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 -- Vedamarie Alvarez Flores board-member bio: Board Vice President, Trustee Area 7 (significant portions of the City of Santa Maria); a retired Santa Maria elementary school teacher and longtime teacher trainer who served a four-year term on the Santa Maria-Bonita School District board before her 2024 provisional appointment to this seat
google.com (opens in a new tab)Santa Barbara County Education Office -- "Interview Questions for Candidates for Provisional Appointment to the Santa Barbara County Board of Education" (Dec. 19, 2023): lists "Sally Lopez, Business Development" among the applicants interviewed for the same Trustee Area 7 vacancy that year (Vedamarie Alvarez Flores was ultimately appointed) -- read from a search-engine snippet of the document after the PDF itself would not render; her 2026 ballot designation ("Business Development Manager") is consistent with this 2023 record
cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search for "Alvarez Flores": no results -- no campaign committee registered with the state under her name
cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search for "Sally Lopez": 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 7

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.

Incumbent Vedamarie Alvarez Flores faces challenger Sally E. Lopez. The seat is Trustee Area 7 on the county Board of Education. Voters decide on November 3, 2026. Lopez also applied for this seat's December 2023 appointment. It went to Alvarez Flores instead.

The winner serves a 4-year term on the county's 7-member Board of Education. It is one of seven trustee areas. The board sets policy for the County Education Office. That office runs the county's special-education and alternative-education programs. It supports local school districts. It also hears expulsion and inter-district-transfer appeals. Area 7 covers significant portions of the City of Santa Maria.

The choice is between an appointed incumbent and a challenger passed over for this same seat's 2023 appointment. Alvarez Flores is seeking her first elected term. It is a rematch of sorts. This time voters decide it, not the board itself.

Vedamarie Alvarez Flores

Alvarez Flores is the incumbent Area 7 trustee. She is also the board's vice president. She was appointed to the seat in 2024. Before that she served a term on the Santa Maria-Bonita School District board. She is a Santa Maria native. She is a retired elementary school teacher and a longtime teacher trainer. She says she is running to continue helping local students and schools.

Sally E. Lopez

Sally E. Lopez is a Santa Maria business development manager. They are challenging Alvarez Flores for the Area 7 seat. They applied for this same seat's appointment in December 2023. Alvarez Flores got it instead. No campaign website or platform statement was found. No news coverage of their 2026 run was found.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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