Voters in the EC district have elected the newest members of the board of trustees on Nov. 5, Cliff Numark, a city councilman and John Vargas, the first ever Latino member.

Representing South Redondo Beach and South Torrance, Torrance city councilman Numark won the competition for that district by getting 57.9 percent of the vote, according to the L.A. County Registrar’s Office.

“I’m really thankful and appreciative that the voters believe that I [can] represent the area and help EC be the best institution it can be,” Numark said.

Fully intending on implementing the points that he campaigned and determined to see them through, Numark is very clear on his agenda for the board.

“The things that I campaigned on and would like to work on [are] number one, to continue to enhance the interaction between the business community and EC,” Numark said. “Especially the classes – the courses that are reflective in a way in what businesses need.”

Numark is focused on working to better vocational training programs and connections for students to get jobs after college.

Numark wants to “enhance the connection between the students who at some point are going to want jobs after they finish [school], whether it’s at a four year institution or a certification program that EC offers. Having better connections, there are already great connections with the community, but like I said, they need to work on that.”

Along with connecting students with the community, Numark strongly believes in connecting the students with the right classes and to assist in not wasting anyone’s time.

“[My] second issue is to really work on and optimize the college counseling in a way to [ensure] that students take classes that are really reflective on what they want to do for their career goals,” Numark said. “By doing that, that enhances and frees up courses – [to prevent] taking up a space that may be occupied for someone that really needs that class. So trying to ensure that we optimize that process, we’re really making the best use of limited resources.”

That includes optimizing college counseling and fully informing current students as well as future students of their options at EC.

“We can make sure that students don’t fall through the crack and get that kind of additional training and education they need in order to be really competitive,” Numark said.

The third and final objective from Numark is “just for the students, to try to figure out what their needs are.”

As city councilman, Numark has a history of pushing to better the community with the students in mind, like the actions put forth for the buses to be even more accommodating for the students.

“There are things that I’d like to do based on who I talk to at the college, the students, faculty, and the staff. To those I have talked to, those are the things that have occurred to me,” Numark said. “I think that it’s all about the collaborative process.”

With all these connections to make and determination to put the students’ needs above all else, Numark is ready to settle in with the board and collaboratively better EC.

“I’m just thrilled to be able to contribute to El Camino. I think it’s an incredible institution. It was when I was a graduate from high school and it continues to be so today,” Numark said. “It’s a real exciting time to be a part of the solution and to be able to represent the residents of Redondo Beach as well as the greater El Camino district, to be part of making the institution as great as it can be.”

Area 2 was a close match, Vargas took 51.3 percent of the vote and Nilo Michelin with 48.9 percent according to the L.A. County Registrar’s Office.

Hawthorne school board member Vargas closed it tightly with Hawthorne city councilman Michelin to represent Hawthorne and Lennox.

Vargas said in an email, “As Trustee, I am planning to focus on our budget and ensure we are properly funding our various departments and programs. In addition, I want to be a voice for El Camino in our community. I want to increase our enrollment, increase our completion rates, as well as our transfer rates.”

Glad that the election is over, Vargas plans on focusing on serving the community and looks forward to being sworn in as a trustee.

Vargas’ first plans are to ensure that EC students have access to the necessary courses they need to graduate on time as well as making EC the top community college in the region. This includes efficiently utilizing the recently approved bond dollars to maintain our college’s infrastructure for years to come.

Since the community college’s district was first established more than 60 years ago, Vargas is the first Latino trustee to sit on the EC board and is “proud to have the honor.”

Vargas wants to make sure that the Latino community has a voice on the Board of Trustees while representing and working for the best interests of all students and stakeholders, regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic background.

Vargas looks forward to working with those on campus to provide a world class education “to our students and create an environment where all feel welcome and respected.”