Jeff Holstien

Jeff Holstien, school board president for the Orange Unified School District, has announced that he will run for the mayor's seat this fall. Holstien is the first challenger to incumbent Mayor Don E. Smith, who is expected to seek reelection in November. Holstien, 38, is a San Luis Obispo native who moved to Orange in 1985 to accept an administrative position with the school district. He was elected to the board in 1987 and was made president when the board was reorganized last December.

Jeff Holstien, school board president for the Orange Unified School District, has announced that he will run for the mayor's seat this fall. Holstien is the first challenger to incumbent Mayor Don E. Smith, who is expected to seek reelection in November. Holstien, 38, is a San Luis Obispo native who moved to Orange in 1985 to accept an administrative position with the school district. He was elected to the board in 1987 and was made president when the board was reorganized last December.

Jeff Holstien, school board president of the Orange Unified School District, has withdrawn from the mayoral campaign one month after announcing his candidacy. "I can't take the time necessary to run for mayor and be the school board president," Holstien said Thursday. "There'll be other years to run for mayor." There are no other declared candidates for mayor, though Mayor Don E. Smith is expected to seek reelection.

Trustees for the Orange Unified School District voted unanimously this week to fight a new state law that will allow county government to levy fees on districts for the costs associated with collecting property taxes. The board voted to contribute $4,500 to a legal fund established by the California School Board Assn. that will be used to fund a lawsuit opposing the law. The board's vote follows similar action taken by the Newport-Mesa Unified School District earlier this week.

The Orange Unified School District has contracted Hubbell Lighting, Inc. of Anaheim to upgrade the lights at El Modena High School's Fred Kelly Stadium, considered one of Orange County's most poorly lighted football fields. The sports lighting company will replace the 20-year-old light fixtures and bulbs at a cost of about $20,000, according to Jeff Holstien, director of maintenance and operations for the district. The current light standards will remain.

The six candidates vying for two seats on the Orange Unified School District Board of Trustees are scheduled to participate in two public forums this month. At each event, candidates will introduce themselves and answer questions from the public on a variety of district issues. The district's legislative coalition will sponsor the first candidates' night at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 in the district board room at 370 N. Glassell St. Candidates will meet again at 7:30 p.m. on Oct.

John Perry, assistant superintendent for support services for the Orange Unified School District, resigned Thursday, but not before criticizing school board policies and urging the district to aspire "to the greatness it once enjoyed." Before Perry made his brief statement before the board, board President Jeff Holstien thanked him for his two years of service to the district. "You may want to rescind that commendation," Perry said. "I have a few things to say."

About 150 union members, teachers and parents packed the boardroom of the Orange Unified School District this week to protest the proposed layoffs of 79 classified employees. After the district signed a two-year contract with the classified workers earlier this month, Supt. Norman Guith gathered school principals and employees at the district office last week to announce the proposed cuts.

Candidates interested in running for one of three open seats this fall on the Orange Unified School District board must file papers with the registrar of voters by 5 p.m. Aug. 9. Trustees Jeff Holstien and Nancy L. Moore have said they will not seek reelection to another four-year term on the seven-member board. Trustee Russell Barrios has said he will run in the Nov. 5 election and has picked up candidate's papers, a registrar's spokeswoman said.

The Orange Unified School District board has postponed until June a decision on hiring security guards for each of the four high school campuses. The board had considered two plans, one consisting of hiring a "resource officer" or security guard for each high school. The guards would be equipped with radios and use a golf cart to patrol the campuses, costing about $99,000 the first year.