By Jonathan Friedman
Associate Editor

January 16, 2015 -- Ralph Mechur’s brief hiatus from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education came to an end Thursday. Board members voted 4 to 2 for Mechur to fill the vacant seat on the seven-member governing panel.

Mechur lost his seat two months ago when he finished fifth in the election for four seats. The vacancy was created when Ben Allen resigned the same month following his election to the California Senate. 

Mechur will serve the remainder of Allen’s term, which expires in November 2016. 
Nine other people had applied for the school board appointment. All but one addressed the board at the meeting on Thursday. 

Those who voted for Mechur’s appointment were Oscar de la Torre, Jose Escarce, Maria Leon-Vazquez and Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein. 

Board President Laurie Lieberman favored Tom Larmore, who is the law partner of her husband Chris Harding. Craig Foster supported Lincoln Middle School PTA president Jon Kean.   

The decision to appoint Mechur can be challenged within the next 30 days through a petition signed by at least 1.5 percent of the school district’s registered voters. This would force an election costing the district an estimated $1 million. 

A petition for an election must feature information about the cost. 

The selection of Mechur marked the second time he received a spot on the board through an appointment. In 2007, he was chosen to fill the former seat of Emily Bloomfield, who had moved from California. 

Mechur was elected in an uncontested election in 2008 to keep the seat for the remainder of Bloomfield’s term. He was then re-elected in his first competitive contest in 2010.