Election 2026 · School and college districts
Member, Board of Education, Inglewood Unified School District, Inglewood USD Board of Education, Trustee Area 2
Joe W. Bowers Jr. and Shelby Richardson are the candidates for Member, Board of Education, Inglewood Unified School District, Inglewood USD Board of Education, Trustee Area 2 on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
The Inglewood Unified School District Board of Education has five members, each elected from a trustee area. Since the district took a state emergency loan in 2012, the elected board has served in an advisory role while an administrator appointed by the County Superintendent of Schools holds the board's powers. The state's July 2026 review found the district met every standard it measures, and the board could regain voting power in 2027 if the district keeps those scores for another year.
Summary by CityHallPass, not the official text or legal advice. The official text controls: LA County's official election information.
| Who votes | Voters in Inglewood Unified School District Trustee Area 2, including a small part of the City of Los Angeles near ZIP code 90056 |
|---|---|
| Term and pay | Four-year term; the winner's term runs to December 2030 (our calculation from County and district records). No published figure for trustee pay was found. |
| How it works | No primary. Two candidates are on the November 3 ballot, plus a write-in line, and whoever gets more votes wins. Only Trustee Area 2 voters vote in this race. Trustee Areas 1 and 3 are also on the ballot. |
| Party labels | Nonpartisan |
What it means for the City of LA
Almost all of the Inglewood Unified School District lies outside the City of Los Angeles, but about 0.08 square miles of the City near ZIP code 90056 is inside the district and inside Trustee Area 2. Addresses there, such as the 6400 and 6500 blocks of Bradley Place, get County ballot type 2QB22, which carries this race and Measure MM along with the City races and measures. Children there are in the Inglewood district, not LAUSD, so the winner would help govern their schools if the board regains its powers.
At a glance
| Joe W. Bowers Jr. | Shelby Richardson | |
|---|---|---|
| June 2 primary | None held for this seat | None held for this seat |
| Past races | None found | None found |
| Latest public poll | None found | None found |
| Campaign money | Form 460 filed; totals not yet read | Form 460 filed; totals not yet read |
| Endorsements found | None found | Inglewood Teachers Association, Indivisible South Bay (per DSA-LA), DSA-LA |
The candidates
Joe W. Bowers Jr.
Bowers says he has lived in Trustee Area 2 for 30 years (LA Local questionnaire). His County ballot statement says he holds a B.S., an M.S. in engineering and an MBA from Stanford, led engineering, business and planning work for IBM, Exxon and The Coca-Cola Company, and writes on education policy as a contributing editor for California Black Media (County sample ballot data). The statement also says his son attended district schools and his wife served as president of the Board of Education. No past race by him was found in County results from 2016 to 2026.
Shelby Richardson
Richardson says she is an Inglewood native, holds a B.S. in economics and an M.S. in quantitative economics, and works in the nonprofit sector in youth justice and policy advocacy (LA Local questionnaire). She did not submit a statement for the County sample ballot (County sample ballot data). Her campaign is on Instagram. No past race by her was found in County results from 2016 to 2026.
The job
Board and trustee areas. Five trustees each represent one trustee area (LAist, Aug. 19, 2026; district board page). The current map was approved February 23, 2022 (Trustee Areas Map). The district lists Centinela, La Tijera and Frank D. Parent schools in Trustee Area 2 (district board page). Seats 1, 2 and 3 are on the November 3 ballot. Seats 4 and 5 run to 2028 (County candidate list; district board page).
Who holds the board’s powers now. In 2012 the district asked for and received a state emergency loan under SB 533. It drew $29 million of the $55 million authorized (FCMAT, July 2026). Since AB 1840 took effect in September 2018, the County Superintendent of Schools holds the board’s legal powers, and a county administrator runs the district and reports to the County Superintendent (FCMAT, July 2026). The current administrator was appointed January 10, 2023 (FCMAT); LAist identifies him as James Morris (LAist, Aug. 19, 2026). The district has had nine state or county administrators in 13 years (FCMAT). The elected board “continues to serve in an advisory role” (FCMAT). Its meetings are still where finances, curriculum and school safety are discussed and where the public comments (LAist, Aug. 19, 2026).
How the board gets its powers back. FCMAT describes two conditions: adequate progress in five areas (financial management, personnel management, community relations and governance, facilities management and pupil achievement), and a finding by the County Superintendent, with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education president agreeing, that the district can govern itself (FCMAT, July 2026). Even then, a trustee keeps “stay-and-rescind authority” over board decisions until the district’s fiscal controls are adequate and the three officials agree the trustee is no longer needed (FCMAT).
Where that stands in 2026.
- FCMAT stopped reviewing community relations and governance in 2023, and personnel management and pupil achievement in 2026, because each held an average of at least six with no standard below four for two years in a row (FCMAT, July 2026).
- In the July 2026 report, financial management averaged 6.37 (up from 5.35) and facilities management 7.26 (up from 6.65). For the first time, no standard in either area scored below four (FCMAT).
