Close Battle Between District #2 Candidates for Governing Board

Story by Sheila Izvernari and Ellen Boland

SAN MARCOS–As of noon on Wednesday, Nov. 4, a razor-thin margin separates candidates Christian Garcia and Nina Deerfield in the race for a District #2 Palomar Governing Board member seat.

As the votes rolled in Tuesday evening, it appeared as though Deerfield was in the lead, however Wednesday morning paints a different picture. Garcia is now up over 500 votes, potentially paving his way to victory. He currently sits at 51.15% and Deerfield at 48.85%.

Garcia was born in North Carolina but grew up in San Diego County, earning his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Irvine. His background in education fueled his interest in running for this seat.

“Fiscal responsibility, affordable education, and proper job skills training and education are my three campaign focuses and promises,” said Garcia in a previous interview with The Telescope last month.

Garcia’s interest in Palomar extends to his family, as his wife is currently a Palomar student. This reach motivates him to bring an active community feeling to the college.

“Living in the community that is directly impacted by Palomar the quality of education is very important to me,” he said.

Promises of affordable education are a pillar of Garcia’s campaign.

“Making sure that people have affordable options is incredibly important to me,” he said. “We want to provide good affordable options so that people can advance their careers.”

In an interview with The Telescope last month, Deerfield said her campaign promise and goal is “speaking truth to power.”

She has over 30 years of experience in education with the San Diego School District of Escondido, and is an advocate for public education.

The concern for public welfare and access to education in a diverse community, provides Deerfield an experienced platform among the candidates running for the district. Although her competition may not have the same experience, they all have a genuine concern for the wellbeing of a diverse population.

Deerfield believes in consistently communicating with the members of the Board and staying active in her community, including the founder of the bilingual newspaper, Alianza North County, to keep herself consistently in tune with the public.

The two candidates continue to battle for the Governing Board seats as votes continue to pour in the County of San Diego for District #2, located between San Marcos and Escondido.