- 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 "Robert Ocampo": an active committee, "COMMITTE TO ELECT ROBERT OCAMPO BOARD MEMBER, ALISAL UNION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, DISTRICT, AREA 2 (2022)", remains on record for his current school-board seat; no separate committee naming the Monterey County Board of Education or Trustee Area 7 was found
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search for "Shanice Virrueta": 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 7
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.
Monterey County's Board of Education has a Trustee Area 7 race on November 3, 2026. Robert Ocampo is an Alisal Union school board trustee. They are also a former Salinas councilmember. They face Shanice Virrueta, a longtime coach and mentor at United Way Monterey County.
The winner serves a 4-year term on the county's 7-member Board of Education. The board sets policy for the County Superintendent of Schools' office, decides county-level budget and property matters, and hears expulsion and inter-district-transfer appeals from local school districts. The board will also work with incoming County Superintendent of Schools Dan Burns, who was elected in June 2026.
The seat is open because incumbent Sandra Ocampo decided not to seek reelection here -- she's running instead for a seat on the Alisal Union School District board, the seat her husband Robert currently holds, while Robert runs for her open MCOE seat. Both say, if elected, this would be their last term in their new seats.
Robert Ocampo
Ocampo has served Alisal Union School District's Area 2 for eight years. They were on the Salinas City Council before that. They say they'll focus on inter-district transfers. They want creative solutions like on-campus child care.
Shanice Virrueta
Virrueta is a longtime coach and mentor at United Way Monterey County. This is their first run for elected office.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.