Carlos Guerrero, a professor at Los Angeles Valley College, was appointed Wednesday as the newest member of the Santa Clarita Community College District board of trustees.  The preferred candidate of the College of the Canyons Faculty Association, Guerrero was one of only two candidates in attendance on Wednesday. A third, Jason Abrahamson, notified the board prior to the special meeting that he was dropping out, according to board President Edel Alonso.  Guerrero will be representing Trustee Area 5, which covers parts of Canyon Country and Newhall, stretching from Newhall Avenue in the south to Soledad Canyon Road in the north, and from Railroad Avenue in the west to Highway 14 in the east.  The seat was vacated by Joan MacGregor following her resignation in August. An appointment process was chosen by the board due to the fact that MacGregor did not resign in time for a special election to be consolidated with the upcoming general election.  MacGregor told the crowd in attendance at one of her last meetings that she had intentionally done that because, from her experience, more people are inclined to apply for a seat rather than campaign for one.  Carlos Guerrero (right) is administered the oath of office on Wednesday by Santa Clarita Community College District board of trustees President Edel Alonso after he was appointed by the board. Tyler Wainfeld/The Signal. All three board members had Guerrero, a Santa Clarita resident since 1994 and a graduate of Golden Valley High, as their top choice to sit with them on the governing board overseeing COC. He was chosen over Tony Maldonado, executive creative director for Insignia Entertainment.  Upon reviewing each candidate’s application, which contained 14 questions, prior to the meeting, Alonso asked just one question of each candidate: “We’d like to know if there’s anything else that you would like to add to your responses here that would help us make a decision.”  No other questions were asked, and each candidate was given five minutes to respond.  “I think being part of a leadership at a community college is a great responsibility, and the beauty of it is that community college is the access for everybody, and I think that’s what I had placed in my responses,” Guerrero said.  Much of Guerrero’s response focused on how he has used his position at a community college to benefit his students and those across the state. He said he’s been an instructor in higher education for 32 years.  “For the past 20 years, I have dedicated my career to community college education, progressing from an adjunct instructor to tenured faculty,” Guerrero said. “The journey has provided me a comprehensive understanding of the community college system from multiple perspectives and understood the various components of our system. I’ve been actively involved in statewide efforts to promote student equity. I have participated in curriculum task forces and academics and initiatives aimed at developing policies and practices that address systemic inequities in higher education. This work has allowed me to contribute to a broader conversation about access, retention, success for underrepresented student populations across California.”  Santa Clarita Community College District board of trustees member Sebastian Cazares (right) speaks with Tony Maldonado after the board chose Carlos Guerrero over him to sit on the board. Tyler Wainfeld/The Signal. Prior to the interviews, Nicole Faudree, political action chair for the COC FA, announced that the union is endorsing Guerrero after interviewing both candidates.  “Dr. Guerrero’s broad experience with community colleges, coupled with his unwavering dedication to student success and higher education, makes him an exemplary candidate,” Faudree said. “We are confident that his leadership will foster the continued growth and prosperity of our institution.”  Also endorsing Guerrero was the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building Trades Council, with that union being represented on Wednesday by communications director Anne-Marie Otey.  No other union representatives spoke at the meeting, though several Santa Clarita residents said if there was an election, they would be voting for Maldonado.  Diane Zimmerman, who regularly attends COC board meetings along with other public meetings across the Santa Clarita Valley, said she doesn’t always agree with Maldonado, but she likes how he is able to speak and back up his arguments with facts.  Along with his five minutes during the interview process, Maldonado also spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting and lamented the fact that an election could not be held for the seat.  “Area 5, a Hispanic-majority (California Voting Rights Act) district within the Santa Clarita Community College District, was denied the opportunity to vote for a new trustee,” Maldonado said. “I desired to run in this election, but I was denied that opportunity.”  Maldonado added that his platform would have run on “serving this community with transparency, fiscal responsibility and strategic planning,” and that he would “prioritize accountable leadership, data-driven decision making and long-term strategic planning to benefit both the community and institution.”  Upon being administered the oath of office, Guerrero took his seat at the dais before the board retired to closed session.  The board could be changing entirely after the general election on Nov. 5. Alonso’s seat is up for election, as are the seats held by Jerry Danielsen and Sebastian Cazares, who was the only one of the three incumbents to not file for reelection.  The seat for Trustee Area 1, previously held by Chuck Lyon, was relinquished prior to the deadline to have a special election consolidated with the general election, and it will be decided by the voters.  The post Valley College professor selected as new COC board member  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.