Governance workshop with AALR/R counsel Scott Danforth
A board governance workshop occurred on September 18, 2025 with Scott Danforth of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo present as counsel. Trustee Howard Hills referenced this workshop on the record at the October 23, 2025 regular meeting (describing it as having provided "real clear legal guidance" on underlying governance questions) and again at the April 23, 2026 governance meeting, where he attributed to Danforth a ruling that under Education Code §35161, all powers of the district are vested in the board and that a board president's authority to communicate on behalf of the board derives from the board's delegation under Bylaw 9121. Hills further attributed to Danforth the position that a trustee who disagrees with such delegated authority would need to seek a bylaw change rather than challenge an individual exercise of it. The workshop itself was not separately recorded on the LBUSD YouTube channel; the documentary record consists of Hills's on-record references to it at the two later meetings.
People referenced
Citations (1)
- Laguna Beach Unified School District
We did have a governance meeting on September 18th, and at that meeting there was a lot of discussion about one of member Malczewski's main points. She correctly points out that an individual member does not have authority to act on behalf of the board, that the board acts as a whole, and that the board acts as a whole by majority vote. And in that discussion we had counsel present, Scott Danforth, and we had a discussion about whether or not the board can delegate its authority because under section 35161, all powers of the district are vested in the board.
Trustee Howard Hills at the April 23, 2026 Board Governance Meeting, recounting the September 18, 2025 workshop and naming Scott Danforth as the AALR/R counsel present.