header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
September 18
1962 - Articles of incorporation filed for Golden State Memorial Hospital on Lyons Avenue [story]
Golden State Hospital


Linda Storli

Linda Storli

Santa Clarita Valley voters made a change Tuesday when they retired longtime Hart School Board member Gloria Mercado-Fortine and replaced her with first-time challenger Linda Storli-Koontz.

With all precincts reporting, Storli-Koontz garnered 1,193 votes (56.65 percent) to Mercado-Fortine’s 913 votes (43.35 percent).

Storli-Koontz, a retired Canyon High School civics teacher, challenged Mercado-Fortine, a school administrator, in the Hart District’s first-ever election for Trustee Area 1. The area includes parts of Valencia (where Mercado-Fortine lives) as well as Castaic, Val Verde and Tesoro del Valle (where Storli-Koontz lives).

The school board voted earlier this year to divide the district into trustee areas to satisfy a threatened California Voting Rights Act lawsuit. A Malibu attorney alleged that the Hart District’s previous at-large election system disenfranchised Latino residents by diluting the Latino vote.

In practice, the move had the opposite effect. Latino voters in Newhall, who would have been able to vote under the at-large system, didn’t get to vote for the school board at all on Tuesday.

And Mercado-Fortine, who is Latino, lost the seat under the new trustee-area system after winning all but one of her previous bids for the Hart Board as an at-large candidate.

Mercado-Fortine was the only board member to vote against the switch to trustee-area elections.

Steve Sturgeon

Steve Sturgeon

Storli-Koontz is no stranger to Santa Clarita’s political scene. She served on the city of Santa Clarita’s first Parks Commission and previously ran for City Council. She had long expressed an interest in running for the Hart School Board once she retired from her teaching position in the district, which she did earlier this year. She is also a Realtor.

Incumbent Steve Sturgeon handily won reelection to the Hart Board on Tuesday night as the representative of the newly crafted Trustee Area 4, which is primarily Canyon Country. Sturgeon tallied 1,313 votes (61.85 percent) to his 19-year-old challenger Andrew Taban’s 810 votes (38.15 percent).

Lynne Plambeck, Dan Mortensen

Lynne Plambeck, Dan Mortensen

Finally, both incumbents on the Newhall County Water Board will be returning for four more years despite a strong challenge from business owner Don Cruikshank. It was a virtual three-way tie for much of the evening as the votes were tabulated, but when the dust settled, veteran water board member and environmental advocate Lynne Plambeck finished first with 960 votes (28.67 percent), while Dan Mortensen garnered 941 votes (28.1 percent) to keep his seat.

Out of the running were Cruikshank (892 votes, 26.63 percent) and Jeff Ford (556 votes, 16.6 percent).

 

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

32 Comments

  1. Congratulations!! I’m so proud and happy for you!

  2. Congratulations Mrs. Storli?

  3. Great, maybe this will change things. This school districts seems so unorganized it drives me crazy. When my daughter who has special needs started here, from elementary school it was so bad. The right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing. They didn’t even have record that she was going to start. Sooooooo unorganized.

  4. Jon says:

    How funny that the system that was to help latino candidates actually hurt them.

    Shows the old system worked just fine.

  5. Way to go Mrs Storli!!

  6. This is great news!! Congrats Linda Hovis Storli-Koontz

  7. Yay!! Congratulations!! Can you take us to Olvera St again like you did when you were our teacher?

  8. Gloria works with a group in my office. I see her regularly.

  9. Can’t seem to get away from this lady. Hated her as a teacher in high school-the worst teacher possible & now on what seems like constant news feeds.
    Now, she’s part of the school board, lord help us all.

  10. Jason Moller says:

    57% of the vote is huge! Congrats Hart District as required to maintain a fine district that one supplied for students and Two Building planning.

  11. She was a great teacher at Canyon.

  12. Brittney Are says:

    Yaaayyy! Storli!!!!!!

  13. Evangeline Shaw says:

    Congratulations Lynne Plambeck for getting the most votes for re-election to the Newhall County Water District Board.

    And thanks to all the Newhall voters who voted for Lynne because they understood that the other 3 candidates were supported by the home building industry, which wants to continue to take Santa Claritans’ water away to use it to bring more people in, to buy the builders’ new crackerbox houses and further jam up Santa Clarita’s already overcrowded roads.

    For those who didn’t notice, the big money outsiders paid for 3 separate “attack flyers”, mailed to Newhall water customers, trying to get rid of the ONLY honest voice on Newhall County Water District’s Board.

  14. Storyline was such a great History teacher and is very involved in this city. She deserves this.

  15. Anonymous says:

    Congratulations to you Mrs. Storli-Koontz and to the Hart District!!
    ..

  16. Not all precincts – some weren’t allowed to vote!

  17. Anonymous says:

    this system means that the majority of the district doesn’t get to vote for most of the board and minority groups will see that in the future they have less of a voice in elections.

  18. She was an amazing teacher at Canyon. Congratulations.

  19. Ramy Hatoum says:

    She was so racist and rude… I hope she has changed!

