ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — NOVEMBER 5, 2026. In the election for North Orange County Community College District Trustee Area 6, the county’s November 4 result lists Paulette Chaffee first with 7,832 votes (28.8%), Jesus Silva second at 7,342 (27.0%), Zonya Townsend third with 6,912 (25.4%) and Jeffrey P. Brown fourth with 5,119 (18.8%). Chaffee’s preliminary lead over Silva is 490 votes. This is a single trustee-area election, not a four-seat contest. These results are an unofficial snapshot, not a certified winner.

Why the top three numbers matter

The distance between the first and second candidates is 490 votes, and the distance from Silva to Townsend is 430. The district needs an official count of the single elected trustee position; being in second or third position is not a second seat. This is different from multi-seat at-large elections for other boards.

College governance reaches beyond one city

The North Orange County Community College District oversees public higher-education institutions and planning that affect students and staff across more than one municipality. Trustee-area boundaries cannot be inferred from city names alone. A candidate’s vote share is calculated from 27,205 reported valid selections in Area 6, not from turnout throughout the county.

Other trustee areas

In Area 1, incumbent Barbara Dunsheath had 18,749 votes compared with Rama R. Maline’s 9,044. In Area 3, Chloe Serrano had 14,806 to Larry Andre’s 6,099 and Paul Gonzales’s 2,722. These are separate elections for other constituencies within the district.

What a community college board oversees

Trustees participate in budget approval, long-term district planning, educational access, workforce training, infrastructure and oversight of college leadership under California law. The candidates’ election-night vote totals do not establish how any individual will vote on future policies.

What the next count could change

These figures come from the Orange County November 3 general-election results, updated November 4 at approximately 5:02 p.m. Pacific. Legal vote counting continues, including qualified vote-by-mail and provisional ballots and post-election checks. The countywide number of outstanding ballots must not be assumed to belong to a particular small district or to have a known candidate preference. The Orange County Registrar of Voters controls the official canvass and will publish certified totals under the legal schedule. California’s statewide certification follows on December 11. No winner is certified by this article.

California58 local elections desk, November 5, 2026. Primary result source: the Orange County by-race tally accessed November 5, reporting cutoff November 4, 5:02 p.m. All figures unofficial. No endorsement of candidates.

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