WATSONVILLE — The early votes in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board elections appeared to bode well for newcomers in two of the three races.
In Area 2, Carol Turley — general manager of the Pajaro Dunes Association — had a double-digit lead over incumbent President Georgia Acosta, with Turley receiving 56.7% of the vote, compared to Acosta’s 42.4%. Likewise in Area 6, local artist and former Watsonville High School teacher Jessica Carrasco led appointed sitting Trustee Adam Bolaños Scow with 52.01% of the vote compared to Scow’s 47%.
However, there was one district where the incumbent trustee led, albeit narrowly. In Area 3, which covers portions of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, Vice President Oscar Soto led with 53.4% of the vote in Santa Cruz County over Cabrillo College professor Gabriel Jesse Medina, who received 45.8% of the vote. When factoring in Monterey County, where most of the trustee area lies, Soto’s lead was 49% compared to Medina’s 47%.
The election comes amid a rather tense year for the board. The board’s decision last year not to renew the district’s ethnic studies contract with Community Responsive Education over concerns of some of the material included in a rejected framework that was presented to the California Department of Education and co-signed by Community Responsive Education founder Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales. This decision has led to packed board meetings with members of the public voicing their displeasure with the board and, in one instance, the board calling for a 30-minute recess after a verbal outcry from the public after the board capped public comments at 30 minutes.
Elsewhere on the ballot, the district’s bond initiative Measure M appeared to be leading with a combined 53% of the “Yes” vote in both counties compared to 45% of the “No” vote. However, it needs 55% of the vote to pass.