Rivas builds on small lead in L.A. school board race; Gonez extends lead
Steve Rivas, left, and Ken Gonser, two candidates seeking to replace Amador, hold up their election information booklets as they walk to a reporter shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, 2017, in Los Angeles. Gonser said he is going to be staying in the race through the June 14 Primary Election and hopes to bring a new and fresh approach to the board. less Steve Rivas, left, and Ken Gonser, two candidates seeking to replace Amador, hold up their election information booklets as they walk to a reporter shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, 2017, in Los Angeles. Gonser said he is… more Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Rivas builds on small lead in L.A. school board race; Gonez extends lead 1 / 6 Back to Gallery
Steve Rivas won a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Education last week when he was out-voted by fellow candidates who failed to gain enough signatures to put him on the ballot.
The race was among the most closely watched and hotly contested races in years. The board oversees one of the nation’s wealthiest school systems, and incumbent Amador was re-elected to a second four-year term, despite allegations of sexual abuse by a former superintendent, reports the San Bernardino Sun.
The race between former teachers and attorneys Rivas and Gonez also became a testing ground for candidates who are fighting to bring new approaches to the board and to their community as the county seeks to diversify its school system.
The campaigns of both Rivas and Gonez have been built on the theme that the board needs to be more inclusive and better serve parents whose children attend an increasingly diverse collection of schools in the city and increasingly in wealthy suburbs.
Gonser, a retired real estate appraiser who said he was inspired by his daughter’s experience attending an all-Black school, said he was not going to quit the race even as he