Southwestern College will hold its first trustee-area elections this November for three newly established trustee election districts. On Nov. 8, voters in areas one, four and five will be able to vote for a board member to represent their respective districts.
Southwestern College’s Governing Board currently has an “at-large” election system, which means voters of the district’s entire service area elect members of the Governing Board. Transitioning to “trustee-area elections” means that voters who live in one of five districts will choose from board member candidates who also live in that area.
View the final trustee area map and a breakdown of each area’s communities on Southwestern College’s trustee election website.
“By transitioning to trustee area elections, we are making representation on our governing board more reflective of our community by ensuring that there is representation from all areas of the district,” said Governing Board President Roberto Alcantar. “By establishing smaller districts candidates will need fewer resources to run, so hopefully this will encourage more community members to consider running for office and make elected office more attainable to a broader and diverse set of folks.”
The Southwestern College Governing Board voted in April 2019 to transition from at-large elections to trustee-area elections. Southwestern College contracted with Redistricting Partners to shape the Governing Board’s election areas into five distinct districts within Southwestern College’s service area, which includes the cities of Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach, Coronado, San Diego as well as many unincorporated communities.
The final maps were approved in March in a unanimous vote from the Southwestern College Governing Board.
Trustees Don Dumas, Kirin Macapugay and Leticia Cazares’ at-large seats are up for election this year. They can choose to run to represent trustee areas one, four or five if they live within area boundaries.
Board President Roberto Alcantar and Trustee Griselda Delgado’s at-large seats are up for election in 2024. They can choose to run to represent one of the three trustee areas that are open in 2022 or choose to serve the remainder of their term in an at-large capacity.
Individuals interested in becoming a candidate for the Nov. 8, 2022 election must file with the San Diego Registrar of Voters between July 18 and Aug. 12.
