State Senate District 21 candidates battle over school district funding

A Republican challenger running for state Senate is hoping to see more accountability and less spending from the Legislature.

April Larsen is running for state Senate District 21, challenging James Ohrenschall, the Democrat incumbent. The district covers the eastern Las Vegas Valley from Sunrise Manor to Henderson.

Ohrenschall, if re-elected, is hoping to revisit legislation outlawing the death penalty. He would also like to see Sunrise Mountain declared a national conservation area.

Ohrenschall, who works as a juvenile public defender in Family Court, said a lot of money is being spent on upgrading school safety mechanisms, but he said there should be more attention on services for students and families.

“Especially from what I’ve seen in juvenile court, there’s a lot we can do to try to keep kids from ending up in the criminal justice system,” he said. “I think we need to have penalties where they are violent crimes, but smarter sentencing for nonviolent crimes, like diversion programs.”

Larsen, who with her husband owns Larsen’s Steakhouse in California, said she wanted to approach Nevada spending as a tightly run business. Flemming Larsen is running for Assembly District 12, which overlaps the district April Larsen hopes to represent.

“I understand the fiscal responsibility from being a woman in business,” she said. “I can relate firsthand as a single parent raising children. I overcame these challenges and I would like to really ensure the state enables that economic empowerment, for mothers and for everyone seeking better financial future. I want to work on increasing accountability of our tax dollars.”

Larsen said the Clark County School District’s new camera system could have been installed by a less expensive company if the district had opened bidding.

“We spend millions of dollars on a camera system that goes above and beyond what would seem businesslike,” she said. “From a business standpoint, I want better accountability for where funds are going.”

The money for the cameras was allocated last summer after a string of fights at local schools, including the attempted murder of a teacher who was allegedly raped by a student.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.