San Joaquin County voters will elect representatives for four seats on the Stockton Unified School District Board of Trustees on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
There are seven trustees on the board, each representing one of seven areas within the school district, which serves 33,239 students. Trustees are limited to two four-year terms.
In each race for the board of trustees, challengers are seeking to unseat an incumbent. Some races also include candidates who appear to be inactive and have little or no publicly available information about their campaigns.
For the Area 6 and 7 races, all candidates but one were able to be reached for comment.
Below is a look at the candidates in the races for the Area 6 and 7 trustee seats.
in SUSD Areas 2, 5
Area 6
Incumbent Sofia Colón is running against challenger Christina McBrian to represent Area 6.
Schools in Area 6 include August Elementary, Cesar Chavez High School, John C. Fremont Elementary School, Grunsky Elementary School, Harrison Elementary School, Peyton Elementary School, Rio Calaveras Elementary School, and the Young Adult Program.
Sofia Colón
In an Oct. 9 interview, Colón said she's running for re-election because, "I want to continue the great work that we've completed, and we've got more work to do."
Colón was elected to be Area 6 trustee in the November 2022 general election, and in December 2025 was voted board president by the board of trustees.
Colón said her top priorities are continuing to improve student achievement, maintaining fiscal stability and increasing community engagement.
Colón said the most significant achievement since she took office was the removal of California's high risk designation from the school district.
"When I first started ... the district was facing some very real challenges with their fiscal solvency. I'm really proud that part of the work that we've done as a board is we've hired ... an awesome, wonderful superintendent who is working hand in hand with the board. We've been able to answer to the state's requirement and the county's requirements ... and the result is we're removed from the high risk designation," Colón said.
Since she joined the board, Colón said the district has also achieved a graduation rate of more than 92% — the highest the district has ever had — and the percentage of second graders reading at grade level has risen from 6% to 50%.
"That's another remarkable achievement that a lot of folks just kind of laughed at," Colón said. "They didn't believe it could happen, but it requires the belief and the stability from the top leadership to our classroom sites; everybody has to believe it, and I'm so proud that we all do believe in our students."
If she is re-elected, Colón hopes to continue to advocate for increased resources for students receiving special education services, a particular area of need in Area 6.
Colón was "born and raised" in Stockton and currently works as an emergency department coder at Kaiser Permanente, where she has worked for over 20 years.
Christina McBrian
McBrian told The Record on Oct. 9 that she's running because she "hopes to make a difference."
McBrian is retired now, but previously worked in special education at Stockton Unified School District for 20 years. McBrian said her top priorities are eliminating corruption and making schools safe.
To address these issues, McBrian said she would, "look for it and investigate what's going on at schools ... especially in the district I am running for."
McBrian has no campaign website or publicly listed contact information.
Area 7
Incumbent Kennetha Stevens is running against challenger David Padilla in the race to represent Area 7.
Schools in Area 7 include Adams Elementary School, Hong Kingston Elementary School, Kennedy Elementary School, Kohl Elementary School, Pulliam Elementary School, Flora Arca Mata Elementary School, Stagg High School, Pacific Law Academy and the Walton Special Center.
Kennetha Stevens
Stevens told The Record she's proud of the work the board has done since she took office in 2022, and she's running because "there's more work to do."
Her top priorities include "increasing student achievement and graduation rates, ensuring continued fiscal stability, strengthening school safety, and expanding family engagement."
An issue particularly impacting Area 7 that Stevens hopes to address in a potential future term is chronic absenteeism.
"Although the rates have declined, the numbers remain way too high. When students aren't in school, they aren't learning," Stevens said.
Stevens pointed to the improvements the school district has seen in the past four years as evidence that she's the best candidate for the job.
"We now have a superintendent who has served Stockton Unified longer than any of the previous 10 superintendents," Stevens said. "All key leadership positions are filled by permanent employees, and we have a skilled, high-functioning Board that isn't afraid to challenge the system, advocate for equity, and prioritize student achievement."
According to Stevens, these changes have produced demonstrable results, including the district's all-time-high graduation rate, the removal of the state's high-risk designation, and addressing all findings from two grand jury reports, one of which previously found that "more can be done" to keep students safe in San Joaquin County schools.
Stevens also addressed the inactivity of her opponent David Padilla, who she called a "ghost candidate."
"... (Padilla) has ties to several high profile individuals in the city of Stockton who I consider to be bad actors," Stevens said. "With that being said, I believe our school district, its fiscal stability and students' education would be at risk in the hands of a ghost candidate."
David Padilla
Padilla did not respond to calls or emails sent Friday, Oct. 9, and Monday, Oct. 12
A LinkedIn profile believed to belong to Padilla, whose full name is Peyton David Padilla, is listed as having attended the University of the Pacific from 2021 to 2023.
In 2024, Padilla held a position as a physical education teacher for the school district, according to Open Payrolls.
Padilla has no campaign website or publicly listed contact information.
Drew Askeland covers Stockton and San Joaquin County government issues, as well as anything else that needs reporting for the Stockton Record and USA Today Network. Reach him at daskeland@gannett.com or (530) 225-8247. Please subscribe today to support our newsroom's commitment to public service journalism.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton school board Area 6 and 7 candidates face off in election
