Voters keep Lerner on Pleasant Valley board of trustees

Other incumbents ran unopposed



Patty Lerner

Patty Lerner

Incumbent Patty Lerner leads challenger Douglas McDowell as she seeks another two-year term on the Pleasant Valley School District board of trustees.

As of Wednesday, Lerner was out front with 57% of the vote ( 9,054 votes), according to the Ventura County registrar of voters. The race will be decided by all voters within the district.

“If I win, I would like to say thank you,” Lerner told the Acorn on Wednesday. “I’m honored to serve the community, and I will continue to do my best and keep the kids the priority.”

Lerner, 60, said she has dedicated nearly three decades to supporting the school district. In 2006, she was elected to the board for one term, and last year she was unanimously appointed after the death of trustee Suzanne Kitchens.

During her most recent campaign, Lerner promised to help the district recover from the pandemic despite a lack of funding. She said she would continue to address the decline in enrollment, the hiring challenges and the need for social-emotional support for students.

“We have PVSD business that needs to keep happening, so we’ll keep charging ahead, doing our job and keep the district succeeding,” she said Wednesday.

McDowell did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

McDowell, 40, has lived in Camarillo for six years and has two children in public school. He told the Acorn in September that if elected he would increase board transparency and accessibility while addressing the decline in enrollment.

Incumbents Ron Speakman, Bob Rust and Beckie Cramer ran unopposed for Areas 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

The final vote tallies won’t be complete for many days, and the Ventura County elections won’t be certified for weeks.

The elections division reports that 153,682 ballots, representing 30% of the county’s registered voters, have been returned. The department did not have an estimate Wednesday morning regarding how many votes are yet to be counted.

The county will next update results on Tuesday.