  20. Best history teacher ever had!! Miss you mrs. Storli!

Leave a Comment


SCV NewsBreak
LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES
Wednesday, Sep 18, 2024
Sept. 21: JCI Invites All Veterans to Upcoming Resource Fair
JCI Santa Clarita is proud to announce the upcoming Veteran’s Resource Fair, scheduled to take place on Sept. 21 at William S. Hart Park. 
Tuesday, Sep 17, 2024
Sept. 19: SENSES Pirate Block Party
Get ready to set sail at the Pirates SENSES Block Party, presented by the city of Santa Clarita, Thursday, Sept 19 from 7-10 p.m. on main street in Old Town Newhall.
Tuesday, Sep 17, 2024
Foothill League Football Begins for SCV Teams
Six of the seven Foothill League Varsity football teams begin league play Friday night, Sept. 20.
Keep Up With Our Facebook

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
The Counties of Los Angeles and San Bernardino today announced the opening of multiple joint Local Assistance Centers to assist residents impacted by the Bridge and Line Fires.
L.A., San Bernardino Counties to Open Joint Local Assistance Centers for Residents Impacted by Bridge and Line Fires
Valencia Gynecology Associates, owned by longtime Santa Clarita Valley OB-GYN physician Don Nishiguchi, MD, has joined the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital network. 
Valencia Gynecology Assoc. Joins Henry Mayo Network
JCI Santa Clarita is proud to announce the upcoming Veteran’s Resource Fair, scheduled to take place on Sept. 21 at William S. Hart Park. 
Sept. 21: JCI Invites All Veterans to Upcoming Resource Fair
A "friendies" field tournament  is being  hosted by the Saugus Instrumental Music program, with support from Valencia High, later this month. 
Sept. 21: All Valley Showcase Comes to Valencia High
Public, member-supported 88.5 FM The SoCal Sound, Southern California’s leading Triple-A (adult album alternative) format radio station has announced the lineup for its inaugural “Year-End Bash” taking place on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Dec. 7: CSUN Owned 88.5-FM The SoCal Sound Announces “Year End Bash” Lineup featuring Ben Gibbard
The Master's University cross-country teams continued their successful 2024 campaigns with strong finishes at the BIOLA Invitational on Friday, Sept. 13 at Craig Regional Park in Fullerton, Calif.
TMU Women Win, Men Place Second at XC Invitational
Sheriff’s Department Announces New Law Enforcement Gang Policy
Sheriff’s Department Announces New Law Enforcement Gang Policy
The biology department at California State University, Northridge has stayed committed to promoting STEM research carried out by K-12 students and teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
CSUN Student Research Journal Celebrates 28 Years of Inspiring Scientific Imagination
Did you know the SCVEDC has an interactive, online tool that provides themed virtual tours of the amazing features the community has to offer? 
Take a Virtual Tour of the Santa Clarita Valley
California Institute of the Arts alum and visionary filmmaker Tim Burton (Film/Video 1979) was honored with the 2,788th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
CalArts Alum Tim Burton Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
1962 - Articles of incorporation filed for Golden State Memorial Hospital on Lyons Avenue [story]
Golden State Hospital
The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center welcomes back Jim Curry for an evening concert celebrating the music of John Denver on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at Bella Vida.
Oct. 5: SCV Senior Center Welcomes Jim Curry ‘Take Me Home’
As part of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency's ongoing commitment to ensuring local groundwater quality and reliability, the SCV Water recently began construction on a new treatment facility to remove perchlorate and volatile organic compounds at Well 205 in Valencia.
SCV Water Begins New Water Treatment Project in Valencia
Get ready to set sail at the Pirates SENSES Block Party, presented by the city of Santa Clarita, Thursday, Sept 19 from 7-10 p.m. on main street in Old Town Newhall.
Sept. 19: SENSES Pirate Block Party
No. 21 College of the Canyons football team knocked off No. 5 Fullerton College 29-13 on Saturday night behind a stifling defensive effort and five field goals from Luis Rodriguez.
No. 21 Canyons Knocks Off No. 5 Fullerton 29-13
Six of the seven Foothill League Varsity football teams begin league play Friday night, Sept. 20.
Foothill League Football Begins for SCV Teams
The California Institute of the Arts will present the "NAACP Santa Clarita Masquerade Ball", Friday, Oct. 4, 7-11 p.m. at 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355.
Oct. 4: NAACP Santa Clarita Masquerade Ball at Cal Arts
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating two human cases of a rare parasitic infection, Baylisascaris procyonis, also known as raccoon roundworm.
Public Health Investigating Disease Spread from Animals to Humans
1879 - First official Newhall School building erected near Walnut & Ninth streets [story]
First Newhall School
The city of Santa Clarita is hosting Make A Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 26 and is looking for enthusiastic residents to volunteer for various projects that benefit local nonprofits, as well as the city.
Oct. 26: Volunteers Needed for Make a Difference Day
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and PathPoint announced the graduation of Aiden Land and Andrew Mendence from the Project SEARCH internship program.
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, PathPoint Celebrate Grad Interns
The William S. Hart Union High School District has announced upcoming community information meetings about Learning Post Academy Independent Study School, Thursday, Sept. 18 and Friday, Sept. 19.
Sept. 18-19: Learning Post Academy Online Information Meetings
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting Wednesday, Sept. 18, 5 p.m. in open session to interview and appoint a new trustee for Area 5.
Sept. 18: COC Board to Interview, Appoint Area 5 Trustee
The city of Santa Clarita wants to remind residents that volunteer registration is open for the 29th Annual River Rally Cleanup and Environmental Expo scheduled for next Saturday, Sept. 21, from 8 to 11 a.m. at the William S. Hart Pony Baseball and Softball Complex, 23780 Auto Center Drive, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
Sept. 20: Last Chance to Register for the River Rally
SCVNews.com