Steven Zimmer, who has been serving in Assemblyman Scott Wilk’s vacated seat on the Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees since January, filed on Monday to run in the November 5 election.

Steven ZimmerZimmer was appointed to the board after Wilk was elected to the state Assembly in November 2012. State law prevents Zimmer from serving more than 18 months in office without an election.

If he wins in November, he will serve the remaining two years of Wilk’s term and be up for regular election again in 2015.

Zimmer said he saw serving on the SCCCD Board as the logical next step after 12 years on the College of the Canyons Foundation Board.

“Serving on the board has been an honor and a privilege for me,” he said. “I’m very appreciative that I was appointed by the rest of the trustees back in January. I’ve learned a great deal from each of the board members and from the chancellor.”

Zimmer, a retired local businessman, served as chair of the COC Foundation for four of his 12 years on the board, 2004 to 2007. He is also a strong supporter of the Santa Clarita Child and Family Center, as a governing board member for 9 years and chairing its board since July 2012.

Zimmer said if he were elected, he would focus on four important aspects of COC’s presence in the community: student success, veteran services, job creation and fiscal stability.

“I would highlight continuing the progress that we’ve begun in student success,” he said. “Always our focus has to be on the students, because that’s who we serve.”

For veteran students in particular, Zimmer wanted to focus on helping them adapt to civilian life.

“They’ve given everything to us. It’s time to give something back,” he said.

Zimmer also pointed out the importance of maintaining COC’s economic development program and applying for grants from the state.

“College of the Canyons is an essential part of our community, for both educating our students and providing vital economic stimulus for our businesses,” he said.

During the course of his business career, Zimmer had extensive experience in state and local legislative matters, as the appointed attorney for several California cities.

Zimmer also previously directed Newhall Land’s community development division. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and UC Hastings College of the Law.

Zimmer and his wife, Doris Marie, are Valencia residents and have three adult children, one a former COC student, and four grandchildren.