Linda Cordero was the clear winner in the race for the Santa Maria-Bonita School District Board of Education, taking nearly 25 percent of the votes.
Incumbent Jody Oliver trailed with 17.38 percent, defeating her closest challenger, John Hollinshead, by approximately one percentage point. Challenger Michael Kon—the high school substitute who has come under scrutiny as of late for his controversial past with the district—came in last.
The school board for the Lompoc Unified School District gained three new members: Carmela Kessler, Henry Gallina, and Bill Christen.
In Orcutt, school board challenger Liz Phillips took the most votes, and incumbent Jan Zilli held on to her seat. Victor Tognazzini and Jack Garvin, incumbents for the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board of Education, also held on to their seats.
Former Santa Maria City Council member Hilda Zacarias is the new area 1 trustee for the Allan Hancock College Board for Trustees. She joins incumbent Tim Bennett, who retained his seat as the trustee for area 2.
This article appears in Nov 8-15, 2012.