Kelsey Iino, an appointed member of the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees, is running for her position in the November election.
In April, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Iino to replace former board member Mike Fong, who vacated his seat upon his election to the State Assembly. Iino must be elected in her own right to serve the remaining two years of Fong’s term on the seven-member board.
The following profile is from Iino’s campaign website.
“As a Los Angeles native and a California community college graduate herself, Dr. Kelsey Iino has dedicated her professional career to the community college system. She has worked for over 15 years as a counselor in various areas and currently counsels students in the areas of health science, athletics, creative arts, and MANA (an Asian American Pacific Islander initiative grant program to support the Native Hawaiian and Pasifika community) at El Camino College, of which she is an alumna. She has fostered intrinsic values between her own goals and those of the students she serves.
“Kelsey is committed to strengthening community college education for the students of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD). Since her appointment to the LACCD board in April 2022, she has hit the ground running and serves on the Legislative and Public Affairs Committee, the Budget Committee, and the Athletic Ad Hoc Committee. She is also is the chair of the API Advisory Committee.
“Trustee Iino will work to better understand the culture and uniqueness of the nine colleges to then effectuate student achievements by supporting increased accessibility to essential services and resources necessary for each campus. She hopes through her efforts as a trustee she can focus on delivering resources to provide dignity and purpose to students, staff, and faculty across the district.
“She seeks to provide solutions to the housing insecurity, food insecurity, and the rising cost of living students face. In addition, she seeks to provide a voice for LACCD’s nearly 15% AAPI student population.
“Kelsey has volunteered in various capacities within the greater Los Angeles area for over 25 years. She currently serves as a board member in multiple organizations. These causes include the Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Memorial Committee, an organization to sustain the legacy of Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka and to inspire and promote space and the STEAM field to our youth. She also serves as the faculty representative on the Board of Directors for the El Camino College Foundation, and Kelsey is also a board member of the Little Tokyo Service Center and key organizer of the ‘Straight Outta Little Tokyo’ event series, through which she engages in grassroots fundraising for the Terasaki Budokan, a multipurpose sports and community center located in the heart of DTLA.
“Other key leadership positions Kelsey currently holds include president of the El Camino College Federation of Teachers-AFT1388, representing nearly 1,000 full- and part-time faculty members, and she is also a delegate to the Los Anglees Federation of Labor (LAFed).
“A Los Angeles native who grew up in the South Bay, she attended El Camino College and earned an A.A. in sociology, transferred to UCLA to earn her B.A. in sociology with a minor in education and then her M.Ed. in counseling and student affairs, and finally her doctorate in educational leadership from USC.”
In a letter to friends, family and community, Iino said, “I am grateful to be appointed to the LACCD Board this past April and I have been working extremely hard to be engaged and advocate for students, staff, faculty, and the LACCD community. My personal and professional background and experience as a graduate of the community college system, community college faculty member, faculty union leader, and community activist have prepared me for this position. I value this role and am honored to be able to do the work of a community college trustee.
“As an active participant in the community college system working with students on a daily basis, I am very capable of successfully doing the work. I care about what happens to the future of public education, higher education, and specifically the community colleges.
“I started this journey of becoming a trustee five years ago when Betsy DeVos was voted in as secretary of education. With so many of my values being challenged by the administration at that time, I felt public education, specifically the community college system, was where I could advocate for better conditions for the student, staff, and the community we serve, and here we are today.
“I, Kelsey Iino, am your LACCD trustee!!! Please support me and help me win this 2022 election so I can continue to do the work I fervently believe in.
“The Los Angeles Community College District consists of nine colleges that serve over 200,000 students a year, and is the largest community college system in the country. The trustee positions are ‘member-at-large,’ meaning the entire district votes for each seat. LACCD covers close to 900 square miles (ELAC to WLA, Mission to LAHC).
“I must raise funds to have the capacity to spread awareness to the 3 million voters in the district … Please help me by contributing to my campaign … I promise to be dedicated to our causes and advocate for students.”
For more information on making a donation or volunteering for the campaign, visit www.kelseyiino.com.
Iino’s endorsers include:
Organizations — Los Angeles College Faculty Guild-AFT1521, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 11, International Union of Operating Engineers, Southern California Armenian Democrats, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance-AFL CIO, Progressive Asian Network for Action, El Camino College Federation of Teachers-AFT1388, Pasadena City College Faculty Association, United Association Local 250
Leaders — Reps. Judy Chu, Ted Lieu, Jimmy Gomez, Mark Takano; Assemblymember Mike Fong, Miguel Santiago, Al Muratsuchi; State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond; State Treasurer Fiona Ma; Alhambra Mayor Jeff Maloney; Monterey Park Mayor Henry Lo; Los Angeles County Democratic Party Chair Mark Gonzalez
The LACCD encompasses East L.A. College, L.A. City College, L.A. Harbor College, L.A. Mission College, L.A. Pierce College, L.A. Southwest College, L.A. Trade Technical College, L.A. Valley College and West L.A. College.
What are you going to do so that it’s affordable for young people can go to college without the high cost. As you know many can’t afford to go to college because of the tuition the cost of books this is what deters young people from going.