Candidate Amy Hirsh leads with about 23% of the vote counted
By Nathalie Christian, April 11, 2023
The Solano County Registrar of Voters posted its first round of vote totals at 8:01 PM tonight, showing candidate Amy Hirsh leading by a significant margin. Only 943 out of 4,110 potential ballots have been counted so far, and these have all been mail-in ballots. Ballots cast in person have apparently not yet been counted.
Stay tuned! We will continue to keep an eye on the results and report on them as we can.
Here is the current count:
Early results from the April 11 election show Ms. Amy Hirsh in the lead for mail-in ballots. Election Day results are still unavailable.
Looking for your polling location? Ballot drop-off information? Keep reading!
April 11, 2023
Registered voters living in Area 5 of Benicia (see below for a map) — this is your reminder to VOTE in the Area 5 Special Benicia Unified School District Trustee Vacancy Election TODAY. According to the Solano County Registrar of Voter’s (ROV) website, the first update with election results will be at 8:15 pm today.
Ballot drop boxes and in-person voting locations
In-person voting is taking place at Matthew Turner Elementary from 7 am to 8 pm. Mail-in ballots can still be dropped off at any location below (including Turner Elementary) during the listed times.
Matthew Turner Elementary (540 Rose Dr., Benicia)
TUESDAY — VOTE IN PERSON or drop off your mail-in ballot between 7 am and 8 am.
Solano County Registrar of Voters (675 Texas St., Fairfield)
TUESDAY — Drop off in the 24-hour drop box on Union Ave., but note that the ROV will likely close the box by 8 pm.
A vote for Ariana Martinez is a vote for our kids
Ariana Martinez, LCSW, candidate for Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees, Area 5
If you’ve been following along, you may know that the Benicia Independent has endorsed Ms. Martinez. Ms. Martinez has also been endorsed by the following organizations and officials:
Benicia Teacher’s Association
Napa-Solano Central Labor Council
California State Senator Bill Dodd
Benicia Mayor Steve Young
Benicia Vice-Mayor Terry Scott
Benicia City Council Member Kari Birdseye
Solano County Board of Supervisor Monica Brown
Benicia Unified School Board President Sheri Zada
Benicia Unified School Board Member Mark Maselli
Benicia Unified School Board Member Dr. Gethsemane Moss
Former Benicia Unified School Board Member Andre Stewart
Former Benicia Unified Board Member Gary Wing
Former Benicia Unified School Board Member Gary Wing
Former Benicia City Council Member Dan Smith
Solano County Office Associate Superintendent of Human Resources and Educator Effectiveness Michael Minahen
Fairfield-Suisun Unified District School Board Member Jack Flynn
California School Employee Association Benicia Chapter 1096
Ms. Martinez is a Bay Area native, Benicia High School graduate, and Licensed Clinical Social Worker with hands-on experience in the areas of cognitive psychology, social sciences, organizational development, and education. Read more about Ms. Martinez at www.ariana4busd.com.
Only residents of Area 5 may vote in this special election (see map below).
BUSD Area Map (click to enlarge)
*BUSD Area 5 includes: Mathew Turner School, Lake Herman, Water’s End areas. Click on map to enlarge. Area 5 is in purple.
Local Labor Council Endorses Ariana Martinez for Area 5 School Board Race
April 7, 2023
Ariana Martinez, LCSW, candidate for Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees, Area 5
The Napa-Solano Central Labor Council (NSCLC) has joined the Benicia Teacher’s Association in endorsing Ariana Martinez for the special election to be held on this upcoming Tuesday, April 11, 2023, for the Area 5 Special School Board Race.
Ms. Martinez has also been endorsed by the following organizations and officials:
California State Senator Bill Dodd
Benicia Mayor Steve Young
Benicia Vice-Mayor Terry Scott
Benicia City Council Member Kari Birdseye
Solano County Board of Supervisor Monica Brown
Benicia Unified School Board President Sheri Zada
Benicia Unified School Board Member Mark Maselli
Benicia Unified School Board Member Dr. Gethsemane Moss
Former Benicia Unified School Board Member Andre Stewart
Former Benicia Unified Board Member Gary Wing
Former Benicia Unified School Board Member Gary Wing
Former Benicia City Council Member Dan Smith
Solano County Office Associate Superintendent of Human Resources and Educator Effectiveness Michael Minahen
Fairfield-Suisun Unified District School Board Member Jack Flynn
California School Employee Association Benicia Chapter 1096
Benicia Independent
Ms. Martinez is a Bay Area native, Benicia High School graduate, and Licensed Clinical Social Worker with hands-on experience in the areas of cognitive psychology, social sciences, organizational development, and education. Read more about Ms. Martinez at www.ariana4busd.com.
Why is Benicia having a special election?
