The race between San Diego Unified incumbent Sabrina Bazzo and challenger Crystal Trull is razor tight. Just before midnight on Wednesday, Bazzo led by less than two points, 50.74 percent to Trull’s 49.26 percent. The outcome could change in the coming days.
If Bazzo loses, it would be the first time in at least 14 years an incumbent lost their seat on San Diego Unified’s school board.
Earlier this year, there were no real indications that would change. Sure, the district was facing a budget deficit, but Bazzo, the only trustee with a challenger this cycle, skated by in the primary.
Since then, the district has faced growing crises: Its structural budget deficit is poised to keep growing. Parents and teachers lost confidence in how officials handled sexual misconduct complaints after a damning federal report and the board’s July decision to fire Superintendent Lamont Jackson after an investigation revealed he’d sexually harassed former staff members. The board will ultimately choose Jackson’s replacement, though they’ve given every indication that they plan to stick with his former No. 2, Fabiola Bagula.
Given that toxic mix of issues, it seemed likely that Trull, who also ran against Bazzo back in 2020, had a chance to unseat her. Early indications bolstered that, with Trull performing eight points better during the primary than her 2020 general election showing.
But Trull still faced significant headwinds: For one, the district’s teachers union, long the kingmaker in board races, supported Bazzo. For another, though she ran a relatively apolitical campaign unlike Becca Williams in 2022, the county Republican Party endorsed Trull. That’s a hard sell for a district electorate that’s voted in exclusively liberal candidates for multiple election cycles. If elected, Trull would be the only conservative on the board.
Despite all of that, voters seem open to a new face who can help clean up its old problems, party affiliation be damned.
What the candidates said: When I spoke to Bazzo on Tuesday evening, I asked her if she felt the recent crises impacted the race. She said she though it “probably played somewhat of a role.”
“It’s unfortunate that we’re having to deal with that still but I can understand how that would play into it,” Bazzo said.
If she wins, Bazzo said she wants to approach her next term in the same way Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris pitched herself to voters.
“I want to be a board member for all of our students and families and find out what are the issues and why was it as close as it was,” she said.
On Tuesday night, Trull was still hopeful she could eke out a win. Despite her conservative endorsements, she said she had a wide range of supporters, many of whom were attracted to her campaign because of the the crises that have bloomed in recent months.
“My message of transparency, fiscal responsibility, getting back to foundational academics really resonated with a lot of people,” Trull said. “Somebody who brings a different voice is really appealing for the public because they see all that’s happening in the district and are concerned.”
Cajon Valley Board President Poised to Win Reelection
Cajon Valley Union Elementary School board president Jim Miller seems poised to fend off challengers Oday Yousif and Alex Welling. Just before midnight Wednesday, he had secured about 47 percent of the reported vote to Yousif’s 29 percent and Welling’s around 23 percent.
While certainly a sigh of relief for Miller, there’s likely another person breathing easier tonight: Superintendent David Miyashiro.
Here’s why: Welling is a close ally of conservative board member Anthony Carnevale, who has feuded with Miyashiro both on substantive issues like district spending and on culture war fronts. Miller, on the other hand, has been more closely aligned with Miyashiro.
Many within the district feared those feuds could lead to Carnevale to try to fire Miyashiro. Though Carnevale did not explicitly say his aim was to fire Miyashiro, he did say he wanted to institute “accountability and a true evaluation,” of the superintendent.
“We’ve not been able to do that with the current … majority board leadership,” Carnevale said.
If these results hold – and it seems they will – Carnevale won’t get his new majority.
San Dieguito’s Allman Clinging to Small Lead
Michael Allman, the controversial San Dieguito Union High School District board member, holds a narrow lead over challenger Kevin Sabellico. Just before midnight Wednesday, Allman held a five point lead over Sabellico.
That’s bad news for Allman’s opponents: When Allman was elected to San Dieguito’s board in 2020, he ushered in a serious vibe change. Allman, a staunch conservative, stirred up all sorts of animosity. The district burned through a handful of superintendents, saw two board members resign and weathered allegations that Allman had acted like a bully. Allman even survived a recount attempt.
Supporters of Sabellico, a Democratic political consultant, thought he could calm the district’s troubled waters. He may pull ahead in future election updates, but it’s not looking good for now.