Long Beach’s District 1 school board race has tightened into a two-person showdown that will be settled in the June 2 primary, with no second chance for voters in November. Incumbent Maria Isabel López is facing retired district teacher Deborah L. Betance, and what is usually a low-key trustee contest has veered into unusually personal territory. On the line are a roughly $70 million budget shortfall, recent legal controversy touching both campaigns and the board’s influence over a looming leadership change at district headquarters.
Who’s on the ballot
The Los Angeles County Registrar’s finalized candidate list confirms that only Maria Isabel López and Deborah L. Betance will appear on the District 1 ballot, according to the LA County Registrar. With just two contenders, the June 2 primary will decide the winner outright, without a later runoff, as reported by LAist.
Incumbent under scrutiny
Maria Isabel López currently represents District 1 on the Long Beach Unified School District board and is a longtime educator with degrees from UCLA and Harvard, according to the Long Beach Unified School District. Her reelection effort hit turbulent water this spring when the district placed her husband, teacher Rogelio López, on paid administrative leave after a civil lawsuit accused him of sexually abusing a student decades ago. Maria López has called the allegations “unequivocally and categorically false,” as reported by the Long Beach Post.
Challenger's past draws attention
Deborah L. Betance, listed on the ballot as a retired Long Beach Unified teacher, is centering her campaign on decades of classroom experience. Her own past has resurfaced in the race. She was arrested in connection with a 2021 hit-and-run that left a pedestrian dead and later had the charges dismissed when prosecutors said they lacked sufficient evidence, according to LAist.
Budget cuts and board priorities
Whoever emerges from District 1 will step onto a board already wrestling with an approximately $70 million deficit. Trustees have approved deep cuts in an attempt to stabilize the budget, trimming mental-health support, librarians, nurses and hundreds of contracted teaching positions. The winner will also help select the next superintendent, following Jill Baker’s announcement that she will retire at the end of the school year, a transition that will shape how Long Beach Unified manages those reductions, as reported by the Long Beach Post.
How to watch and weigh the race
The board typically meets every other Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the district office. Members of the public can show up in person, tune in via livestream or catch archived videos on the district’s site. Agendas, minutes and instructions for public comment are posted on the Long Beach Unified website for anyone tracking how trustees debate spending, staffing and accountability.
Turnout in school board contests is usually modest, which means a relatively small slice of voters could decide who helps steer the district through painful cuts while trying to boost student outcomes. Residents in California Heights, Bixby Knolls and North Long Beach will be listening closely to how each candidate handles questions on the budget, classroom staffing and oversight before marking their ballots on June 2.