As previously reported, this special election is the result of a vacancy that the Board was required to fill after no one ran to represent Area 5 in the November election. Any interested, eligible candidate could have applied for the post. Four candidates applied, including Ms. Martinez.
In November, the Governing Board interviewed the four applicants in open session for the position. After comparing the needs of the district with the experience and backgrounds of each of the candidates, the Board chose by a majority vote to appoint Ms. Martinez.
In response to the Board’s appointment, the unsuccessful applicants chose to gather at least 62 signatures and submit them to the County to rescind the appointment. The special election must be paid for by Benicia Unified School District, taking roughly $60,000 to $80,000 from school budgets that must also support students, teachers, school staff, and school facilities.
The two other candidates in this race are Ms. Amy Hirsh and Dr. Ali Mansouri.
How to vote
According to the Solano County Registrar of Voters, voters can drop off ballots in drop boxes at the following locations:
Solano County Registrar of Voters (675 Texas St., Fairfield)
24-hour drop box on Union Ave.
On Election Day, ballots can be dropped off at any location listed above plus the poll place location listed below, from 7 am to 8 pm:
Matthew Turner Elementary (540 Rose Dr., Benicia)
Only residents of Area 5 may vote in this special election (see map below).
BUSD Area Map (click to enlarge)
*BUSD Area 5 includes: Mathew Turner School, Lake Herman, Water’s End areas. Click on map to enlarge. Area 5 is in purple.
Ariana Martinez has more experience working with a wide range of children than any other candidate
Press Release, March 7, 2023
Ariana Martinez, LCSW, candidate for Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees, Area 5
The Benicia Teachers Association has recently endorsed Ariana Martinez for the special election to be held on April 11, 2023, for the Area 5 Special School Board Race.
Ms. Martinez is a licensed Clinical Social Worker with experience in the Continuing Services Unit with Contra Costa County Children and Family Services.
Ms. Martinez has also been endorsed by California State Senator Bill Dodd; Benicia Mayor Steve Young; Benicia Vice-Mayor Terry Scott; Benicia City Council Member Kari Birdseye; Solano County Board of Supervisor Monica Brown; Benicia Unified School Board President Sheri Zada; Benicia Unified School Board Members Mark Maselli and Dr. Gethsemane Moss; Former Benicia Unified School Board Member Andre Stewart and the Napa/Solano Central Labor Council.
As a Social Worker, Ms. Martinez has helped mentor at-risk youth and their families, strengthening her understanding of the importance of equity in education. She has established successful working relationships with stakeholders including school staff, service providers, parents and community members to assess needs and support sustainable change in the lives of children and families. Ms. Martinez weathered the dark days of the pandemic and all of the new problems it brought, helping children and parents get through the worst of the storm. A passion for helping families still drives her.
Ms. Martinez received her Master’s Degree from the University of Southern California School of Social Work with clinical and personal experience serving diverse populations as well as professional training in human resources and health care as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System’s Student Temporary Employment Program. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California – Irvine with statistical, research, and leadership training in the areas of social sciences, organizational development, experimental psychology, and education. Ms. Martinez is a graduate of Benicia High and understands the many issues students and parents face today.
No one ran to represent Area 5 last year, resulting in a vacancy that the Board was required to fill. Any interested, eligible candidate could apply for the post. Four candidates applied, including Ms. Martinez. As a result, in November, the Governing Board interviewed the four applicants in open session for the position. After comparing the needs of the district with the experience and backgrounds of each of the candidates, the Board chose by a majority vote to provisionally appoint Ms. Martinez.
Along with her many other qualifications, the Board took into consideration Ms. Martinez’s dedication to a fair and effective school system, her knowledge of special education issues, her time seeking better outcomes for at-risk youths, and her unmatched experience working with a wide range of children when compared with any other candidate.
Once Ms. Martinez was chosen, the three unsuccessful applicants aired various concerns to the Board, including the concern that a conflict of interest may limit Ms. Martinez’s ability to fulfil her duties as Board member. The concerns were thoroughly reviewed in view of relevant policy regulations and with the assistance of legal counsel. The review decisively determined that Ms. Martinez was qualified for the post and that she would not be unreasonably restricted in performance of her duties by any conflict of interest.
In response to the Board’s decision to appoint Ms. Martinez, the unsuccessful applicants chose to gather at least 62 signatures and submit them to the County to rescind the appointment. The special election must be paid for by Benicia Unified School District, taking roughly $60,000 to $80,000 from school budgets that must also support students, teachers, school staff, and school facilities.
Three candidates are now on the April 11 ballot: Ms. Amy Hirsh, Dr. Ali Mansouri, and Ms. Ariana Martinez. Only residents of Area 5 may vote in this special election (see map below).
BUSD Area Map (click to enlarge)
*BUSD Area 5 includes: Mathew Turner School, Lake Herman, Water’s End areas. Click on map to enlarge. Area 5 is in purple.
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