An Open Letter to Registrar Dean Logan: Let Burbank Candidates File Locally

Dean C. Logan
Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, County of Los Angeles
12400 Imperial Highway, Norwalk, California 90650

Dear Mr. Logan,

We are reaching out to begin a conversation and an open dialogue about how candidates for the Burbank Unified School District Board of Education file their paperwork. The 2028 election is around the corner, and now is the time to plan.

In this election cycle, several candidates told us that the round trip to your office in Norwalk, about 60 miles during business hours, made filing a real challenge. For people who work during the day, it is discouraging, and some residents chose not to run because of it. In our view, the Legislature never intended candidate filing to work this way.

Nothing in the Elections Code requires a candidate to appear in Norwalk.

Section 10603 requires only that a school board candidate’s declaration of candidacy be filed with the county elections official.
Section 8040 already provides for a candidate’s declaration to be signed before a notary public.
Section 8020 allows a person other than the candidate to deliver the papers to the county elections official.
For other local districts, Section 10510 lets the county elections official, for convenience or necessity, authorize a local official to issue declarations of candidacy, and allows declarations to be filed by certified mail.

With notarization and online submission, a local filing option for Burbank is simple and lawful. Tom McCoy, Superintendent of the Burbank Unified School District, has told us that the District supports a local filing process. We would like your support in making it your office’s policy before the 2028 nomination period.

We are also sharing this letter with the Burbank City Council and the City Clerk. The City works closely with the District through shared agreements for facilities and services, and Burbank property owners pay the school bonds and taxes the Board of Education asks voters to approve. Who can run for that Board matters to the whole city.