SDUHSD board candidate David Miyashiro sent a campaign mailer using AI-generated imagery to portray opponent Amy Flicker behind a bake-sale table. The mailer has drawn accusations of sexism ahead of the Tuesday, Nov. 3 election.

The flyer, headlined "THE CHOICE IS OBVIOUS," shows Miyashiro seated at a dais labeled "District Superintendent" alongside an AI-generated image of Flicker standing behind cookies and cupcakes, labeled "Non-profit Volunteer." Small print at the bottom discloses the ad was "generated or substantially altered using artificial intelligence."

The Trustee Area 1 seat on the San Dieguito Union High School District board directly affects families in Del Mar, Solana Beach and Rancho Santa Fe, whose children attend Torrey Pines High School and Canyon Crest Academy.

The San Dieguito Faculty Association, a union representing more than 600 educators and staff, issued a news release Sunday, Oct. 11, accusing Miyashiro's campaign of using AI to generate what it called deceptive, sexist imagery targeting Flicker, as first reported by Fox 5 San Diego. The union has endorsed Flicker.

"Using AI technology to manipulate the likeness of a female candidate and diminish my public service into a condescending stereotype is both ethically dubious and deeply concerning for someone seeking a position in educational leadership," Flicker said in the release.

Fox 5 reported it reached out to Miyashiro's office for comment but had not received a response.

Flicker is a public education advocate and parent of two SDUHSD graduates, one of whom is on the autism spectrum. She served as the district's parent liaison on the North Coastal Consortium for Special Education and as a PTA president. She also sat on Independent Citizens' Oversight Committees for both the Encinitas Union and San Dieguito districts, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. She served as an Encinitas planning commissioner and environmental commissioner.

Miyashiro has led the Cajon Valley Union School District as superintendent since 2013. In 2024, his total compensation exceeded $592,416, making him the highest-paid superintendent in San Diego County, the Union-Tribune reported. He has cited his daughter, a rising eighth-grader in the SDUHSD, as motivation for running.

Bob Ayers, an Encinitas attorney and San Dieguito High School graduate, wrote in an opinion piece published Tuesday, Oct. 13, in The Coast News that the mailer "uses artificial intelligence to demean and belittle a female community leader through a sexist stereotype." Ayers, who said he had lunch with Miyashiro after he filed to run, wrote that Miyashiro "spoke proudly of his AI expertise."

California's AB 2355, a law that took effect Jan. 1, 2025, requires political ads using AI-generated content to carry a disclosure. The mailer includes such a disclaimer.

The race is officially nonpartisan. Vice President Rimga Viskanta is vacating the seat to run for mayor of Encinitas. All three current SDUHSD board incumbents chose not to seek reelection.

Voters will decide the Trustee Area 1 race on Tuesday, Nov. 3.