Challengers Win Seats on Newhall Water Board

SANTA CLARITA — Capping an unusually costly and contentious campaign, three challengers swept out the incumbents Tuesday in the race for the Newhall County Water District board, a small but key entity that provides water to about 10% of the Santa Clarita Valley.

With all votes counted, Tom Campbell, Barbara Dore and Val Thomas beat Edwin Dunn, Lynne Plambeck and David Rapoport, all of whom are completing their first four-year term on the five-member board.

Campbell received the most votes.

Despite its size--at 6,500 customers, the valley’s third-largest--the Newhall board has special standing because it is the only valley water agency with a fully elected board. Developers seeking continued building in the growing area--especially the Newhall Land & Farming Co., initiator of the massive Newhall Ranch proposal between the Golden State Freeway and the Ventura County line--must first secure an adequate water supply from a water board.

The challengers spent nearly $34,000 through Oct. 18 compared with the incumbents’ nearly $6,000, according to county figures. Emphasizing their opponents’ spending, which was more than double the suggested limits set in accordance with the campaign financing measure Proposition 208, the incumbents portrayed them as mere pawns of Newhall Land. The challengers dismissed those claims, insisting that they were running to improve water quality and the district’s finances.

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In the four other Santa Clarita Valley races Tuesday:

With all votes counted, Castaic Union School District challengers Gregory Ferrier and Wendy Gingrich and incumbent Nora Emmons beat incumbent Irene Massey, challenger Carl Seel and incumbent Dirk Gosda for three open board seats.

In another completed race, the Saugus Union School District saw incumbent Judy Umeck and challengers Gary Murr and Jonathan Myl beat incumbent Eileen Connolly and challenger Douglas Bryce in a battle for three spots.

William S. Hart Union High School District voters favored incumbent Patricia Hanrion and challengers Dennis King and Gloria Mercado over incumbent George Aliano and William Dinenbacher. Fewer than 2% of the votes remained uncounted late Tuesday.

With nearly all votes counted, two open seats on the governing board of the Santa Clarita Community College District went to unopposed incumbent Joan MacGregor and challenger Ernie Tichenor, who bested incumbent John hoskinson and challenger Richard D. Peoples.

Only very early results were available for Antelope Valley races.

Absentee ballots, representing just a fraction of the total votes, showed Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford gaining a sizable lead on Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Wright Carney and paralegal George Wolfe.

Palmdale City Council incumbent Terence P. Judge led all candidates in his bid for another term. There were nine candidates for seats that had been held by Judge and Jim Root: Lynne van Trieste Cory, Sandy Corrales, Al Beattie, Timothy J. Jackson, Alan L. Lee Jr., Paul A. Senia, Dante Simi, Shelley Sorsabal and Jeff Storm. Sorsabal was behind Judge for the second seat.

Among five candidates vying for three open seats on the Palmdale school board, incumbents Sheldon Epstein, Frederick Thompson and Velma M. Trosin were leading Connie Petit and Barbara Walsh.

Water district voters were narrowly defeating Measure X, a proposal that would change the way members of the board of directors are elected. The measure’s passage would require candidates to secure a majority in each of the district’s divisions, as well as in the district as a whole.

The water district board also had two spots up for election. Incumbent Nolan D. Negaard had a wide lead over newcomer Wayne Marshall, while incumbent Ronald D. Cunningham ran unopposed.

Elsewhere in the Antelope Valley, there were eight candidates for three open seats on the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District board. Incumbent Rebecca Small and challengers Ann Franz and Steven Harbeson were ahead of incumbents Fred Fate and Martin Barofsky and challengers Mark Nielsen,Patty Knechtli and Andrea D. Mathews.

Residents of both Los Angeles and Kern counties had a say in the Antelope Valley Community College District Governing Board race. Incumbents James Valentine DuPratt Jr., H.E. Kicenski and Betty Lou Nash were competing with six challengers: Michael Adams, Michael R. Adams, David L. Edmonson, John A. Mayfield, Betty J. Wienke and Michael Williams.

Three seats on the Antelope Valley Union High School District board were open. Incumbents Steve Landaker, William Olenick and Sue Stokka faced challengers Yolanda Deschene, Deanna A. Larson, Brett Nelson and Wayne Woodhall.

Eastside Union School District officials in Lancaster hoped voters approve Measure S, a $15.5-million bond issue that would fund the construction of a new middle school and elementary school. Officials say those facilities would ease overcrowding that has forced 2,200 students into space originally intended for 1,300.

Three Eastside Governing Board positions were being contested by incumbents Martha D. Johnson and Willard Ritchie and challengers Charles Cooke and Ann Harris.

In the Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union School District, challenger Robert Leder faced incumbents Lola Mantooth, Charles Compton and David M. Haerle II.

Lancaster School District voters chose among incumbent board members Jeff Hanson, Greg Tepe and Richard T. White and challengers Keith Giles and Edwin McClure for three open seats.

In the Littlerock Creek Irrigation District, incumbents Barbara Hogan, Charles Yingst and Frances Young ran against James D. Burhus, Ted Burhus, Jack K. Thomas and Jason Zink.

Westside Union School District board incumbents Larry Bosma, Christine LeBeau and Charles Haskell were vying for three open seats with challenger Robin Kessler.

Rounding out the Antelope Valley slate, three seats were open on the Wilsona School District Governing Board. Incumbent Michael Brown was opposed by five challengers: Roger Oliver, Gregory Rollins, Emma Montesdeoca, Rob Jackson and Patricia Greene.

Meanwhile, in the San Fernando Valley, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village held City Council elections and Las Virgenes voters decided the fate of the school bond Measure R as well as filling three school board seats. Agoura Hills residents also voted on a $1-million library bond issue and a utility users tax that would assess a levy on commercial property owners.

With all votes counted, Agoura Hills council incumbents Ed Corridori and Denis Weber joined challenger Jeff Reinhardt as winners over challengers Michael Forney and Jerry Wolf. In Westlake Village, council seats went to incumbent Kris Carraway-Bowman and challengers Iraj Broomand and Mark Rutherford, with all votes in.

With all votes in, the Las Virgenes school board race saw incumbents Judy Jordan, Charlotte Meyer and Barbara Bowman-Fagelson retain their seats.