Page 4 October 8, 2020 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Election 2020
Three Candidates Vying for Two Wiseburn Unified School Board Seats
WUSD Candidate
Neil Goldman
WUSD Candidate
Jessica Daugherty
WUSD Candidate
Joanne Kaneda
1. Where were you born, raised, and
educated?
Jessica Daugherty: I grew up in La Palma,
CA into a family that believed education
should be engrained in every aspect of life!
My dad is a Southern Vietnam Vet who
worked at a printing press and my mom is
a liberal community college professor. Our
dinner table taught me to debate respectfully,
ask questions, and understand different perspectives.
I went to public K-12 schools in
our very diverse community, where I learned
the harsh realities of racial inequalities and
the power of speaking out against injustices.
I earned a Bachelors in Global Studies from
UC Santa Barbara and a Master of Public
Policy from UCLA where I learned the power
of inquiry and data. My most formative
education has been “on the job” working
for non-profit organizations, elected officials,
and starting my own company. This life
education taught me to lean into challenges,
think entrepreneurially, ask questions, and
work collaboratively.
Joanne Kaneda: 1. I was born and raised
in St. Louis, Missouri. I am proud to be
a bi-lingual, first generation descendant
of immigrants from Eastern Europe. My
own family unit is a blended, mixed-race
family of Asian and European descent. 2.
I moved to California when I began my
aerospace career at Hughes Aircraft Company.
3. My education includes: Bachelor of
Arts (BA) in Math, Education and Languages
from Washington University in St.
Louis, Missouri; Master’s in Business Administration
(MBA) from Drake University
in Des Moines, Iowa. I completed the UCLA
Executive Engineering Management Program
and Executive Program Management
Seminars during my aerospace career. I
know how to manage schedules, budgets,
teams and facilities, and I apply these leadership
skills for our community as a WUSD
Board member. I am a certified teacher with
high school teaching experience. I am passionate
about family, kids, education, diversity,
and community.
Neil Godman: I’m Neil Goldman, currently
Wiseburn School Board Vice President, and
honored to have served since 2015. I was
born in Los Angeles, and raised in Northridge.
My mom—an English and ESL teacher and
then a principal—instilled in me a love of
learning and the power of education. I have
a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara, and an MBA
and Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) from
Pepperdine. Professionally, I’m a management
consultant, and have worked to facilitate
positive change in hundreds of organizations
nationwide. As a Del Aire resident for over
20 years, I have continued to bring an all-win
philosophy to Wiseburn, striving to continually
improve our students’ education. Please
join me in the ongoing quest for the best
in education for our kids. To learn more,
please see: www.VoteGoldmanWUSD.com.
I’m passionate about education, and hope
to earn one of your two votes for Wiseburn
School Board. Thank you!
2. What has been your Hawthorne
community involvement, including
support of the WUSD?
Neil Goldman: I have served our community
and schools for over two decades.
Here’s a partial list: Co-Founder/First
President, Wiseburn Education Foundation,
Co-Creator, Rock Around the Block,
Wiseburn Unification Committee, Juan de
Anza School Site Council, Spoken before
County and State Boards of Education for
our community, Wiseburn Budget Committee,
Wiseburn Bond Oversight Committee,
School Reopening Committee, Facilities
Master Plan Committee, Special Education
Committee, Strategic planning/consultative
research support: ESUSD, WUSD, DV
Schools, Attendee, multiple Teacher of the
Year recognition ceremonies, and more.
I‘m additionally calling for a Wiseburn-
Da Vinci Integration Committee to increase
alignment and integration of our schools.
Per one Wiseburn teacher’s recent comment,
“Neil relentlessly shows up to hear the voices
of all stakeholders.” And another: “As a Hollyglen
resident, Wiseburn teacher, and mother
of Wiseburn students, I am grateful for Dr.
Goldman’s service, support, and leadership.
I urge other community members to support
[his] re-election.”
Jessica Daugherty: My husband and I
moved into Del Aire in 2009 before my
2 sons were born. Over the past eleven
years, I have contributed to our local
community in a variety of ways. I taught
Public Policy classes to Da Vinci Schools
students that taught them to understand
how public policies are made and how to
engage in the political process. I have also
volunteered my time to connect industry
partners to the schools in order to place
dozens of students into internships. Most
recently, I have been leading the charge to
convert the blighted railroad tracks along
Aviation Blvd. into a Greenway walking
and biking path. I believe that community
work is best done in community so we have
created a neighborhood movement to push
for this Greenway. We have organized large
community meetings, gotten students involved,
engaged business, and garnered the support
of elected officials.
