Kelsey Iino, an appointed member of the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees, was elected on Nov. 8 to serve on the board until Dec. 13, 2024.
In the special election for Seat 7 on the board, Iino received 299,326 votes (57.93 percent). Also running were Nancy Pearlman (148,092, 28.66 percent) and Mark Dutton (69,287, 13.41).
In April, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Iino to replace Mike Fong, who vacated his seat upon his election to the State Assembly. She will serve the remainder of Fong’s term on the seven-member board.
Iino ran on a slate with Trustee Steve Veres (Seat 2), Sara Hernandez (Seat 4) and Trustee Gabriel Buelna (Seat 6), all of whom received more than 50 percent of the vote in their respective races.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Iino said, “Today’s the day where everything gets tallied up. The magnitude of what I just hurdled is settling in. I’ve been keeping my head down, to manage and focus on what was on my plate on a daily basis, sometimes even hour by hour, not really acknowledging it all. Whatever happens, I’m excited for the future and hopeful for the changes we need to see happen locally and across the country. Let’s do this!”
In its endorsement of Iino, The Los Angeles Times said, “We think Iino is the best candidate in this race. She has served as trustee for just a few months but has a clear view of what she wants to accomplish and shows much promise as a district leader. Iino is a longtime community volunteer, including serving as board member of the Little Tokyo Service Center, and is president of the El Camino College Federation of Teachers, which represents about 1,000 faculty members. Her priorities include increasing college accessibility and affordability for students who are first-generation, veterans and previously incarcerated residents.”