A clear guide to LBUSD board candidates, the proposed school bond, statewide education races, and the choices affecting Laguna Beach schools. Last updated: October 7, 2026
Three seats on the Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of Education are up for election on November 3, 2026. Five candidates have qualified for the three seats.
Laguna Beach voters will also decide Measure A, an $83 million school facilities bond. At the state level, voters will select California’s next Superintendent of Public Instruction, along with candidates for other offices that can shape education policy and funding.
This page will continue to be updated as official voter materials, candidate information, and election coverage are released.
Some context on how LBUSD got here:
On the Ballot
LBUSD Board of Education
Three seats are up for election. Dee Perry, Jim Kelly, and Joan Malczewski’s terms expire in December 2026. The Orange County Registrar of Voters lists five qualified candidates.
Dee Perry & Liz Bates: Looking Into the “Wave”
Examining Dee Perry and Elizabeth Bates through their campaign materials, public filings, governing records, and endorsements.
LBUSD School Bond
Measure A asks Laguna Beach voters whether LBUSD may issue up to $83 million in general-obligation bonds for school facilities improvements.
The measure is intended to address aging infrastructure and facilities needs, including roofs, plumbing and sewer systems, classrooms and science labs, emergency communications, fire protection, accessibility, and other school improvements.
The district estimates a tax rate of approximately $8.85 per $100,000 of assessed value. LBUSD says the measure is structured to replace its existing school bond tax as it expires, rather than increase the current school bond tax rate.
Bond proceeds cannot fund teacher or administrator salaries or regular operating expenses. The measure also requires independent citizen oversight, annual audits, and public disclosure of expenditures.
The Same Tax Rate, a New Promise to Laguna’s Kids
The Laguna Beach school board voted 5-0 at the July 9, 2026 meeting to place a school facilities bond on the November 2026 ballot, giving the community the final say on whether to continue investing in local school campuses without increasing the current tax rate.
California Superintendent of Public Instruction
The State Superintendent of Public Instruction is California’s elected public-schools chief and leads the California Department of Education.
The November general election features:
Richard Barrera — State Superintendent Advisor
Sonja Shaw — School District President
Sonja Shaw is president of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education. Her campaign emphasizes stronger reading, writing, and math performance; parental involvement; protecting girls’ sports under her interpretation of Title IX; and reducing state education bureaucracy. High-profile battles over transgender student policies and school-library materials have also defined her tenure in Chino Valley. A district policy requiring parental notification when students requested certain gender-identity changes at school was challenged by the state and ruled unlawful in 2024, while the district has continued pursuing related litigation. More recently, its policies governing challenged library books have also drawn state scrutiny.
Richard Barrera currently serves as a senior advisor to State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and previously served 18 years on the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education. His record centers more heavily on the traditional responsibilities of public-school governance: academic performance, educator recruitment and retention, facilities, school funding, and operating a large and diverse school system.
Election Coverage
Reporting, candidate interviews, issue guides, public records, bond analysis, and other election-related articles will be collected here.
We will add more coverage as the races and measures develop.
Official Election Information
Ballots are scheduled to begin mailing by October 5. The online voter-registration deadline is October 19, the first Vote Centers open October 24, and Election Day is November 3, 2026.
Official candidate lists, ballot materials, measure information, voting locations, and election deadlines are available through:
How I’m voting on the 2026 Ballot
Governor: Xavier Becerra
Lieutenant Governor: Fiona Ma
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Richard Barrera
State Assembly District 72: Chris Kluwe
Proposition 2: Yes
Proposition 3: Yes
Proposition 43: No
Measure A: Yes
More information is available here:
