By John Todd | Rio Linda Online
While voters across California will face a long list of choices in the November 3 General Election, the ballot looks considerably quieter when it comes to some of Rio Linda and Elverta’s most local governing boards.
In several races, there simply weren’t enough candidates to create a contest.
But there is one notable exception.
The Rio Linda/Elverta Community Water District Board of Directors will feature a genuine four-way race for two seats, giving local voters a choice between an incumbent and three challengers for positions on the five-member board responsible for one of the community’s most essential public services.
Sacramento County election records show four candidates have qualified:
Jennifer Boddie, Vicky A. Young, the incumbent; Joshua MacCulloch, and Nevaeh Moore.
Voters will be able to select two. (Sacramento County Elections)
Two Water District Seats, Four Candidates
The two seats being decided this year are currently held by Vicky Young and Anthony L. Cline, whose four-year terms expire in 2026. Cline, currently identified by the district as board president, is not among the qualified candidates seeking the new term.
Young is therefore the only incumbent in the race. (Sacramento County Elections)
That leaves voters with an unusually clear choice about the future makeup of the board.
Three other directors — Jason Green, Chris Gifford and Maria Liverett — have terms running through 2028. That means the November election will determine two-fifths of the governing board, but it cannot by itself change the three seats that aren’t up for election this year. (Rio Linda Water District)
The Water District is an independent local government agency, and its board makes decisions that can have a direct effect on household budgets and the long-term infrastructure serving Rio Linda and Elverta.
Those decisions are particularly relevant now.
The district’s financial documents have previously identified the need to consider another multi-year water-rate adjustment beginning in 2026. Its earlier rate structure, adopted in 2021, established adjustments through 2025. The district has also faced expenses related to state water-quality requirements, including treatment for hexavalent chromium, along with debt service and other infrastructure and operating costs. (Rio Linda Water District)
That puts questions of water rates, infrastructure investment, regulatory compliance, long-term debt and fiscal management squarely in front of the board that will take shape after this election.
The district holds its regular board meetings on the fourth Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Visitor’s/Depot Center, 6730 Front Street in Rio Linda. (Rio Linda Water District)
The Candidates
Jennifer Boddie qualified for the ballot using “Mother” as her ballot designation and is the only candidate among the four whom Sacramento County currently lists as having filed a candidate statement. County records also list a campaign website for Boddie. (Sacramento County Elections)
Vicky A. Young is seeking another term on the board. Young’s current term expires this year, and the Water District says she has lived in Rio Linda since 1980 and raised four children in the community. (Rio Linda Water District)
Joshua MacCulloch qualified with the ballot designation “Small Business Owner.” (Sacramento County Elections)
Nevaeh Moore qualified with the ballot designation “Wellness Coach.” (Sacramento County Elections)
Sacramento County lists all four as qualified candidates and confirms that, unlike several other local contests, the RLECWD race will appear on the ballot. (Sacramento County Elections)
Rio Linda Online intends to provide voters with additional information about the four candidates and their positions as the election approaches.
Park District Election Is Already Decided
There won’t be the same competition for three seats on the Rio Linda-Elverta Recreation and Park District Board of Directors.
Three positions are up this year, and exactly three candidates qualified:
Lisa L. Burnham-Morris, incumbent; Troy Golden, small business owner; and Deanna Read, appointed incumbent.
With three candidates for three positions, Sacramento County lists the contest as “On Ballot: No.” (Sacramento County Elections)
The county’s roster of elected officials shows the seats currently held by Lisa Morris, Deanna Read and Troy Golden are the three positions scheduled for the 2026 election. The other two directors, Wayne Del Nero and Charlea Moore, have terms extending to 2028. (Sacramento County Elections)
In practical terms, local voters will not be choosing among competing candidates for the Park District board this fall.
Burnham-Morris, Golden and Read are the only qualified candidates for the three available seats.
Elverta School Board Has the Opposite Problem
The situation at the Elverta Joint Elementary School District is more unusual.
There are three governing board seats available — but only two qualified candidates.
Sacramento County lists Jonathan D. Anthony and Ruben Ramirez, both identified as appointed incumbents, as the only qualified candidates.
The contest is listed as “Vote for 3,” but the county says it will not appear on the ballot. (Sacramento County Elections)
That leaves one of the three available positions without a candidate.
The shortage is particularly noteworthy because candidate filing for Elverta Joint Elementary was extended in August after an eligible incumbent did not file by the regular deadline. The extension gave non-incumbents additional time to step forward. Even after that additional filing opportunity, only Anthony and Ramirez qualified for the three available positions. (Rio Linda Online News)
The ultimate handling of the remaining seat is governed by California’s procedures for school-board positions for which insufficient candidates are nominated, rather than being decided by voters choosing among candidates on the November ballot.
For a small school district, the absence of even a third candidate is also a reminder of a persistent challenge in local government: finding residents willing to serve on the boards making decisions closest to home.
Twin Rivers’ Rio Linda Seat Was Settled in June
Rio Linda’s seat on the Twin Rivers Unified School District Board of Trustees won’t appear on the November ballot for a different reason.
Twin Rivers conducts its board elections on a different cycle, and Trustee Area 4 — which includes Rio Linda and extends into Placer County — was scheduled for the June 2, 2026 election. Sacramento County’s elected-official records identify Stacey Bastian as the Area 4 trustee, while Placer County election records show Bastian was the only qualified candidate for Trustee Area 4.
Placer County therefore listed the contest as “On Ballot: No.” (Sacramento County Elections)
With no opponent, Bastian continued into the upcoming term and has been sworn in.
The result means Rio Linda’s representation on the seven-member Twin Rivers board remains unchanged without voters having to choose between candidates.
Twin Rivers’ Area 2 and Area 6 positions were also on the June 2026 election cycle, while Areas 1, 3, 5 and 7 are next scheduled for 2028. (Sacramento County Elections)
The school board oversees a district with a substantial budget and responsibility for schools throughout Rio Linda, North Highlands, Del Paso Heights and surrounding communities. Twin Rivers adopted its 2026-27 budget in June. (Twin Rivers)
For Rio Linda voters, however, there is no Twin Rivers trustee decision left to make this year.
A Ballot With Fewer Local Choices
Taken together, the candidate filings paint an unusual picture of local democracy in Rio Linda and Elverta in 2026.
The Park District had exactly enough candidates to fill its three available positions.
Elverta Elementary didn’t get enough candidates to fill all three of its available seats.
Twin Rivers Area 4 drew only its incumbent.
Only the Rio Linda/Elverta Community Water District attracted more candidates than available positions.
And that makes the Water District race one of the most consequential purely local decisions Rio Linda and Elverta voters will actually make at the ballot box this November.
Four people want two seats.
One is an incumbent. Three are challengers.
The two winners will join three directors whose terms continue through 2028, and they will take office at a time when the district continues to confront questions involving rates, infrastructure, water quality, regulatory requirements and the long-term cost of providing water to the community. (Rio Linda Water District)
For voters who sometimes skip the smaller races near the bottom of a ballot, this is one worth paying attention to.
Unlike several other local offices this election cycle, the choice has not already been made for them.
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