DOWNEY – A second candidate has emerged for the vacant Downey school board seat. 

Carlos Avalos announced this week his intention to pursue the Area 3 seat left vacant by the resignation of longtime board member Willie Gutierrez. The district covers northeast Downey. 

Community leader Giggy Saab announced her candidacy two weeks ago. 

Avalos is director of facilities and maintenance for the Lennox School District. According to his biography, Avalos grew up in Downey, attending Alameda Elementary, South Middle School (now Sussman), Downey High and Columbus High. 

He earned an AA degree in Business Administration from Cerritos College before transferring to Cal State Dominguez Hills to pursue his degree in Public Administration. He’s currently enrolled at the University of La Verne to complete that degree, he said.

“I’ve decided to run for the vacant seat in Area 3 because I know the value of public education,” Avalos said. “Being a product of the Downey Unified School District, I understand what this community is about and I’m ready to support the success of every single student. 

“I’ve been a school employee for about 12 years now and I understand the difficulties we all face.” 

Avalos is past president of the Classified School Employees Association and has served on several district committees, including the School Safety Committee and Classified Management Negotiations Team. 

As a board member, Avalos said his priorities would be “school safety, strengthening our STEAM curriculum, and providing opportunities for parent involvement to help students achieve success.” 

Avalos has been married for 11 years. The couple has two daughters.