less than 100 words have their answers published word-for-word.

    Why are you running for school board and what are your qualifications?

    I am running for school board because I am a father, volunteer police officer and lifelong resident of Citrus Heights who is passionate about our kids’ education. I want to ensure that all students in our district have a safe, supportive, and challenging learning environment.

    I am qualified to serve on the school board because I have a deep understanding of the challenges facing our schools today.

    What is one decision the school board has made that you disagree with (if any)?

    I wouldn’t say there is one decision I disagree with but rather a deep concern for the direction our state seems to be heading. We have lost focused on the quality of education our students deserve. We are seeing a political agenda that is encouraging schools to keep secrets from parents and focus on topics that will not help our kids learn how to become contributing members in our community. We must stop this political agenda and I believe that it is important to have a strong academic foundation for all students… (edited for length).

    What are your top 3 priorities, if elected?

    If I am elected, my top three priorities will be:

    1. Safety: I will work to ensure that all campuses in our district are safe and secure for students and staff.
    2. Parent Involvement: I will encourage and support parent involvement in our schools, and I will make sure that parents have a voice in the decisions that are made about their children’s education.
    3. Academics not politics: I will work to raise academic standards and ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education without the distraction a political agenda forced on them.

    What is your view of school choice?

    I believe that parents should have the right to choose the best school for their child, regardless of their zip code. I support school choice programs that give parents more options, such as charter schools and vouchers.

    Do you believe teachers are paid adequate salary and benefits in SJUSD?

    I believe that teachers should be paid a fair wage for their hard work and dedication. I will support efforts to increase teacher salaries and benefits and ensure money is spent on the local teachers and classrooms and not for statewide teachers unions. It is crucial that we recruit and retain quality teachers to our district.

    Who are your top 3 campaign donors?

    My top three campaign donors are: Capital Lincoln Club, Betsy Mahan and Saul Hernandez.

    Editor’s note: The Area 7 school board seat largely covers Citrus Heights, except for several portions of the city south of Greenback Lane and east of Mariposa Avenue. To learn more, see story: SJUSD Special Election 2023: Who’s running and how to vote

    Voters can view the campaign websites for each candidate below:

  • SJUSD Special Election 2023: Who’s running and how to vote

    A map shows the boundaries for the Area 7 school board seat in Citrus Heights. // Image credit: SJUSD

    Sentinel staff report–
    The special election to replace the school board seat left vacant by the late Steve Miller will be held Nov. 7, with vote-by-mail ballots being sent out on Oct. 6 to registered voters in the district.

    Two candidates are running for school board for the Area 7 seat on the San Juan Unified School District’s governing board. Candidate Murad “Moe” Sarama has been endorsed by Citrus Heights Councilwoman Porsche Middleton as well as the Democratic Party of Sacramento County, while candidate Manuel Perez has been endorsed by Vice Mayor Bret Daniels and the Sacramento County Republican Party.

    A news release on Friday from the Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections office said ballots may be returned at either of two drop box locations at Citrus Heights City Hall and the Rusch Park Community Center, or at the Voter Registration and Elections office in south Sacramento. Ballot drop-offs are accepted from Oct. 6 through Election Day.

    An in-person vote center will also be open from Oct. 28 to Nov. 7, at the Crosswoods Community Center, located at 6742 Auburn Blvd., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, with extended hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. City Hall will not serve as a vote center this year, but ballots can be dropped off at City Hall 24 hours a day, according to the county’s elections website. Hours are more restrictive at the Rusch Park drop-off site.

    The Area 7 school board seat largely covers Citrus Heights, except for several portions of the city south of Greenback Lane and east of Mariposa Avenue.

    Voters can view the campaign websites for each candidate below:

  • Two on Citrus Heights council won’t be seeking another term

    2018 city council, Citrus Heights election
    File photo, 2018. (left to right) Steve Miller, Porsche Middleton, and Jeannie Bruins.

    Sentinel staff report–
    Three seats are up for election on the Citrus Heights City Council this year, and at least two of those seats will see new faces join the council, as a pair of long-tenured council members have both announced they will not seek another four-year term.

    The City Council seats for districts two, four, and five are up for election on Nov. 8 this year, with those seats currently being at-large seats held by Mayor Porsche Middleton and council members Jeannie Bruins and Steve Miller. Both Miller and Bruins have said they are retiring from their positions on the council.

    Bruins announced last month during a prospective candidate forum that she will not be seeking a sixth term in office. She was first elected in 2002, six years after the city incorporated, and subsequently won re-election every four years over the past 20 years.

    Miller announced in a July 23 news release that he will be seeking a position on the San Juan Unified School District’s governing board and will not seek re-election to the City Council, after serving in that position since 2005.

    “It has been a pleasure and blessing serving on our city council for the past 17 years and I am proud of everything we have accomplished,” said Miller, highlighting the formation of a police department and building of a new City Hall. “…I am comfortable stepping down knowing our finances are solid, the Sunrise Mall redevelopment plan is in place, and our city is moving forward under the leadership of our new City Manager, Ash Feeney.”

    Related: Want to run for Citrus Heights City Council? Here’s what you should know

    Commenting on his bid school board, Miller said he wants “to make Citrus Heights schools the number one choice for our parents and students.”

    Miller is seeking a newly created seat on the SJUSD board, which the board recently voted to expand to seven members, up from five. One of the new seats, Area 7, encompasses most of Citrus Heights, and is the seat Miller is running for.

    The race to fill Miller and Bruins’ seats on the City Council is still taking shape, with residents having until Aug. 12 to submit nomination papers to run for one of the seats on the council. Mayor Porsche Middleton has announced she will seek another four-year term on the council, seeking to represent District 5 in the southeastern area of Citrus Heights.

    As of Monday at 3:30 p.m., the City Clerk’s Office reported that a total of six residents have pulled papers to run for City Council. MariJane Lopez-Taff and Michael Nishimura are seeking the District 2 seat, Manuel Perez and Jayna Karpinski-Costa are seeking the District 4 seat, and Natalee Price and Porsche Middleton are seeking the District 5 seat.

    None of the six residents who pulled papers so far have filed the required nomination papers, but candidates still have a little over two weeks to do so.

    The other two current members of the council representing Districts 1 and 3, Bret Daniels and Vice Mayor Tim Schaefer, are not up for election until 2024. Daniels and Schaefer both won election two years ago in the first election held by district. The remaining three at-large seats are transitioning to district seats this year.

    While Citrus Heights previously held its elections “at-large,” where anyone in the city could run for a position on the council, a district-based system was created in 2019 after the city was threatened with a lawsuit. Cities around the state have made similar changes in their election systems, when faced with lawsuits alleging that at-large voting disenfranchises minorities and violates the California Voting Rights Act.

    Previously, all of the voters in Citrus Heights could vote on all five positions on the council, whereas voters can now only vote for candidates in the district of the city where the voter lives.

    To see a district map of the city, see prior story: Filing period to run for Citrus Heights City Council opens