How I’m voting for the environment on Nov. 7, 2006, for the City of Santa Monica. Here are my votes for the state-level propositions and for the state-level offices.

My votes for Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Governing Board Members (4 people):
* Emily Bloomfield
* Kelly McMahon Pye
* Barry A. Snell
* Oscar de la Torre

What does the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Governing Board do?: The 7-member board makes governing decisions for the 16 schools (12 in Santa Monica, 4 in Malibu) in the district.
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Due mainly to time constraints, I’m relying heavily on the endorsements of the Committee for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS), Santa Monicans for Renters Rights (SMRR). and the LA County Dem Party. The four people I’ll be voting for are:

Emily Bloomfield. A current board member, Emily’s endorsed by the CEPS, SMRR, and the LA County Dem party. She’s the mother of three SMMUSD students, and is described by the CEPS as “a passionate and well-respected champion for closing the achievement gap during her first term on the Board of Education.”

Kelly McMahon Pye. Kelly’s described by the CEPS as an “outspoken voice for low-income students in the district in her years of service to PTA, Site Governance and various education groups.” She too is endorsed by the CEPS, SMRR, and the LA County Dem party.

Barry Snell. Barry, also endorsed by the CEPS, SMRR, and the LA County Dem party. CEPS describes him as a “high-profile volunteer who has worked with PTA and school site groups to bring minority parents, especially African-American fathers, into the loop at Santa Monica High School and the middle schools.”

Oscar de la Torre. A current board member, Oscar’s endorsed by the SMRR and the LA County Dem party. He founded the Pico Youth and Family Center, a nonprofit that provides tutoring and other help to kids in that neighborhood.

The other two candidates — who I won’t be voting for, are Shane McLoud and Sidonie Smith. Neither have gotten the endorsement of the CEPS, SMRR, or the LAC Dems. Shane’s actually a current board member, and overall sounds like a committed fifth-grade teacher at Camino Nuevo Charter Academy. But Shane seems to have really clashed with the other board members and teachers; check out his candidate statement for the CEPS. Sidonie is a credentialed general and special education teacher, principal and administrator, but I wasn’t able to find much information about her besides her short candidate statement and a profile here.

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