- sonomacounty.gov (opens in a new tab)Sonoma County Registrar of Voters -- "Local Candidates Who Have Filed," November 3, 2026 General Election: the county's own provisional roster, showing exactly two county-section contests (Board of Education Trustee Areas 2 and 4), each candidate's ballot designation, qualification date, and incumbent flag. States a final list won't post until "the end of August or the beginning of September"; last updated 8/17/26 and unchanged on a live re-check 2026-08-31, after both the regular (Aug. 7) and extended (Aug. 12) nomination deadlines had passed
- scoe.org (opens in a new tab)Sonoma County Office of Education -- "County Board of Education" page: names all five sitting trustees by area (Cuclis Area 1, Kostas Area 2, Watts Area 3, Herrington Area 4, Hernandez Area 5), confirming Peter Kostas -- not a 2026 candidate -- as the outgoing Area 2 incumbent and Steve Herrington (elected 2022, term expires 2026) as the sitting Area 4 incumbent, independent of the candidate roster
- petalumavoice.org (opens in a new tab)Petaluma Voice -- local elections filing roundup (Aug. 5, 2026; updated Aug. 6, 2026, 3:11 p.m.): lists "Sonoma County Board of Education, Trustee Area #2, one seat: Caitlin Quinn; Jonathan Lenz" -- an independent local outlet's roster, corroborating the county's own two-candidate field
- petalumacityschools.org (opens in a new tab)Petaluma City Schools -- "Board of Education" page: lists Caitlin Quinn as the sitting Trustee Area 2 board member (term Dec. 2022-Dec. 2026) on that separate district-level board -- confirms her current elected role independent of the county candidate roster
- petalumanews.com (opens in a new tab)The Press Democrat / Petaluma Argus-Courier -- "Here are the candidates running for Petaluma's school board seats" (Aug. 18-19, 2026): reports that PCS board members Caitlin Quinn, Mady Cloud, and Joanna Paun are not seeking reelection to their district-level board seats -- independent corroboration that Quinn's 2026 candidacy is for the separate county board, not a repeat run for her current seat
- pressdemocrat.com (opens in a new tab)The Press Democrat -- "Petaluma school board draws a crowded race" (Oct. 25, 2018): identifies Caitlin Quinn's profession at the time as "nonprofit communications director" during an earlier, separate Petaluma City Schools board run -- independent, dated corroboration of a career consistent with her 2026 "Nonprofit Union President" county-ballot designation
- marinij.com (opens in a new tab)Marin Independent Journal -- "Marin mother who lost son to suicide pleads for early ..." (Aug. 4, 2018): identifies Jonathan Lenz as Marin County's assistant superintendent for special education, quoting him on the county office's protocol work -- independent corroboration of a career consistent with his 2026 "Educator" ballot designation
- petalumanews.com (opens in a new tab)Petaluma Argus-Courier -- "Petaluma school board races set" (Aug. 25, 2016): reports Jonathan Lenz as one of three newcomers elected that year to Sonoma County's own Old Adobe Union School District board -- Old Adobe sits within Trustee Area 2's Southwest-county footprint; independent, dated local reporting of a prior local-board win, not a fabricated credential
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search for "Lenz": no filer of any kind under Jonathan Lenz's name -- no committee registered for this race
- cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search for "Caitlin Quinn": the only filer found is a terminated "QUINN FOR PETALUMA JOINT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD TRUSTEE 2018" committee, for a different, earlier PCS-family race -- no committee registered for this 2026 county race
Last updated August 31, 2026.
School District
Sonoma County Board of Education, Trustee Area 2 (Southwest County)
This person holds the Trustee Area 2 (Southwest County) seat on the 5-member Sonoma County Board of Education. It sets policy for the County Superintendent of Schools' office, which runs the county's special-education and alternative-education programs and hears expulsion and inter-district-transfer appeals from the county's local school districts. The term is four years.
Sonoma County's Board of Education has an open seat in Trustee Area 2. Board President Peter Kostas did not file for another term. Two first-time county board candidates qualified. They are educator Jonathan Lenz and Caitlin Quinn. Quinn is president of the Petaluma City Schools board.
The winner serves a 4-year term on the 5-member County Board of Education. The board sets policy for the County Superintendent of Schools' office. That office runs the county's special education and alternative education programs. It also hears expulsion and inter-district transfer appeals. Those appeals come from Sonoma County's local school districts.
Both candidates already work in K-12 education, just from different chairs. Lenz brings a career in special education administration. He also served a past turn on a local elementary district board. Quinn brings four years chairing a different, city level school board. She also has a nonprofit sector day job. Neither has run for this seat before. So the choice is less about a contested record. It is more about which kind of education experience voters want on the county board. That means administrative or governing experience.
Jonathan Lenz
Jonathan Lenz is a special education administrator based in Petaluma. He is running for the open Trustee Area 2 seat. He was elected to the Old Adobe Union School District board in 2016.
Caitlin Quinn
Caitlin Quinn is president of the Petaluma City Schools Board of Education. She works as a nonprofit union president. She is running for the open county seat. She has served on the Petaluma school board since first winning election in 2018.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.