With Election Day around the corner, Orange County residents will be able to vote for the North Orange County Community College District Board of Trustee members to represent their assigned areas. 

A forum with all candidates will take place on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in building 200, room 224 at Fullerton College and will be live-streamed by Hornet Media on Youtube at @fchornetmedia. 

Members of the board gather twice a month to discuss measures that affect the district, such as academic policies, the district budget, and the overall mission of the NOCCCD. 

For the 2024 election, there are seven candidates running in three areas, with one Evangelina Rosales, running unopposed for Area 4. The NOCCCD is separated into seven areas, but only four of them are up for re-election this year.

The Hornet will be releasing interviews held with candidates in the three competitive races in collaboration with the Fullerton Observer, featuring topics that concern NOCCCD students,  candidate priorities and campaign information. Stay tuned. 

Area 2: Ed Lopez and Jack Daniel Fennell

For Area 2, the incumbent candidate is Ed Lopez. According to his biography on the NOCCCD website, he is a California native and a resident of Anaheim for the last 20 years. He has two master’s degrees, one from Indiana University and another from Georgetown University. A former appointee for the Clinton Administration, Lopez has gained experience in the last four years as president, vice president and secretary of the Board of Trustees. 

Lopez is running against candidate Jack Daniel Fennell, who has attended both Cypress and Fullerton College and has an extensive background in the construction industry. Fennell’s top priorities if elected is to reduce wasteful spending, limiting politics on campus, and ensuring that every penny of funding goes towards education, especially vocational programs. 

Area 5: Mark Lopez and Steve Slawson

Mark Lopez and Steve Slawson are running for a seat currently held by teacher and FC alumna Jacqueline Rodarte in the general election for North Orange County Community College District, Area 5. 

Mark Lopez is an educator for the Anaheim Elementary school district. As it stated on the school district’s website, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from California State University, Fullerton and an education specialist teaching credential from California State University, Long Beach. Lopez was elected to Area 4 of the Anaheim Elementary School District in 2018. He has worked the last ten years as a policy advisor for the County of Orange. He has also served on the Anaheim budget commission. 

He is going up against Steven Slawson, who has owned a local business for 25 years and served on the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Equity Committee. Slawson states on his candidate website that he wants to use that experience to achieve current goals and improve schools for District 5. He is endorsed by NOCCCD Trustee Ryan Bent, Anaheim council members Jose Diaz and Natalie Meeks, Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner, and more. 

Area 7: Ryan Bent and Kyle Miller

Ryan Bent and Kyle Miller running in the general election for North Orange County Community College District, Area 7. 

Ryan Bent is the incumbent for the Area 7 trustee position. He has earned multiple degrees including a master’s in public administration from California State University, Northridge and a master’s in public administration from Colorado State University and is an account manager for a technology sales and marketing firm. Bent, who has extensive experience in his field as the former NOCCCD Board president, City Commissioner, University Program Advisor and more, states his priorities are to support student success while emphasizing transparency and fiscal efficiency. 

Bent is running up against Kyle Miller. Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration & management from Western Governors University and a certificate in public policy from University of Southern California. He has previous experience as a local business owner and mayor of La Habra Heights. According to his website, his priorities are to focus on student success, ensure competitive pay for faculty and staff to attract and retain experienced educators, and remove partisan politics from education. He would aim to expand the STEM and apprenticeship programs to open better career pathways for students. He is endorsed by a variety of organizations such as United Faculty, AdFac, United CSEA, and education leaders such as NOCCCD Trustee Steve Blount and Mt. San Antonio College Trustees Dr. Manuel Baca, Peter Hildago, and Jay Chen.