209Connect California

11/04/2026

715 votes. That is the entire spread separating Ana Boyenga (19,012) and Richard Lopez (18,297) with 37,309 votes logged so far.

The green and blue map looks dramatic, but here is what the establishment isn't telling you: this board is still running off Batch 1.

Batch 1 consists primarily of early vote-by-mail ballots returned weeks ago, which historically lean older and more conservative.

What hasn’t hit the board yet?
Thousands of ballots dropped into county drop boxes on Tuesday.

Postmarked mail arriving throughout the week.

Provisional and same-day registration ballots (currently sitting at zero).

In Merced County, that late count heavily represents working families and the Latino vote.

Boyenga took Atwater, McSwain, and Buhach on early mail, but the race is sitting on a razor-thin 50.96% to 49.04% split.

Do not call this race early. The canvass has only just started.

Drop your thoughts below: Did you vote early, or did you hit the drop box on Tuesday? 🗳️

11/04/2026

🛑 REALITY CHECK The late night numbers are official and undeniable.

The Senate map has hit 54 DEM to 44 GOP, marking a decisive swing that dismantles the entire narrative of a dominant MAGA establishment Associated Press.

They spent years acting untouchable in our communities.

They used backroom trades, locked away classroom budgets, and relied on deceitful campaign tactics because they genuinely believed their network held an unbreakable grip on power.

Tonight proved that when everyday citizens wake up and vote, that illusion shatters.

The federal cover they relied on is gone. The statewide wave they promised never landed.

Now, every single local administrator and elected official who rode that wave of entitlement is left standing completely in the open.

No more hiding behind partisan soundbites. No more avoiding audits. No more ignoring the public.

The majority has spoken, and accountability is coming for every level of government.

11/04/2026

LIVE UPDATES - How will it end??

🗳️ BIG SHIFTS: The Senate map now sits at 45 DEM to 34 GOP, with Democrats picking up an additional seat on the board. The live national board just updated at 6:07 PM PST, and the momentum is widening.

Commentators across cable news are fixated on whether the national majority flips, dissecting every swing county across the East Coast and Midwest.

While Washington watches those 45 seats tick upward, keep your focus on our ground zero right here in the Central Valley.

The political machine that runs Merced County has operated under the false belief that national party trends will protect them from local accountability.

They thought if they wrapped themselves in partisan talking points and trade endorsements, no one would notice that six local school districts withheld 21,945,802 dollars directly from classroom instruction.

They thought people would be too distracted by the national map to care that Atwater Elementary ran an 8,046,718 dollar classroom spending deficit under Ana Boyenga’s watch.

They thought national noise would drown out candidates caught tampering with rural mailboxes and dodging state audits.

The national board will settle who chairs Senate committees.

Our local ballot decides whether we dismantle decades of backroom administrative bloat and 100 percent county waiver rubber-stamping.

Stay locked into the big picture, but never let them distract you from the local receipts.

Accountability

11/04/2026

🗳️ BIG SHIFTS: The Senate map now sits at 45 DEM to 34 GOP, with Democrats picking up an additional seat on the board. The live national board just updated at 6:07 PM PST, and the momentum is widening.

Commentators across cable news are fixated on whether the national majority flips, dissecting every swing county across the East Coast and Midwest.

While Washington watches those 45 seats tick upward, keep your focus on our ground zero right here in the Central Valley.

The political machine that runs Merced County has operated under the false belief that national party trends will protect them from local accountability.

They thought if they wrapped themselves in partisan talking points and trade endorsements, no one would notice that six local school districts withheld 21,945,802 dollars directly from classroom instruction.

They thought people would be too distracted by the national map to care that Atwater Elementary ran an 8,046,718 dollar classroom spending deficit under Ana Boyenga’s watch.

They thought national noise would drown out candidates caught tampering with rural mailboxes and dodging state audits.

The national board will settle who chairs Senate committees.

Our local ballot decides whether we dismantle decades of backroom administrative bloat and 100 percent county waiver rubber-stamping.

Stay locked into the big picture, but never let them distract you from the local receipts.

Accountability

11/03/2026

A determination letter is the agency's answer in writing. It should say what it found, what it is withholding and why, and when the rest is coming. If it names an exemption, read it twice — it must cite a specific law, not a general feeling. If it gives no date for the rest, that date is your next question. If it says no records, ask what was searched and with what terms. A vague letter is not a final answer. It is the start of your next letter. Full breakdown in the 209connect newsletter, link in bio.

11/03/2026

A Form 700 can be amended, and that is the point of disclosure. When a filer finds an error or an omission, the correction goes on the record - original still visible, fix dated. Read the original, then check for amendments. Have you ever compared two versions of a filing?

11/03/2026

A candidate for County Superintendent should understand that rules apply on the campaign trail, too. Think about the entitlement: asking voters to trust you with public institutions while treating the rules as optional.

Then there’s her record at Atwater Elementary: the reported $8 million classroom-funding shortfall and county waivers.

A waiver doesn’t erase the accountability question: why wasn’t that money reaching classrooms?

Classroom funding. Campaign conduct. Public trust.
If an administrator cuts corners while asking for your vote, why should voters trust her to oversee public funds across the county?

Public office is a responsibility—not permission to make your own rules.

Check your mailbox. Did you find an unstamped political flyer? Share what you personally witnessed.

11/03/2026

Every year, the county budget decides where public money actually goes. Roads, sheriff patrols, libraries, health clinics, and parks all compete for the same dollars. The county administrator proposes a spending plan, supervisors hold public hearings, and residents can speak before a single vote is taken. The final budget is adopted in public, line by line. Read the proposed budget, find the department you care about, and ask what changed from last year. Full breakdown in the 209connect newsletter, link in bio.

11/02/2026

A Form 700 tells you what an official reported, not everything. It lists disclosed investments, income, gifts, and business positions, so you can see possible conflicts. But it cannot show what was left off, it is not a full picture of wealth, and a clean form is not proof of clean conduct. The form is a starting point, not a verdict. Read it next to the votes, the contracts, and the minutes. The form opens the question, the record answers it. What would you check first? Full breakdown in the 209connect newsletter, link in bio.