ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — NOVEMBER 5, 2026. A trustee election for Santa Ana Unified School District Area 4 remains under the county’s election canvass. The November 4 tally lists incumbent Katelyn Brazer Aceves with 3,973 votes (54.2%) and Sylvia Iglesias with 3,363 (45.8%), giving Brazer Aceves an early 610-vote lead. These results are an unofficial snapshot, not a certified winner.
The actual Area 4 electorate
The source reports 7,336 candidate votes on this question. Santa Ana’s school district trustee geography is distinct from the six wards of the City Council, and it is not interchangeable with the county’s totals for State Assembly, mayor or other offices. Voters should examine their district on the official ballot rather than infer their trustee from their neighborhood name alone.
Another school board contest
In Santa Ana Unified Trustee Area 5, incumbent Hector Bustos had 4,847 votes (68.3%) to Alejandra Rodriguez’s 2,247 (31.7%), an independently reported early result. It is not a continuation of Area 4 and includes voters assigned to another trustee geography.
City ballot Measure N
In Santa Ana’s citywide Measure N vote, Yes led in the early count. The question is about retaining a previously approved city sales-tax rate rather than electing a school trustee. See California58’s existing Measure N coverage. Residents should not combine a citywide tax ballot with a distinct school district election.
Why boards matter
Local trustees help oversee public school spending, educational policy, staffing frameworks and facilities. Their work is governed by public meeting, budget and education laws, and voters will need the county’s certified results before knowing the legal election outcome.
What the next count could change
These figures come from the Orange County November 3 general-election results, updated November 4 at approximately 5:02 p.m. Pacific. Legal vote counting continues, including qualified vote-by-mail and provisional ballots and post-election checks. The countywide number of outstanding ballots must not be assumed to belong to a particular small district or to have a known candidate preference. The Orange County Registrar of Voters controls the official canvass and will publish certified totals under the legal schedule. California’s statewide certification follows on December 11. No winner is certified by this article.
California58 local elections desk, November 5, 2026. Primary result source: the Orange County by-race tally accessed November 5, reporting cutoff November 4, 5:02 p.m. All figures unofficial. No endorsement of candidates.
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