18 Nov Guadalupe Enllana Confident She’ll Hold Her Lead in WCCUSD Race

(Image courtesy of West Contra Costa Unified School District via Bay City News)

By Samantha Kennedy

Thousands of ballots continue to be counted in Contra Costa County over a week after Election Day, but many winners are set. West Contra Costa school board Area 2 candidate Guadalupe Enllana thinks she’s one of them.

“This race has been hard-fought, and I am deeply grateful to the voters of Area 2 for giving me the opportunity to serve as your Trustee,” she said in a Nov. 12 post, writing she was confident she would have “secured the win” once all votes were counted.

An update to unofficial results on Friday afternoon shows that Enllana, who has maintained her lead over incumbent Otheree Christian since initial results, holds an over 900 vote lead. 

Enllana leads with 53.9% with 6,445 votes over Christian’s 46.10%, or 5,512 votes. 

“I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to address the issues that matter most to our families,” she continued. 

Last Wednesday’s update showed Enllana leading with 53.8% of the vote, totaling 6,414 votes, over Christian’s 47.2% or 5.500 votes.

After board members take office in January — including Area 3’s Cinithia Hernandez and Area 1 incumbent Jamela Smith-Folds, entering her second term, who automatically won because they ran unopposed — they will begin the search for a new superintendent following Kenneth “Chris” Hurst’s retirement and deal with staffing shortages, rebuilds of two high schools and ongoing financial problems. 

Area 2 represents various neighborhoods in Richmond and includes the schools of Stege Elementary School, which was temporarily closed and operations relocated to DeJean Middle School (also in Area 2), and Kennedy High School, which will undergo major renovations to create a new classroom building and administration wing. 

Enllana ran a campaign prioritizing family engagement in the educational process, analyzing and improving student outcomes through data, and investing in services for some of the district’s most disadvantaged students, including those who are in special education programs. 

Enllana is endorsed by Richmond City Council member Soheila Bana, former Richmond Vice Mayor Demnlus Johnson III and the 23rd Street Merchants Association, according to her campaign’s Facebook page. 

Over 14,000 ballots are still being counted, according to the Contra Costa County Elections Office, and most of those were received as conditional or provisional ballots. Another estimated 4,000 ballots are in review or damaged. 

Another update is expected this Friday at 4 p.m.