- If the district keeps those scores for another year, the board could again approve a budget and make other key decisions in 2027, LAist reported (LAist, Aug. 19, 2026). FCMAT chief executive Michael Fine told the board on August 5 that in that next phase the district can hire a superintendent and the board regains voting power, while a county trustee can override its decisions (The LA Local via LAist, Aug. 7, 2026).
- The district leaves receivership entirely once it repays the loan. Fine said the board will decide whether to pay it off at once or keep making payments (The LA Local via LAist). Payments are $1.83 million a year and are scheduled to end in November 2034 (FCMAT). FCMAT cites its review of County oversight as saying the district “holds sufficient reserves to pay off the entire outstanding balance early” (FCMAT).
Budget. The district’s 2025-26 first interim report projects unrestricted general fund deficits of $13.3 million in 2025-26, $21.2 million in 2026-27 and $26.4 million in 2027-28 (FCMAT, July 2026). The County Office expects the unrestricted general fund balance to fall from $83.46 million in 2025-26 to $22.56 million in 2027-28, a 73% drop (FCMAT). The district’s Fiscal Stabilization Plan commits to $5.0 million in cuts in each of 2026-27 and 2027-28 (FCMAT). Its outside auditors made 11 findings, some repeated from the year before (FCMAT).
Students and schools. The district serves about 5,962 students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade in 12 schools in Inglewood and unincorporated Ladera Heights (FCMAT, July 2026). Enrollment has fallen about 12,007 students (66.8%) from a 2003-04 high of 17,969. The County projects 4,825 students in 2026-27 and 4,681 in 2027-28 (FCMAT). The district has closed nearly half its schools since the receivership began, five of them in June 2025, LAist reported (LAist, Aug. 19, 2026).
Bonds. Voters approved $131 million in 1998 (Measure K), $90 million in 2012 (Measure GG) and $240 million in 2020 (Measure I) (FCMAT; Measure MM page). Measure MM, on the same ballot, would authorize $396 million more. If it passes, the board appoints the citizens’ oversight committee and orders annual audits (County sample ballot data).
The City of LA part. The County’s map layers show about 0.08 square miles of overlap between the district and the City of Los Angeles (County GIS; our measurement). Addresses there, such as the 6400 and 6500 blocks of Bradley Place, Los Angeles 90056, get a ballot with the Mayor and City Attorney races, the City measures, this Trustee Area 2 race and Measure MM (County street data; ballot type 2QB22). We did not find a count of registered voters in the City part of the district.
How the seat is filled. No Inglewood Unified contest was on the June 2 primary ballot (County results). Both candidates and a write-in line are on the November 3 ballot, and voters pick one (County sample ballot data). The candidate with the most votes wins (Elections Code 15452). The winner of each seat will likely serve on the first board with decision-making power since 2012, LAist reported (LAist, Aug. 19, 2026).
Open seat. Carliss McGhee, the board president, was first elected to Seat 2 in April 2013. She won again in April 2017 (district board page) and ran unopposed in November 2022 with 5,874 votes (County results). Her term expires in 2026 (district board page). She is not on the ballot (County candidate list). LAist reported she “cannot run again after serving three consecutive terms” (LAist, Aug. 19, 2026).
Records
Neither candidate is an incumbent (County candidate list). Neither name appears in County results for Inglewood Unified races from 2016 through June 2026 (2022 results; 2024 results; June 2026 results).
Joe W. Bowers Jr.
Career. His County ballot statement lists a Stanford B.S., an M.S. in engineering and an MBA, and engineering, business and strategic planning roles at IBM, Exxon and The Coca-Cola Company (County sample ballot data). He told The LA Local he was a student-athlete at Stanford and holds a U.S. patent (LA Local questionnaire). He writes on education policy, school finance and school governance as a contributing editor for California Black Media (County sample ballot data).
Work on the district. His statement says he co-founded the Education Equity Coalition, is the Inglewood Area Ministers Association’s liaison to the district, and serves on a district committee, which it does not name (County sample ballot data). He told The LA Local he has followed the district’s finances, governance and recovery from receivership for more than a decade and has worked with policymakers and state agencies on it (LA Local questionnaire).
Filing. He took out nomination papers July 14, 2026, returned them July 27 and qualified (City Clerk filing log).
Ethics and court records. No official findings in FEC or State Bar records as of Oct. 10, 2026; he is not a State Bar licensee (FEC legal search; State Bar search). No FPPC enforcement case naming him or his committee appears on the Commission’s hearing agendas from 2018 through October 2026 (FPPC Commission hearings; searched Oct. 10, 2026).
Shelby Richardson
Career. She told The LA Local she is an Inglewood native, tutored math while earning a B.S. in economics and an M.S. in quantitative economics, and works in the nonprofit sector in youth justice and policy advocacy (LA Local questionnaire). She did not submit a County ballot statement (County sample ballot data).
