Two low-profile seats on the Sacramento County Board of Education are suddenly anything but sleepy. Six candidates are vying for control of Trustee Areas 1 and 3 in the June 2, 2026 election, and the winners will help steer the county office that supports 13 public school districts and hundreds of thousands of students through June 2030. With a high-profile charter school audit and a looming superintendent transition in the mix, these races will shape how charters and county-run programs are overseen for years.
What’s on the ballot and when
The Trustee Area 1 and 3 contests are part of the statewide consolidated election on June 2, 2026, with ballots and key voting dates set by the county. According to Sacramento County Voter Registration & Elections, official vote-by-mail ballots are scheduled to be mailed beginning May 4, with ballot drop boxes opening the same day. Polls and vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
District 1: Central Sacramento contest
Trustee Area 1, which covers downtown, Midtown, East Sacramento, Land Park, Oak Park and Curtis Park, is open after longtime trustee Bina Lefkovitz chose not to seek another term. Four candidates are in: Dominique Donette, Ralph Merletti, Anna Molander Hermann and Davon Thomas, according to The Sacramento Bee.
The money race has been relatively modest so far. Donette has reported about $19,000 raised, Molander Hermann about $20,000, and Thomas around $18,000. Merletti has reported no fundraising to date, according to campaign filings cited by The Sacramento Bee.
What the county office actually does
The Sacramento County Office of Education provides technical assistance and oversight to 13 public school districts and directly supports more than 255,000 students across the county, according to the Sacramento County Office of Education. The office also operates a small number of county-run schools, including programs for high-needs students and those in the juvenile justice system, which the board of trustees helps oversee.
County Superintendent David Gordon has announced plans to retire in 2027, a timeline reported in Gordon Sets 2027 Exit. That looming change adds another layer to what is normally a quiet down-ballot race.
District 3: Incumbent Keefer vs. Annie Fischer
Trustee Area 3 is a straight head-to-head between incumbent Paul Keefer, who has held the seat since 2018, and challenger Annie Fischer. Keefer’s day job running schools for the Pacific Charter Institute has fueled a legal challenge to his eligibility to serve on the county board.
A judge tentatively ruled in 2026 that Keefer’s role with Pacific Charter Institute does not create a conflict of interest that would bar him from the board, according to The Sacramento Bee. An earlier effort to remove him from office was backed by union groups and the state attorney general in 2024, as reported by CapRadio.
Fundraising has been modest yet telling. Keefer has reported about $15,000 raised this year, including $5,000 from a charter-advocate political action committee. Fischer has pulled in roughly $11,000, with union support in the form of a $5,600 contribution from the Sacramento City Teachers Association.
Highlands audit and the charter question
Charter oversight is hanging over the election in a big way. The county board may soon be asked whether to adopt Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools after its authorizer revoked the charter. A state audit found Highlands improperly claimed roughly $180 million in public K-12 funding.
That finding, along with questions about oversight by Twin Rivers and charter authorization more broadly, is detailed in a report from the California State Auditor, which outlines how gaps in charter oversight can leave large amounts of public money at risk.
Legal watch: what to track
The legal fight over whether a charter-school administrator can simultaneously serve on the county board is not entirely settled. In a formal opinion, the Office of the Attorney General authorized a quo warranto application to proceed, stating that the case raises substantial questions about how Education Code section 1006 should apply. That opinion is posted by the Attorney General's Office.
For additional background on the 2024 removal filing that was backed by union groups, readers can look to reporting from CapRadio.
How to follow the race
Voters can find sample ballots and candidate statements on the county elections website and should keep an eye on key deadlines as June approaches. The Sacramento County Voter Registration & Elections office reports that county voter information guides entered the mail stream in late April. Vote-by-mail ballots are scheduled to be mailed beginning May 4, with ballot drop boxes opening the same day and vote centers opening in late May.
Election Day is Tuesday, June 2. For the official calendar, sample ballots, and a list of ballot drop box and vote center locations, visit Sacramento County Voter Registration & Elections.
