By Mary O’KEEFE

For the first time in the election history of the Glendale Unified School District and Glendale Community College Board of Trustees, there will be district elections. In the past the election was “at large,” meaning that voters in a specific city/area could vote for any elected seat. Election “by-district” means a large area is divided into specific geographic districts. Voters then vote for the candidate running in their specific district.

In the Glendale Community College election, most of Crescenta Valley, including far north Glendale, is in Districts 1 and 2. This year the seat in District 1 is open and two candidates, Desiree Rabinov and Harry Leon, are running for that seat.

Harry Leon is currently the president of the Crescenta Valley Town Council. He has been on the CVTC for 10 years and is known for his strong background in service to his community. He serves as a Los Angeles County Commissioner of Consumer Affairs, is on the GCC Oversight Committee and chairs the GUSD Oversight Committee.

He also volunteers with Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. – Volunteers on Patrol. This gives him a unique perspective of his community, seeing families that are struggling and students who need help in a variety of areas.

Leon was raised in Lebanon by his mother; his dad died when he was 3 years old. He said he knows the struggles of new immigrants; he immigrated to the United States from Lebanon “to pursue the American dream.”

“I used to live in Sylmar. Then when I got married I wanted to move to a unique community with good schools where I could raise my family,” Leon said. “La Crescenta was that place.”

Leon is running for the GCC Board of Trustees because he said he sees the needs of students. He wants to build stronger bridges among the college, K-12 schools and the community.

One of his points of pride is that while on the CVTC he created the CV Youth Town Council.

“It gives students a unique opportunity to be involved with their community and prepares them for future challenges,” he said. 

He added he is proud of the students who have been on the council and has seen the positive results of the program, citing the involvement of former CVYTC President Joy McCreary, who is now running for a seat on the GUSD Board of Education.

He wanted to run for the GCC governing board in part because this is the first time La Crescenta, Montrose and far north Glendale can have targeted representation. He said he wants to shine a light on how the local community college can be a positive influence for students’ future.

GCC and GUSD representatives have regular meetings to discuss trends and to keep updated on students’ needs. Leon would like to see Crescenta Valley be part of that conversation.

“I would like to put a system in place that would help all areas of students in need,” he said.

He knows from personal experience that training in the trades can be of great value at the college.

“Instruction and training in such technical and highly skilled labor in trades, such as construction, aviation, nursing, graphic design, computer coding, auto mechanics, technical training in the sciences in biology and chemistry, and even welding and plumbing [is valuable],” he said. “These are skilled trades that we have a profound need and demand for in our society and communities.”

He attended GCC and took classes that led to his current profession as a plumber. 

“Although I respect that this ‘track system’ is a vital aspect of the services that GCC provides to and prepares its students for, I also understand the significance of supporting and empowering those students who will come here to learn and master the personal trades that will propel them to prosperous and successful careers and futures,” he said. “Not all students who find themselves at GCC need to or want to transfer out to the private, UC or CSU university systems. Nor should they be made to feel shamed that they should.”

Leon also wants to reach out to the community of older adults who may want to begin a new phase of their life or continue their education.

“I would like to work on increasing enrollment at the college,” he said. “I also want to make certain we are fiscally responsible. I am a member of the GCC Oversight Committee and I want to make sure bond money is allocated to the right place.”

That “right place,” he said, would be a thoughtful way that builds on the future of the college.

Leon said he is dedicated to the CV community. He feels that GCC mirrors the community that surrounds it and volunteerism is at the foundation of the CV community.

“Our motto here is we are the community that cares,” he said.

That philosophy is something he said he will bring with him if elected.

Candidate Desiree Rabinov sits on the Crescenta Valley Town Council and is treasurer.

“I was born in El Sereno, in a disadvantaged community and raised by my mom,” she said.

She and her brother worked as teenagers to help their mother, who worked several jobs to survive including as an educator at Rio Hondo College.

Rabinov credited former California governor Pat Brown for his foresight regarding affordable college education.

“He was the architect of building California’s master plan of higher education, which allowed us and everyone to go to college for free for two years,” Rabinov said.

Both she and her brother attended Rio Hondo College and then transferred to a four-year college. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration in prelaw and marketing. Because of her past, she knows how difficult it is to get through classes while worrying about money.

“Money was tight; my mother couldn’t afford tuition but we got scholarships and financial aid,” she said.

Like Leon, Rabinov has a long history of volunteerism. After graduating in the 1960s she volunteered at the Comisión Femenil Mexicana Nacional. At the time, it was a Mexican-American organization that dedicated itself to empowering Chicana women, both politically and economically.

“I had received a scholarship from them and I decided to get involved in the organization to help other Latinas succeed and to have the financial resources available to them for their education and beyond,” she added.

She served as the national president for four years and was responsible for overseeing 26 chapters nationally. During her tenure she added six more chapters that offered a variety of programs like helping emancipated youth find housing, offering training in pre-employment job skills and starting pre-kindergarten jump start programs.

“Because of the different needs we noticed in [the community], my mother and I co-founded an organization called Project Ameca that was based in South El Monte,” she said. “We had an office in East LA.”

The East LA location was available for women and men at risk and included GED preparation and basic life skill training. Through this training individuals could go into trade schools or move on to community colleges. She and her mother led the organization for about 19 years.

“I have an educational background in that regard. I understand the mechanics behind it,” she said. “That [organization] led me to working on other governing boards, like the United Way executive cabinet Women’s Pathways Out of Poverty program.”

She and her mother also participated in the San Gabriel Valley Civic Alliance Finance Committee that partnered with other businesses that employed students.

“I have been engaged with the Civic Alliance for about eight to nine years,” she said.

Rabinov works for Metro, where she has been for about 29 years, and has worked on many multi million dollar projects.

“I can read a balance sheet. I know how to do audit reconciliation and prepare budgets,” she said.

This, in addition to her work with the CVTC, has led her to run for the seat on the GCC Board of Trustees.

Rabinov said that now, through California College Promise Program, many Californians can attend two years of community college for free, which continues the philosophy of former governor Pat Brown.

“This will help educate our population,” she said. “I think we want to build a better educated workforce.”

She praised GCC programs that promote trade skills as well as preparing students to transfer to a four-year college.

“I think GCC is doing a terrific job in looking at what the future might be and the trends,” she said.

She also applauded a pilot program implemented by GCC that allows students to get a nursing degree on the Glendale campus, coordinating with Cal State Los Angeles.

“So that should reduce the cost even more,” she said adding that travel costs would be reduced if an individual who lives in the area could attend the local college campus.

She wants to come up with sustainable and realistic solutions that are going to work at GCC. She has spoken to GCC President Dr. David Viar about establishing a task force within the GCC community to discuss student needs … an idea she later discovered had been initiated at the school.

“The biggest [issues] I have heard by attending the GCC [board] meetings is hunger – food – and housing,” she said.

She added some students work two jobs to cover expenses, which affects their ability to get to class.

She hopes to offer more workshops for students and create better partnerships within the community.

Rabinov said she feels she has been fortunate in her life, although there were struggles.

“Everyone has struggled. We didn’t have anything but we made it work,” she said. “I know resources and how to work the system. I feel that, based on my knowledge, I bring value.”

  Mary Okeefe