The woman whose surprisingly strong first candidacy for Cypress City Council, yet that was rejected to fill a seat vacated shortly thereafter has landed a role in public office after all.
Carrie Hayashida has been appointed to the Cypress Elementary School District Board as a Trustee, filling the seat vacated by Brian Nakamura after he resigned for personal reasons.
In the 2020 City Council election, Hayashida finished just behind Anne Hertz (Mallari) and Frances Marquez, racking up more than 6,000 votes, barely missing a win of one of the two at-large seats.
Upon the resignation of Stacy Berry on July 5, 2021, there were calls from residents, officials, and even candidates who’d been beaten by Hayashida to appoint her to the post, given the public support she had earned in the previous year’s balloting.
The Council instead instituted a selection process and ultimately selected Scott Minikus, a retired Long Beach law enforcement officer to fill the seat. Since then, Minikus has won an election for a full term and is currently the mayor of the city.
According to the Cypress School District, following applicant interviews during a special meeting on May 6, 2024, the Cypress School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Hayashida to fill the Trustee Area A vacancy resulting from the resignation of Brian Nakamura in March.
There were four applicants for the position.
The district said Hayashida was administered the Oath of Office and will serve for the remainder of the term, which expires in 2024. To remain on the Board, she will be required to run for the next full four-year term in the November 5, 2024, election.
Under the California Education Code, the school district governing board shall, within 60 days of a board vacancy, either order an election or make a provisional appointment to fill the vacancy.
On April 5, 2024, the Board held a special meeting to review the options and reached a consensus to move forward with a provisional appointment. Ms. Hayashida was selected from a pool of four eligible applicants.
In a prepared statement, Hayashida said “it is my distinct honor to be appointed as the newest Cypress School Board Member, serving Trustee Area A (King & Luther). I look forward to connecting with students and parents, working with administrators and faculty, and shaping the future of elementary education with my fellow Trustees.”
In an interview with ENE this week, Hayashida said since things did not work out on the council, even her career had taken a turn that makes the education post perhaps more relevant.
“I joined an organization that is more education-based and in joining that, I’ve been doing some research recently,” she said. “So, when the opportunity to learn how the school board works at the elementary level, I thought it was in line with what I’m doing and decided to see if the door would open for me,” said Hayashida.
It did.
“I am excited to learn more about our schools and how I can make a difference, maybe by exposing kids to different careers at earlier ages to create smoother transitions to junior high school,” she said.
For now, however, said Hayashida, she’s just taking it all in and learning as much as she can.
In a prepared statement, Hayashida said “it is my distinct honor to be appointed as the newest Cypress School Board Member, serving Trustee Area A (King & Luther). I look forward to connecting with students and parents, working with administrators and faculty, and shaping the future of elementary education with my fellow Trustees.”
Hayashida has been a resident of Cypress for 28 years. Her three children attended Steve Luther Elementary School before moving on to Walker Jr. High School and Kennedy High School. She enjoyed serving as an active volunteer at all three schools. Currently, she is employed as the Chief Executive Officer of Vision Resourcing Group.
Carrie Hayashida, Cypress School Board Trustee
Board of Trustee meetings are typically held on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Board Room of the district’s administrative headquarters located at 5816 Corporate Avenue in Cypress. Agendas, minutes, and video recordings of regularly scheduled Board Meetings are posted on the district website at www.cypsd.org.
“I’m happy,” she said. “And so far, everybody’s been very welcoming, so it’s probably where I am supposed to be.”