Election Updated: Unofficial Results Show Multari, Broberg Win Seats

Updated 12:00 a.m. Unofficial election results show Multari and Broberg as the winners for seats on the LCUSD governing board - with a mere 12 votes separating third-place Blumenfeld from second-place finisher and incumbent Broberg.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Multari garnered 1,821 votes, Broberg 1578, Blumenfeld 1,566 and Koeppen 836.

"This is a substantial responsibility and I am thankful for the trust of our community. I will work diligently to maintain this dyanmic as I work for the betterment of our students and our schools,'' Multari said just after midnight Wednesday.

Regarding the 12 votes separating him from Broberg, Blumenfeld posted on his Facebook page, "With such a close election, it is more important than ever to make sure every vote is accounted for appropriately.

"We will be making sure that every provisional ballot is counted, all last-minute mail-in ballots are counted, and that all counted votes are accurately tallied. We will be working with the county as they work towards certifying this election to make sure all voices are heard.''

Updated: 11:50 p.m. Multari, Broberg hold on to leads for two seats as 14 of 15 precincts have reported. Challenger Multari has garnered 31.22 percent of the vote with 1,732 ballots in her favor and incumbent Broberg is just behind her with 27.44 percent, or 1,522 votes.

Said Multari, "As this has been a very close contest, I remain hopefully optimistic but cognizant that the race is still too close to call.''

Blumenfeld captured 1,489 votes and Koeppen trails in fourth place with 804 votes.

Updated: 11:24 p.m. With 50 percent of precincts reporting, Multari, Broberg maintain lead - but less than 100 votes separate Broberg from third-place Blumenfeld.

Multari is in the lead with 1,289 votes, Broberg is right behind her with 1,192 votes and Blumenfeld has garnered 26.15 percent of the vote with 1,095 ballots cast for him. Koeppen brings up the rear with 611 votes, roughly 15 percent.

"This continues to be a testament to the community's engagement in this vital conversation we've begun,'' Blumenfeld said when reached late Tuesday.

Updated: 9:46 p.m: The County of Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder continues tabulating votes, but hasn't posted any new information. Folks are milling about here at camp Koeppen, refreshing the website lavote.net every few minutes to no avail.

Earlier: The first round of results for the La Cañada Unified School District's governing board rolled in just after 8 p.m. and showed candidate Ellen Multari with an early lead.

Multari is one of four candidates vying for two seats on the school board: incumbent Jeanne Broberg and challengers Andrew Blumenfeld and Ernest Koeppen are also hoping for a spot on the board.

With four of 15 precincts reporting, Multari earned 912 votes with Broberg earning 910, Blumenfeld at 735 and Koeppen pulling in 438 votes. The number of registered voters is 12,535.

At , Koeppen held a gathering for the public, supporters and even politicans.

"So, what do we know?'' asked Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada).

"I have the shortest blue line of everyone,'' Koeppen quipped, noting the first round of results.

You may watch the results coming in live here, and at lavote.net.

You may read about and read .

Stance on Declining Enrollment and Teacher Evaluations

During a candidate's forum in October, questions concerning declining enrollment, teacher performance evaluations and board communication dominated the discussion.

Blumenfeld, who graduated from in 2009 and is currently a junior at Princeton University, believes strongly that the district should use any outcome measure available in evaluating teacher performance. As part of his platform, Blumenfeld stressed regular teacher evaluations, as opposed to one every four years.

A current La Cañada High School parent, Multari agreed with Blumenfeld and felt that the board should consider all forms of data when evaluating teacher performance.

“I would be welcome any data whether it be API or something else,” Multari said during the forum. “There is a plethora of information available and for us to ignore everything will be to our peril.”

On the other side of the issue is Broberg, who believes that API should not be used in evaluating teacher performance. She would. however, be open to using the data for implementing teacher bonuses.

As for out of district students, Broberg believes the 15 percent of accepted students who live out of the area - while their parents work in La Cañada - should not be increased, but Koeppen doesn't see a problem with it. Multari has said she believes the permitted students should be spread evenly throughout the district.

While permitted students ultimately mean more money for the distirct, Blumenfeld pointed out if the district worked to retrieve all the students it has lost to private schools, in and out of the city, it could earn an additional $1 million in state funding.