The NOCCCD Board of Trustee member for Area 7 goes to Ryan Bent who has been elected for his third term against new candidate Kyle Miller. As of Dec. 3, the voter results have all been certified which means that all the races have been called.
After election day, this race led with Bent holding the majority of the votes until the end once the remaining votes had been verified.
In the Area 7 race, which was the most heavily funded, Bent won the majority of 36,029 counted votes, or 60.46%, while Miller followed with 23,561 counted votes, or 39.54%.
Miller has previous political experience as mayor and councilmember of La Habra Heights from March 2013 to November 2017. He is currently a policy analyst/community engagement specialist for District 30 Senator Bob Archuleta.
Unusual for a community college Board of Trustees race, Miller’s campaign received large donations from unions representing adjunct and full-time faculty, as well as other various organizations.
Miller raised $109,341 in contributions towards the campaign, according to a revised 460 campaign finance document filed by his campaign as of Jan. 17, 2024, that covers all contributions up until Dec. 31, 2024.
Some of the most notable contributions came from the faculty unions at NOCCCD. The United Faculty North Orange Community College District PAC, which is the full-time faculty union, contributed $30,000. The American Federation of Teachers, Adjunct Faculty, United AFT 6106, which is the part-time faculty union, contributed $10,000 to his campaign in three separate donations.
Bent has strongly criticized United Faculty’s contributions to Miller’s and previous campaigns against him, suggesting their spending of members’ money was “wasteful.” He also condemned Miller’s acceptance of these donations.
“Considering it is the job of trustees to negotiate with these unions on behalf of our district and taxpayers, and to make critical decisions with long-term implications in terms of the district’s financial health, which can impact employment longevity and security for all employees, it is highly inappropriate to accept financial or other support from these organizations, who seem to want trustees to do their bidding without consideration of future sustainability,” said Bent in a statement to The Hornet.
United Faculty countered that their support of political candidates is part of the democratic process. “Of course United Faculty members are involved in elections. We are educators and voters. It’s our legal right as union members, and our civic responsibility to do so,” the union wrote in a statement to The Hornet. “We participate in our union’s democratic endorsement process and support candidates who care about public education, student rights, and faculty rights. We all want and deserve trustees who care about and will fight with us for the community college system our students deserve.”
A few other notable contributions to Miller’s campaign were from Omnicare Medical Group, which donated $10,000, and Fiona Ma for Lieutenant Governor, who donated $4,000 . Miller also received a $1,000 donation from Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino counties from their community action fund.
Aside from being a community college trustee, Bent has also been a past NOCCCD Board President, city commissioner, and has had other involvements as a board and council member in areas outside of NOCCCD. Since 2019, Bent has also been a Digital Solutions Specialist for FUJIFILM Graphic Systems. While also being a Fullerton college alumni, Bent will continue to oversee Area 7 as a trustee.
For incumbent Bent, as reported on the California Form 497, he declared, “To the best of my knowledge I anticipate that I will receive less than $2,000 and that I will spend less than $2,000 during the calendar year.”
For this race, the total votes that were counted per candidate were Bent 37,483 and Miller 25,072. This race not only holds votes from Orange County but also holds a small percentage of votes from Los Angeles County voters, which brought in 1,511 votes for Miller and 1,454 votes for Bent. The portion of Area 7 that resides within Los Angeles County is the city of La Habra Heights where Miller was previously Mayor. This put Miller in the lead for Los Angeles County by 57 votes.
When asked about the plan of action for his third term, Bent said “I want to personally welcome everyone of all political persuasions back to Fullerton College so we can once again see how iron sharpens iron in a way that benefits our students, faculty, staff, and administrators.”
“Diversity of thought is something we have on our NOCCCD Board of Trustees and most of the time, our engagements and dialogue is respectful and professional, so we are a good example that can be replicated on our campuses, and in our classrooms, unions, senates, and committees,” he added.
The NOCCCD’s other races included Ed Lopez v. Jack Fennell for Area 2, and Mark Lopez v. Steve Slawson for Area 5. Area 2 elected Ed Lopez and Area 5 elected Mark Lopez. All three of the candidates for the Area 2, 5, and 7 races won with at least over 60% of the counted votes. Ed Lopez and Mark Lopez will be working in their elected areas alongside Bent for the next term.
