A candidates’ forum for Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools scheduled for Thursday evening and hosted by the League of Women Voters has been canceled, due to challenger Christy Lozano refusing to sign the organization’s release form, which stipulates rules and regulations of participation, including not criticizing opponents directly and not using clips of the forum for campaign purposes.
The League announced the cancelation over Twitter on Wednesday. “Because one of the candidates, Christy Lozano, would not agree to sign the required Release Form, which spells out the protocols to insure a fair and civil discussion, the League has regretfully canceled the May 12 Forum for the office of S.B. County Superintendent of Schools,” the group said.
Lozano told Jerry Roberts, host of Newsmakers with JR, that she was surprised by the announcement. She said she had been exchanging emails with Revae Moran, vice president of the League, regarding the release form when she was “suddenly given a 45-minute deadline” to sign it. “They were requiring restrictions on my ability to fully explain the problems in our county board of education, and my solutions,” Lozano told Roberts.