Senate panel advances bill to move county board of education elections to November general election

Sen. Anthony Umberg urged the committee to pass SB 249, a bill to require county board of education elections to be held during the statewide general election, arguing the change would increase voter participation on an issue that shapes local schools. "This is a very simple bill," Umberg told the panel, saying his goal was to "ensure that we have the greatest number of voters making this very important decision."

Supporters told the committee that consolidating contests with the general election would increase turnout and make school governance more representative. Savannah Jorgensen of the League of Women Voters of California said turnout in the 2024 primary was roughly 35% of registered voters versus 51% in the general, and argued lower primary turnout is “a small, unrepresentative slice of the electorate.” She added that SB 249 “opens the doors of democracy wider.” The California Teachers Association, the California Federation of Teachers, the Asian Law Caucus, the California School Employees Association and other groups registered support in the hearing room.

Opponents included Tom Sheehy and Tim Shaw from the Orange County Board of Education, who testified the board was unanimously opposed. Shaw and Sheehy told the subcommittee that local officials value the ability to schedule their board elections at other times and worried about losing that flexibility. The committee acknowledged that local boards can currently change their election dates, a point legislators discussed while questioning the author.

Committee members debated the tradeoffs between statewide turnout and local control. Sen. Susan Choi said a later November election can overwhelm voters with many contests and measures, and she described merits of standalone school board elections when voters can focus on those races. Umberg maintained the change is a statewide interest because higher turnout matters for boards that set local education policy.

After discussion, the subcommittee called the roll and recorded a favorable vote; the bill was reported out of the committee and held on call for absent members during the hearing. The clerk later confirmed the item as advanced to the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee.

What happens next SB 249 moves to the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee for further consideration. The author urged members to support consolidation to increase participation in county board of education contests.