Special election to decide contest for Plumas Unified School District 5 board seat

Plumas County Office of Education Superintendent Andrea Ceresola-White announced June 2 that the vacant District 5 board seat will be determined by special election. The election is planned for November 4, when it can be part of the general election. District 5 includes East Quincy, Graeagle and Whitehawk. The seat was formerly held by Leslie Edlund, who resigned in March. Her term would otherwise have ended in 2026.

The special election comes after current board members were unable to reach the necessary majority to appoint a new board member. Two candidates have stepped forward: Keith Barnett, a building construction contractor, and Matthew De La Montanya, a California Highway Patrol officer.

Initially, it appeared as though Barnett had been appointed to the position with a 2-to-1 vote held at a special meeting in Quincy May 12. However, because only three of the four remaining board members attended the meeting, the vote was invalid. The board re-voted just days later at another school board meeting May 14, with all members in attendance. This time the vote was split 2-to-2. Cindy Crim and Chelsea Harrison voted for Barnett, and Joleen Cline and JoDee Johnson voted for De La Montanya.

Ceresola-White asked Interim PUSD Superintendent Jim Frost for direction. He said that she could make the appointment or it could go to an election. Ceresola-White suggested an election.


https://plumassun.org/2025/06/08/special-election-to-decide-contest-for-plumas-unified-school-district-5-board-seat/