Election update: Sacramento school board incumbent falls behind newcomer backed by union
The race for seats on the Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education continues to tighten as a new batch of results shows candidates closing in on one another. less than 200 votes separate candidates in their respective races.
Jasjit Singh, a nonprofit director, has taken a narrow lead over incumbent Trustee Leticia Garcia in the race for Area 2, representing East Sacramento and Tahoe Park.
Singh now leads Garcia, 51% to 48%. Last week, Garcia held a narrow lead.
“It’s a very close race. We are very proud of our positive and uplifting campaign. It is clear that people want change, and we hope the final tally goes in our favor,” Singh told The Sacramento Bee last week.
The Sacramento City Teachers Association shelled out tens of thousands of dollars into the races, hoping to change leadership following an eight-day strike that shut down the district last academic school year.
Singh, a union-backed candidate, joins Tara Jeane union-backed newcomers to take leads.
Jeane also commands 51% of votes in her race against Anna Molander Hermann for Area 1, covering Land Park and midtown. The two aim to replace to Lisa Murawski, who did not seek reelection.
The final candidate supported by the union is Taylor Kayatta, a government attorney and an active parent in the school district. He is challenging three-time incumbent Darrel Woo for Area 6 encompassing the Pocket and Greenhaven neighborhoods.
“Parents in our community recognize that our once amazing school system has been on the decline for years under the leadership of people like my opponent,” said Kayatta. “I remain confident that when all of the votes are counted, I will be elected the first new board member to represent Sac City Area 6 in 12 years.”
As of Tuesday, Woo still leads, but his percentage of the votes has begun to decrease. Woo dropped from 50.9% of votes to 50.2%. Fewer than 40 votes separate the candidates.
“Race is very close, but I am ahead,” said Woo. “I’m hoping to keep that lead.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 6:12 PM.