Proposed King City Joint Unified Board: Hunt Leads Zavala by 20 Votes for Fifth Seat

KING CITY, Monterey County — November 3, 2026, election-night count. The provisional fifth-place margin in the proposed King City Joint Unified School District board election is only twenty candidate selections.

What the first returns show

Linda Benway has 891 selections, David Gaboni 693, Susan E. King 661, Leslie Girard 659 and Mindy Hunt 572. Yesenia Zavala follows with 552. Other named candidates include Marvelia Valdez, Sonia Valerio-Quiroz, Monique D. Ross, Miguel Lomeli and Franky Lopez Jr.

Why this race or measure matters

Five positions are listed in this proposed-board contest, but the governing board would take office only if Measure J’s separate school reorganization is approved. The 20-selection fifth-to-sixth gap is provisional; no official board membership or district formation can be declared from an 8:30 p.m. election-night report.

Result status and reporting cutoff

This article uses Monterey County returns reported as of approximately 8:30 p.m. Pacific on November 3, 2026, as reproduced by Salinas Valley Tribune. These are not newer November 5 figures and are unofficial. Additional mail ballots, provisional ballots, and canvass work can change the counts. Consult the county election office before relying on an outcome as final.

Sources: Salinas Valley Tribune election-night results, November 3; Monterey County Elections office. California58 statewide election coverage.

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