WATSONVILLE—In the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees race, Trustee Area 6 incumbent Maria Orozco has garnered more than 5% of the 6,145 votes tallied as of 2pm Thursday, putting her far ahead of Adam Bolaños Scow and likely clinching the seat.
“I’m grateful to all our local parents and residents for believing in me once again to be their champion for our students and schools,” Orozco said in a prepared statement. “As a mother with children in our local public schools, I know there’s a lot more work to do in order to provide a quality education to all our students during these challenging times.”
The election is less certain in Trustee Area 3. Amanda Hernandez was ahead of Oscar Soto in Santa Cruz County with 53% of the vote. In Monterey County, which the trustee area also covers, Soto was ahead with just over 51% of the vote. That race will be decided by adding the total votes from both counties together once the votes are certified, Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin said.
Editor’s note: This story was updated from a previous version.