- countyofmonterey.gov (opens in a new tab)Monterey County Elections -- official "Candidate List" page for the November 3, 2026 General Election: within the School section, County Board of Education Governing Board Member contests are listed for Trustee Areas 1, 3, 6, and 7 only -- the same four seats as the county's own Elected Officials roster, confirming these are the only county-section contests this cycle (Areas 2, 4, and 5 are not up until 2028)
- countyofmonterey.gov (opens in a new tab)Monterey County Elections -- official "Elected Officials: Schools Superintendents" roster: names each sitting Monterey County Board of Education trustee by area and next-election date -- Annette Yee Steck (Area 1), Heather Owen (Area 3), Mary Claypool (Area 6), and Sandra Ocampo (Area 7) all show "Next Election: 11/03/2026," while Areas 2, 4, and 5 show 2028, confirming which four seats are up this cycle and who currently holds each
- montereycountynow.com (opens in a new tab)Monterey County Weekly (montereycountynow.com) -- "Monterey County Office of Education board may have three new trustees next year" (Celia Jimenez, Aug. 25, 2026): reports all four county-section races on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot -- Trustee Areas 1, 3, 6, and 7 -- naming every candidate, which incumbents are and are not seeking reelection, and background on each contender, including that outgoing Area 7 incumbent Sandra Ocampo is running instead for Alisal Union School District Area 2, the seat her husband Robert Ocampo currently holds, while he runs for her open MCOE seat
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search for "Rita Patel": no results; no campaign committee or candidate filer entry registered under her name
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search for "Megan Whilden": no results; no campaign committee or candidate filer entry registered under her name
Last updated August 31, 2026.
School District
Monterey County Board of Education, Trustee Area 1
This person serves on the Monterey County Board of Education. The board has 7 members. It runs special education and alternative education programs for the county. It also hears school appeals and decides county budget matters. The term is four years.
The Trustee Area 1 seat is open on November 3, 2026. Rita Patel is a Carmel Unified School District trustee. She faces Megan Whilden, a retired nonprofit director. Three-term incumbent Annette Yee Steck is not running again.
The winner serves a 4-year term on the county's 7-member Board of Education. The county has seven geographic trustee areas. The board sets policy for the County Superintendent of Schools' office. It decides county-level budget and property matters. It hears expulsion and inter-district-transfer appeals from local school districts. The board will also work with the incoming County Superintendent of Schools, Dan Burns. He was elected in June 2026.
The two candidates took different routes toward county-level education governance. Patel would carry what she has learned as a sitting CUSD trustee up a level. Whilden brings a background outside elected school politics. They are a retired nonprofit director and volunteer organizer.
Rita Patel
Rita Patel is a Carmel Unified School District trustee. She is halfway through her third term. She calls the county race a next step. She says the county board should be a stronger partner for local school districts.
Megan Whilden
Megan Whilden is a retired nonprofit director and volunteer organizer. This is their first run for office at the county level.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.