One New Face as Candidates Are Set for Manhattan Beach City Council, School Board
Aug 19, 2026 08:59AM ● By MB News Staff
Two weeks ago, when council member David Lesser shocked followers of Manhattan Beach city government by announcing he would not run for re-election, he encouraged people to take advantage of the opening he had created by stepping up to run for council.
No one new did so after Lesser's announcement.
The other citywide election coming up in November will be for three governing board members for the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. Two incumbents will run for re-election, but a third, Jen Fenton, did not file to run.
Near the last minute, this year's only first-time candidate for a citywide office did file: Nathalie Rosen, who turned out to be the third candidate for three seats on the school board. All things being equal, she will be elected to the board.
Rosen has helped lead parent groups at Pennekamp and Manhattan Beach Middle School, and is now on the Executive Board of the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation (MBEF). Recently, she co-chaired the campaign that renewed Measure MB, which passed with 68% of the vote in March 2024, securing $2.5 million a year for local schools. (The measure extended an existing parcel tax of $225 per parcel for 6 years.)
"Great schools don’t stay great by accident," Rosen told MB News. "They take the teachers we keep, the programs we protect, and budgets families can see and trust."
"Having raised our eldest child through private schools in Los Angeles," Rosen said, "I’ve seen different approaches to supporting children’s academic and emotional development. That experience gave me a deep appreciation for what MBUSD does well."
"I’ll bring to the board the same approach I bring to every cause: careful listening, clear communication, unbounded energy, and pragmatic problem-solving," Rosen concluded.
There are four candidates for two seats on the Manhattan Beach city council.
One candidate, Amy Howorth, is running for re-election.
Past council members Richard Montgomery and Mark Burton join Joseph Ungoco, who has served on the Planning Commission for two terms.
Howorth has served three terms on council, Montgomery has served four terms and Burton has served one term, while campaigning unsuccessfully to re-join the council four times after.
Montgomery's terms on council ran from 2005-2013 and 2017-2023. Burton served from 2013-2017, but was unseated in 2017 when Steve Napolitano, Nancy Hersman and Montgomery took the three seats up for election at the time. Burton most recently ran in 2019, 2020 and 2022. Ungoco first ran for council in 2017, and tried again in 2019.
Both Shivpuri and Weinstein serve currently on the board, and are seeking re-election. Rosen would be new to the MBUSD board.
The lack of competition for MBUSD seats this year is similar to the November 2024 election, when two candidates ran for two seats, but a stark contrast to the November 2022 election, when the same three seats were up for election.
Then, two politically aligned groups of three candidates squared off, with one group explicitly campaigning together as critics of MBUSD policies on several fronts, ranging from finances to COVID policies and some cultural issues.
The "trifecta" of Christy Barnes, Johnny Uriostegui, and Mike Welsh notably opted out of an early candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters, but later shared the stage with the other candidates at a debate sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce.
Ultimately, the "trifecta" did not come close in their challenge, each falling about one-third behind the prevailing candidates.
No one new did so after Lesser's announcement.
The other citywide election coming up in November will be for three governing board members for the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. Two incumbents will run for re-election, but a third, Jen Fenton, did not file to run.
Near the last minute, this year's only first-time candidate for a citywide office did file: Nathalie Rosen, who turned out to be the third candidate for three seats on the school board. All things being equal, she will be elected to the board.
Rosen has helped lead parent groups at Pennekamp and Manhattan Beach Middle School, and is now on the Executive Board of the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation (MBEF). Recently, she co-chaired the campaign that renewed Measure MB, which passed with 68% of the vote in March 2024, securing $2.5 million a year for local schools. (The measure extended an existing parcel tax of $225 per parcel for 6 years.)
"Great schools don’t stay great by accident," Rosen told MB News. "They take the teachers we keep, the programs we protect, and budgets families can see and trust."
"Having raised our eldest child through private schools in Los Angeles," Rosen said, "I’ve seen different approaches to supporting children’s academic and emotional development. That experience gave me a deep appreciation for what MBUSD does well."
"I’ll bring to the board the same approach I bring to every cause: careful listening, clear communication, unbounded energy, and pragmatic problem-solving," Rosen concluded.
Council Race Features Competition, School Board Does Not
With Rosen's entry, the ballot lineups for the two major local elections this November are now final.There are four candidates for two seats on the Manhattan Beach city council.
One candidate, Amy Howorth, is running for re-election.
Past council members Richard Montgomery and Mark Burton join Joseph Ungoco, who has served on the Planning Commission for two terms.
Howorth has served three terms on council, Montgomery has served four terms and Burton has served one term, while campaigning unsuccessfully to re-join the council four times after.
Montgomery's terms on council ran from 2005-2013 and 2017-2023. Burton served from 2013-2017, but was unseated in 2017 when Steve Napolitano, Nancy Hersman and Montgomery took the three seats up for election at the time. Burton most recently ran in 2019, 2020 and 2022. Ungoco first ran for council in 2017, and tried again in 2019.
MBUSD Slate is Set
After Rosen's entry, there are three candidates for three positions as governing board members for the Manhattan Beach Unified School District: Tina Shivpuri, Wysh Weinstein and Rosen.Both Shivpuri and Weinstein serve currently on the board, and are seeking re-election. Rosen would be new to the MBUSD board.
The lack of competition for MBUSD seats this year is similar to the November 2024 election, when two candidates ran for two seats, but a stark contrast to the November 2022 election, when the same three seats were up for election.
Then, two politically aligned groups of three candidates squared off, with one group explicitly campaigning together as critics of MBUSD policies on several fronts, ranging from finances to COVID policies and some cultural issues.
The "trifecta" of Christy Barnes, Johnny Uriostegui, and Mike Welsh notably opted out of an early candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters, but later shared the stage with the other candidates at a debate sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce.
Ultimately, the "trifecta" did not come close in their challenge, each falling about one-third behind the prevailing candidates.
Meantime, Manhattan Beach will not be voting on a long-planned ballot measure to change how the city licenses and taxes local businesses. At its August 4 meeting, despite having ballot measure text ready to approve and send to voters, the council paused the topic, asking for two more years of research with the business community to finalize a plan with broader support.
Some residents may have seen printed announcements of the ballot measure election in local newspapers, but those were premature. The announcements were filed before the council's action strictly because a deadline had arrived for such an announcement in case the council had approved sending the measure to voters.
