- content.civicplus.com (opens in a new tab)Santa Barbara County Elections Division -- "Qualified Off Ballot Contest/Candidate List for Schools and Special Districts, November 3, 2026 General Election" (CFMR001, printed 8/17/26): County Board of Education Trustee Area 1 shows exactly one qualified candidate, incumbent Marybeth Carty, and is marked NOT ON BALLOT -- filled by acclamation, not decided by voters this cycle. Trustee Areas 5 and 7 do not appear anywhere in this off-ballot document
- content.civicplus.com (opens in a new tab)Santa Barbara County Elections Division -- "Qualified On Ballot Contest/Candidate List for Schools and Special Districts, November 3, 2026 General Election" (CFMR001): County Board of Education Trustee Area 5 shows two qualified candidates -- incumbent Judith Ann Frost (Judy Frost) and Griselda M. Ruiz ("Business Owner/Mom") -- and Trustee Area 7 shows two -- incumbent Vedamarie (AIL) Alvarez-Flores and Sally E. Lopez ("Business Development Manager") -- both ON BALLOT
- sbceo.org (opens in a new tab)Santa Barbara County Education Office -- "Board Members & Area Maps": the county Board of Education's own page, naming each of the seven trustee-area members and their year elected/appointed and term-expiration year -- Marybeth Carty (Area 1, elected 2013, term expires 2026), Judy Frost (Area 5, elected 2018, term expires 2026), and Vedamarie Alvarez Flores (Area 7, Board Vice President, appointed 2024, term expires 2026) among them
- sbceo.org (opens in a new tab)Santa Barbara County Education Office -- Judy Frost board-member bio: began serving May 2018, represents Trustee Area 5 (Orcutt and the Santa Maria Valley); two decades as a controller for Orange County technology companies, then managing director of the Pacific Conservatory Theater at Allan Hancock College (retired 2007); B.S. in Accounting, CSU Long Beach; active volunteer leadership across several local arts and education nonprofits
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search for "Frost": "FROST FOR BOARD OF EDUCATION 2026" (Filer #1493686), status ACTIVE, distinct from a prior, TERMINATED "FROST FOR SBC BOARD OF EDUCATION AREA 5 2022" committee -- confirming she also sought this same seat in 2022
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search for "Griselda Ruiz": no results -- no campaign committee registered with the state under her name
- countyofsb.org (opens in a new tab)Santa Barbara County -- "Candidate Filing Information for November 3, 2026 General Election": the county's own 'Offices to be Filled' table lists Board of Supervisors, 5th District and County Board of Education Trustee Areas 1, 5, and 7 as the four county-section seats with terms expiring this cycle -- confirming which seats are up, not who filed or whether each reaches the ballot
Last updated September 7, 2026.
School District
Santa Barbara County Board of Education, Trustee Area 5
This person holds one of seven seats on Santa Barbara's County Board of Education. The board sets policy for the County Education Office. That office runs special and alternative education programs and supports local school districts. It also hears expulsion and inter-district-transfer appeals, and the term is four years.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Education has a contested Trustee Area 5 race. It is on the ballot November 3, 2026. Incumbent Judy Frost faces first-time challenger Griselda M. Ruiz. Only two county Board of Education seats are contested this cycle. Area 1's incumbent drew no opponent. That trustee will not be on the ballot.
The winner serves a 4-year term on the county's 7-member Board of Education, one of seven trustee areas. The board sets policy for the County Education Office, which runs the county's special-education and alternative-education programs, supports local school districts, and hears expulsion and inter-district-transfer appeals. Area 5 covers Orcutt and the Santa Maria Valley.
The choice is between an eight-year incumbent's finance-and-nonprofit-leadership background and a first-time challenger about whom little beyond their ballot designation, "Business Owner/Mom," could be independently confirmed in this pass.
Judy Frost
Judy Frost is the incumbent Area 5 trustee. Voters first elected her in 2018. Her area covers Orcutt and the Santa Maria Valley. She worked as a controller for Orange County technology companies. She was then managing director of the Pacific Conservatory Theater at Allan Hancock College. She holds a B.S. in Accounting from CSU Long Beach. She holds board leadership roles at several Santa Maria area arts and education nonprofits.
Griselda M. Ruiz
Griselda M. Ruiz is a first-time candidate. They are challenging incumbent Judy Frost for the Area 5 seat. Their ballot designation is "Business Owner, Mom." No campaign website or platform statement was found. No news coverage of their run was found. No campaign finance committee is registered under their name.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.