Families in Pasadena Unified's District 7 will have a contested school board race on the Nov. 3 ballot after Cynthia Torres submitted the required voter signatures before the Aug. 12 filing deadline, Pasadena Now reported Aug. 13.

Torres will face Dennis McNamara for the seat being vacated by Yarma Velázquez, who chose not to seek reelection. The district covers the Linda Vista neighborhood in west Pasadena to Madison Heights.

Had Torres not qualified, McNamara would have been appointed without an election under California Education Code Section 5328, saving the district an estimated $60,000 to $75,000 in election costs. That's what happened in District 5, where incumbent Patrice Marshall McKenzie will be seated after no challenger filed by the Aug. 7 deadline.

Torres pulled her nomination papers Saturday, Aug. 8. The filing window had been extended five days beyond the original deadline because Velázquez did not file for reelection, triggering a state-mandated extension.

McNamara, who qualified July 27, chairs the Citizens' Oversight Committee that monitors PUSD's $1.4 billion Measures O and R school modernization bond program. He has volunteered as a math tutor at Washington Elementary School for three years and spent more than two decades in an executive role at Pasadena-based Western Asset Management.

In a July 23 Pasadena Now profile announcing his candidacy, McNamara said: "I am grateful for Yarma's service and her deep commitment to the students, families and the entire PUSD community … I especially appreciate her focus on academic achievement, a commitment I will continue if elected."

No public statements from Torres about her platform or background were available as of Aug. 13.

The Nov. 3 election will decide four of the board's seven seats. Districts 1 and 3 already have confirmed two-candidate contests. District 5 will not appear on the ballot. The board composition matters: trustees voted 4-3 on June 25 to launch a District Transformation Process that could reshape which schools remain open.

The new board will inherit that work. Voter registration closes Oct. 19, with same-day registration available at Vote Centers. Los Angeles County begins mailing vote-by-mail ballots Oct. 5, and Vote Centers open Oct. 24.