Three seats up for election on MPC Board of Trustees
Three seats on the Monterey Peninsula College Community District Governing Board will be open for election this November. The County Elections Department’s filing period for interested candidates will start July 15 and end August 19.
Voters in districts three, four and five will elect new trustees from each area to serve on the governing board, which oversees the policies and proceedings of the college. The board also consists of a student trustee, which is elected annually through MPC’s Associated Students elections.
“Trustees play an important role in contributing to our community by ensuring Monterey Peninsula College continues to be a highly regarded and accessible institution of higher learning,” said MPC Superintendent and President Marshall T. Fulbright in a news release. “I look forward to working alongside the successful candidates once they are elected.”
Area three covers most of the City of Monterey, Del Rey Oaks, the eastern portion of Seaside and the unincorporated area of the former Fort Ord base. Area four includes most of Pacific Grove, including the Del Monte Forest area and the neighborhoods west of Monterey’s Presidio. Trustee area five encompasses most of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Valley and the areas south of Highway 68, surrounding Jacks Peak Park.
In 2007, a citizen’s group launched a campaign to change the way the board of trustees was composed. Before the group, MPC was one at-large district with the five trustees all living in Carmel, Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove. The citizen’s group launched a petition drive to create five districts, ensuring Seaside and Marina were also represented.
In June 2008, the state Board of Education voted to support the five-district board. In August 2008, the Monterey County Board of Education created the governing board’s five districts. Since then, trustees have been elected by the residents of their areas to serve four-year terms.
Area three is currently represented by Libby Downey, who previously served on the Monterey City Council for 12 years. Downey currently serves as the vice-chair of the Natividad Hospital Board of Trustees and has served on 30 boards throughout her 50 years living on the peninsula.
Area four trustee Debbie Anthony was elected in 2020, but has roots at MPC that go back decades. She has been a faculty member and counselor at MPC and served as the director for the college’s Transfer Center. Anthony also helped develop the Guaranteed Admissions Program, which offers admission to six UC campuses, including Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. She has served on the Natividad Hospital Board of Trustees, the Monterey County Civil Grand Jury and volunteered at various community organizations.
Loren Steck has represented area five since 2003, before there were districts to represent. Steck has served as board and vice board chair multiple times throughout his tenure. He is the Board’s liaison to the MPC Foundation, which provides financial support for students to attend the college. Steck also serves on the California Community Colleges Trustees Board.
Fulbright will host orientation sessions on Sep. 17 and Oct. 3 for declared candidates in the election. Candidates are invited to the sessions to learn more about the role of trustee and the board’s responsibilities.
For more information about running for MPC’s board of trustees, visit: https://www.mpc.edu/about-mpc/leadership/board-of-trustees/2024-mpc-trustee-elections.
