Benicia Unified has three trustee seats on the Nov. 3 ballot, but only Trustee Area 1, which covers the part of the city south of East Second Street and Lake Herman Road, is contested. The winner replaces Sheri Zada, who has served two terms since 2019, the Vallejo Sun reports. The Benicia Bridge reports that Area 4's Erin Fernandez and Area 5 incumbent Amy Hirsh are uncontested.

The district has lost about 10% of its enrollment since 2015 and made about $1.7 million in cuts last year, according to the Vallejo Sun.

The candidates

  • Barbara Jones has lived in Benicia for 35 years and had a 38-year teaching career, about 22 years of it in Benicia, and is an adjunct at St. Mary's, the Vallejo Sun reports. She has proposed banning staff from photographing students on personal phones.
  • Dan Smith has lived in Benicia for about 40 years, spent 25 years as a journalist, served on the City Council from 2001 to 2005 and spent eight years on the Parks Commission, and has taught since 2012. Smith is endorsed by the Solano County Democratic Central Committee, Mayor Steve Young, council members Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye, and trustee Mark Meselli. Smith wants better family health coverage for teachers and improved special education, and opposes closing a school prematurely. He told the Vallejo Sun the district could have caught former teacher Matthew Shelton, who was accused of abusing students in 2022-23, "with better screening," and said he would ask about the district's screening process.

For full candidate interviews, see the Vallejo Sun and Benicia Bridge links below.

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How to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.