Union-backed candidates pull away from ‘parents’ rights’ advocates in Sacramento school race
New election results show two liberal Natomas school board candidates maintaining a strong lead over their conservative opponents who expressed far-right positions on LGBT issues.
With around 2,000 votes counted in each race, the candidates endorsed by the teachers union, Noel Mora and Cindy Quiralte, both have around 60% of the vote. The county released the new results Tuesday afternoon.
The two conservative candidates for the Natomas Unified School District Board of Trustees drew fire from local LGBTQ advocates in the run-up to the Nov. 8 election over statements they made in public meetings and to The Sacramento Bee about LGBTQ policies.
Megan Allen, who ran against Mora in Area 1, currently has 39% of votes. Monique Hokman, who ran against Quiralte in Area 4, has 42% of the vote.
Area 1 covers much of South Natomas. Area 4 covers neighborhoods north of Del Paso Road and east of Interstate 5.
This was the first time Natomas residents voted in a by trustee area instead of voting in an at-large race. That change created smaller pools of voters. For Hokman, the county has recorded 813 votes as of Tuesday afternoon. Allen has 780 so far.
Quiralte and Mora had the backing of the teachers union and a slate of local Democrats. Hokman and Allen picked up endorsements from the Sacramento Police Officers Association and Sacramento County Supervisor Sue Frost, who contested state COVID-19 policies during the pandemic. As The Bee previously reported, Hokman has also repeated COVID misinformation at meetings.
Hokman and Allen sought to ride a wave of conservative support that grew from opposition to COVID precautions taken by schools during the pandemic. They characterized themselves as supporters of parents’ rights, a phrase used by right-leaning candidates to signal skepticism of policies favored by education unions and Democratic state policymakers.
This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 6:00 PM.