Joanne Kaneda: I am a Hawthorne resident
since 2001. I was elected to the WUSD
Board from 2001-2010 and 2014 -Present. I
serve as WUSD Board representative to the
Technology and Budget committees. I am
Vice President of the Local Public School
Funding Authority Board. In these roles,
my contributions to WUSD and Hawthorne
include: Nationally, WUSD has a grade of
“A” in Academics, Safety, and Diversity; All
WUSD schools are recognized as California
Distinguished Schools; all WUSD schools
have been rebuilt or remodeled thanks to
community bond support; the partnership
between WUSD and DaVinci Schools is a
distinctive approach to an integrated K-12
program; my aerospace career resulted in
hundreds of thousands of dollars in technology
contributions to our WUSD schools; I actively
support the Wiseburn Education Foundation
and teamed to create our first Rock Around
the Block community fundraiser. •
By Duane Plank
Culminating on Nov. 3, local voters will
decide who will fill the two available seats on
the five-member Wiseburn Unified School
District School Board. Three candidates
have entered the fray: Incumbents Joanne
Kaneda and Neil Goldman, and newcomer
Jessica Daugherty.
As election day nears, the candidates
were asked by the Herald, over the next
month, to share their thoughts and provide
their qualifications on the most important
issues facing the Wiseburn District
(WUSD). Please note: We don’t edit candidates
answers and they are limited to 150
words.
Vote nov. 3
City Council from front page
management about issues involving race,
equality and policymaking to ensure that
everyone who lives, works and visits the city
feels welcome, according to a city release.
El Segundo hired a diversity consultant
to guide the selection process and to be a
mentor to the nine chosen members. This
DEI Committee is expected to hold its first
meeting within two weeks. One of its first
assignments will be to examine local policing
and recent calls for reforms, according
to City Manager Scott Mitnick.
Members of El Segundo for Black Lives
spoke at Tuesday’s council meeting, saying
the group condemns the ambush shooting
of two Los Angeles County deputies last
month in Compton. The local group is opposed
to violence and systemic racism and
enjoys good relations with the El Segundo
Police Department, member John Pickhaver
assured the council. “El Segundo for Black
Lives is a peaceful group with an ongoing
cooperative relationship with our local police
department,” he said. The organization does
not condone violence against anyone for any
reason, according to Pickhaver. One specific
policing issue raised Tuesday - and up for
consideration by the new diversity panel - is
how 911 calls involving mentally ill people
should be handled. One suggestion was
greater use of mental-health professionals in
emergency situations where police are called.
Other city business:
The council heard a presentation about
urban beekeeping and agreed to consider allowing
residents to keep hives to benefit the
environment. El Segundo forbids the raising
of bees. Resident Chia-Ming Ro brought the
idea to the Environmental Committee, which
endorsed her suggestion that the city reconsiders
banning non-commercial beekeeping.
The council voted unanimously to direct the
city staff to study the issue and report back
the findings. Any ordinance would include
limits on the number of hives and setbacks
from adjoining property lines.
National Night Out was held Tuesday, and
this year’s event to promote community relations
with local police was done remotely. It
featured videos about police K-9s, the SWAT
team and a question-and-answer with Police
Chief Bill Whalen. National Night Out is
usually held on the first Tuesday of August
and brings police and neighbors together
under positive circumstances, according to
the national event’s website.
Environmental Committee Chair Tracey
Miller-Zarneke gave a preliminary report on
the city’s single-use plastics ban. Implementation
was delayed because of COVID-19, but
the food-and-beverage ordinance is now in
force. Takeout restaurants and convenience
stores are supposed to ask customers if they
want plastic utensils or straws. Miller-Zarneke
encouraged businesses to support the environmental
initiative by training staff to ask
customers. Takeout meals, while indoor dining
rooms are closed, are a good opportunity for
people to forgo the plastic cutlery and use
their own forks, spoons and knives at home,
Miller-Zarneke said.
The city is extending the contract for
hospitality and tourism marketing. The city
will pay Riester Pacific up to $262,000 to
promote the city and its economic development
through June 2021. That contract is
funded partially with a $110,000 grant from
Chevron. The city’s General Fund pays
the rest of the contract. With local hotels
experiencing high vacancy rates during the
pandemic, city officials say the marketing
campaign will be needed to kickstart the
local hospitality industry once El Segundo
is allowed to reopen from COVID.
The mayor read a proclamation declaring
October 5 - 11 Active Aging Week. The
weeklong observance recognizes people 65
and older who participate in life “as fully as
possible” and maintain lifestyles that promote
physical, emotional and spiritual wellness.
Eleven percent of El Segundo residents are
over age 65, according to the city.
The Dockweiler Youth Center has been
added as a polling place for the November
3 general election. El Segundo voters may
cast their ballots anywhere in L.A. County.
Nearby Voting Centers are The Teen Center
on Grand Avenue, Embassy Suites, Double-
Tree by Hilton and Dockweiler Youth Center.
Dockweiler is the only Vote Center in the
area that will be open for 11 days. The
other three centers will remain open for
polling from October 30 through Election
Day. There also is a secure, mail-in ballot
box installed and serviced by the county
Registrar’s Office - at the corner of Main
and Holly. Mail-ballots dropped in the box
require no postage.
A spokesman for the Registrar’s Office
said ballots would be picked up by teams
of county elections workers. According
to spokesman Mike Sanchez, dual custody
is required for any pickups or transfer
of official ballots, ensuring that all mailin
ballots are delivered in time for the
official count. •