Update: Union-backed Natomas school board candidates build lead over conservatives
Two Democratic school board candidates held large leads over their conservative opponents in the Natomas Unified School District race Friday afternoon.
If the trend holds, education policy adviser Cindy Quiralte and Sacramento State community partnership coordinator Noel Mora will join the school board.
The liberal candidates were endorsed by the district teachers union and local democrats, while the conservative candidates, Monique Hokman and Megan Allen, received endorsements from the right, including those from Supervisor Sue Frost and the Sacramento police union.
Quiralte had 56% of the votes when the county released new tallies on Friday. Early Wednesday morning, she only had a slim lead over Hokman. The winner will represent Area 4, which covers neighborhoods north of Del Paso Road and east of Interstate 5.
Mora had 62% of the vote to represent Area 1, which is largely South Natomas. He leads Allen.
Allen and Hokman sought to ride a conservative wave into public office. They have support from the Sacramento Police Officers Association, Sacramento County Supervisor Sue Frost and Lance Christensen, the Republican running a long-shot campaign for state superintendent of public instruction.
Hokman joined other right-leaning parents at school board meetings to object to COVID-19 measures taken by the district, including school closures and masking.
Both Hokman and Allen had criticized curriculum meant to be more inclusive of LGBT people, leading Stonewall Democrats of Greater Sacramento to criticize their campaigns. Neither candidate would tell The Sacramento Bee in interviews whether they supported recognizing Pride Month in schools.
During the race, Quiralte and Mora both expressed support for LGBT students.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 8:43 PM.
