Update: Proud Boy candidate trailing in bid for Sacramento-area school board seat
A member of the far right extremist group Proud Boys is trailing in his bid for a school board in the San Juan Unified School District, potentially marking his second Sacramento-area election loss this year.
In a three-way race, Proud Boy candidate Jeffrey Perrine remained in last place when new election results were released Wednesday morning. He had just under 21% of votes.
Child welfare worker Tanya Kravchuk pulled ahead of school board incumbent Michael McKibbin, with 42% of votes.
The three were competing for a seat representing Orangevale on the suburban Sacramento school board.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified the Proud Boys as a far-right extremist group aligned with white nationalists and neo-Nazis. A video taken in 2018 showed Perrine advocating for violence against undocumented immigrants, saying that when people try to cross the border, “We should be smashing their heads into the concrete.”
Perrine earlier this year competed in a primary election to represent Rancho Cordova in the California State Assembly, gaining less than 6% of votes.
Previously, the Sacramento County Republican Party had expelled him from an elected committee position after a story in The Sacramento Bee identified him as a member of the extremist group.
After his failed Assembly campaign, Perrine told The Bee he thought he had a better chance in the school board race. He said he ran to bring conservative values to the board and “fight cultural Marxism.” He also reaffirmed, “I am a Proud Boy.”
The school district has three other competitive races on the ballot.
In Area 3, incumbent Zima Creason ran for reelection against Alex Zamansky, who works in sales and marketing. Creason was still leading Zamansky with 58% of the vote. They’re running to represent Sierra Oaks, Wilhaggin, east Arden-Arcade and parts of south Carmichael on the school board.
In Area 6, Ben Avey, a nonprofit communications worker, had 62% of votes, keeping him ahead of opponent Ray Ward, an insurance agent. They’re vying for an open seat that includes most of Fair Oaks.
Area 7, which comprises most of Citrus Heights north of Greenback Lane, saw another three-way race.
Citrus Heights City Councilman Steve “Sparky” Miller was ahead, with 47% of votes. Murad “Moe” Sarama, who was endorsed by the teachers union, was in second place with 28%; and Oleg Shishko, a parent who sharply criticized school COVID policies and objected to sex education, was trailing in third place.
This was the first by-trustee-area election for the San Juan Unified School District. Previously, members of the board were elected in at-large elections, and candidates needed more votes to win. In by-trustee-area elections, voters select representatives for their specific neighborhoods, meaning candidates need fewer votes to win a seat.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 8:54 PM.
