Preliminary results for open seats on the Long Beach Unified and Compton Unified School Districts are in, after the LA County registrar released its first batch of results for the June 2 primary election at 9:18 p.m. Tuesday evening.
The first batch of returns included only vote-by-mail ballots that were received before Election Day. The registrar was scheduled to continue updating the results throughout Tuesday night until all VBMs and Vote Center ballots cast through Election Day are tallied. The semiofficial results for the June 2 primary were set to come out sometime early Wednesday morning.
Unless one candidate wins a majority vote during the primary — that is, more than 50% of the votes — the top-two candidates will carry on their campaigns to the November general election.
Here are the candidates who are leading to fill these positions after the Los Angeles County registrar’s office released its early election results around 9:18 p.m. Tuesday.
• Also see: June 2 Primary Election Results
Maria Isabel Lopez, candidate for Long Beach Unified School Board in District 1. (Courtesy of Maria Isabel Lopez)
Deborah L. Betance, candidate for Long Beach Unified School Board in District 1. (Courtesy photo)
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Maria Isabel Lopez, candidate for Long Beach Unified School Board in District 1. (Courtesy of Maria Isabel Lopez)
In the Long Beach Unified School District, the First District represents campuses in the Bixby Knolls and North Long Beach areas. Incumbent Maria Isabel López was challenged by Deborah Lisa Betance, a retired LBUSD educator. López appeared to be leading with 77% of the votes so far, while Betance had about 23%.
Diana Craighead, candidate for LBUSD Board in District 5. (Courtesy of Diana Craighead)
Maureen “Quinn” Flaherty is a candidate for the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education’s Fifth District in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Maureen Flaherty’s campaign)
Sara Socheata Pol-Lim is a candidate for the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education’s Fifth District in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Sara Socheata Pol-Lim)
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Diana Craighead, candidate for LBUSD Board in District 5. (Courtesy of Diana Craighead)
There are three candidates for District 5, which represents East Long Beach and Lakewood schools. Incumbent Diana Craighead appeared to be leading with nearly 54% of votes, while challengers education specialist Maureen “Quinn” Flaherty had about 35%, and Sara Socheata Pol-Lim, an independent contractor, had about 11%.
Tana McCoy, candidate for Compton Unified School District in Truestee Area B. (Courtesy photo)
Mae Thomas, candidate for Compton Unified School District in Trustee Area B. (Courtesy photo)
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Tana McCoy, candidate for Compton Unified School District in Truestee Area B. (Courtesy photo)
For Compton Unified School District, Trustee Area B represents campuses on the city’s west side. The area is currently represented by Ayanna Davis, who is running for the 65th Assembly District. Vying for the vacant seat are Tana McCoy, who is a personnel commissioner at CUSD, and Mae Thomas, a retired financial screener and former board member. The candidate in the lead appeared to be McCoy with about 56% of votes so far, while Thomas trailed with about 44%.
Alma Taylor-Pleasant, candidate for Compton Unified School District in Trustee Area E. (Courtesy photo)
Tonya Craft-Perry, candidate for Compton Unified School District in Truestee Area E. (Courtesy photo)
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Alma Taylor-Pleasant, candidate for Compton Unified School District in Trustee Area E. (Courtesy photo)
Trustee Area E represents schools in East Compton, and two candidates are running for the seat, which are incumbent Alma Taylor-Pleasant and opponent Tonya Craft-Perry, an educator and minister. Taylor-Pleasant appeared to be in the lead with 70% of votes, while Craft-Perry had 30%.