Work on the district. DSA-LA’s voter guide says she developed and led a youth leadership curriculum and has worked in youth organizing, legislative and policy advocacy, and with organized labor and teacher unions (DSA-LA guide). The guide does not name her employer.
Filing. She took out nomination papers July 22, 2026, returned them August 4 and qualified (City Clerk filing log).
Ethics and court records. No official findings in FEC or State Bar records as of Oct. 10, 2026; she is not a State Bar licensee (FEC legal search; State Bar search). No FPPC enforcement case naming her or her committee appears on the Commission’s hearing agendas from 2018 through October 2026 (FPPC Commission hearings; searched Oct. 10, 2026).
Where they stand
Issues come from the questions The LA Local asked both candidates (priorities once the board regains power, campus safety and spending) (LA Local questionnaire) and from FCMAT’s July 2026 findings on deficits, enrollment and the state loan (FCMAT). Both candidates answered the questionnaire. No campaign website with an issues page was found for either.
| Issue | Joe W. Bowers Jr. | Shelby Richardson |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and math | No specific proposal. Says more students “must read and do mathematics at grade level”; no target (LA Local). | Put spending first into math and English proficiency for elementary students, and evaluate existing intervention programs “before simply spending more” (LA Local). |
| Budget and deficit | No specific proposal. Says the budget must keep “adequate reserves,” manage debt and plan for enrollment changes (LA Local). | No specific proposal. Says every dollar should have “a measurable benefit for students” (LA Local). |
| Closed campuses | No specific proposal. | Reopen or repurpose closed campuses, for example as magnet programs or community centers, before selling district property (LA Local). |
| Campus safety | Support updated campus safety plans, employee training and emergency preparedness; no plan named (LA Local). | Urge the City of Inglewood to adopt sanctuary city policies; expand a community school model with mental health and family services (LA Local). |
| Staff pay | Offer “competitive compensation” to recruit and keep employees; no amount (LA Local). | No specific proposal. |
| Paying off the state loan | No stated position. | No stated position. |
On the other ballot measures
City of LA voters in Trustee Area 2 also decide City Measures TE, LA, PL, EE, PRK, PRT and FD, Inglewood Unified’s Measure MM, County Measures A and E, and 14 state propositions (ballot type 2QB22). Voters in the City of Inglewood also see Inglewood city Measures AT and BB (County measures list). No statement by either candidate on these measures was found in the County statement, the LA Local questionnaire or news coverage.
| Measures | Joe W. Bowers Jr. | Shelby Richardson |
|---|---|---|
| Measure MM (Inglewood Unified $396 million school bond) | No stated position | No stated position |
| City Measures TE, LA, PL, EE, PRK, PRT and FD (City voters only) | No stated position | No stated position |
| County Measures A and E | No stated position | No stated position |
| State Props 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45 | No stated position | No stated position |
Endorsements
No newspaper editorial board endorsement in this race was found as of Oct. 10, 2026.
Joe W. Bowers Jr.
No endorsements found.
Shelby Richardson
- Unions: Inglewood Teachers Association, according to DSA-LA’s voter guide (DSA-LA guide).
- Organizations: Indivisible South Bay, according to the same guide (DSA-LA guide). Democratic Socialists of America, Los Angeles (DSA-LA) recommends her in its October 2026 guide (DSA-LA guide).
Polls
No public polls of this race were found.
Money
Inglewood Unified candidates file campaign reports with the LA County Registrar on NetFile (County NetFile portal). The County’s filing index on NetFile lists the reports below through Sept. 29, 2026. We have not been able to open the reports themselves, so raised and spent totals are not shown. A Form 470 is the short statement for a candidate who expects to raise and spend less than $2,000 in the year; a Form 497 reports a contribution of $1,000 or more received in the 90 days before the election.
| Joe W. Bowers Jr. | Shelby Richardson | |
|---|---|---|
| Filings on record | Form 460 filed Sept. 24, 2026, covering through Sept. 19, 2026 (report); 6 Form 497 late-contribution reports, Aug. 25 to Sept. 28 | Form 460 filed Sept. 24, 2026, covering through Sept. 19, 2026 (report) |
| Raised | Not retrieved | Not retrieved |
| Spent | Not retrieved | Not retrieved |
| Cash on hand | Not retrieved | Not retrieved |
Who is giving
No donor-level data was retrieved for either candidate.
Outside spending
We could not check the County portal for independent expenditures in this race as of Oct. 10, 2026.
Key moments
Debates and forums. No candidate debate or forum for Trustee Area 2 was found as of Oct. 10, 2026.
Filing (July and August 2026). Bowers filed first, returning his papers July 27; Richardson returned hers August 4. McGhee does not appear on the City Clerk’s log (City Clerk filing log).
State review presented to the board (Aug. 5, 2026). FCMAT presented its July 2026 report at a board meeting. For the first time, no standard in the two areas it scored was below four (FCMAT; The LA Local via LAist). No comment from either candidate on the report was found.