Eight Candidates Will Vie for Community College Board
San Francisco voters will decide three open board seats in the upcoming November 2026 election.
Updated on Sept. 25, 2026 in Elections
Live Poll
Should your local community college prioritize budget cuts to ensure financial stability?
Eight candidates are campaigning for three vacant seats on the San Francisco Community College Board in the November 2026 election. With no incumbents seeking re-election, voters will choose new leadership to oversee the institution following the recent closure of its downtown campus.
Why it matters
The board election arrives as the college seeks to stabilize its operations after a decade of financial mismanagement and declining enrollment. New trustees will be tasked with guiding an institution that currently serves 40,000 students through ongoing fiscal challenges.
Campaign finance reports show Elijah Ball leading with $24,210 in contributions, followed by Erwin Tam at $22,705 and Monroe Lace at $16,380. Candidates are competing for three available board seats, while Ruth Ferguson runs uncontested for a fourth.
The players
Elijah Ball
He is a candidate for the San Francisco Community College Board who currently leads the field in reported campaign contributions.
Erwin Tam
He is a candidate seeking one of the three open board seats with $22,705 in reported campaign funds.
Ruth Ferguson
She is the only candidate running unopposed for a separate fourth trustee seat on the board.
City College of San Francisco
This public community college serves approximately 40,000 students and is governed by an elected board of trustees.
The details
The upcoming election marks a pivotal moment for the college, which closed its downtown campus this past summer. While the board oversees the education of 40,000 students, it continues to grapple with the long-term fallout from financial issues that first emerged ten years ago.
Timeline
The San Francisco Community College Board election is scheduled for November 2026.
City College permanently closed its downtown campus in the summer of 2026.
Mail-in ballots will be distributed to San Francisco voters in October 2026.
Political Context
The 2017 San Francisco free community college tuition program remains the landmark policy context for how board members manage budget allocations. Critics of the current board argue that past financial mismanagement undermines the sustainability of such programs and necessitates new oversight.
The outcome of this election directly determines the leadership responsible for managing the college budget and future campus accessibility for the city's 40,000 students. Residents should monitor the upcoming mail-in ballots in October to participate in shaping the institution's fiscal recovery.
The takeaway
Voters should review candidate filings and platforms to understand how each individual plans to address the college's ongoing budget and campus footprint challenges. Establishing stable leadership is critical to maintaining the educational access that many San Francisco residents rely upon.
What happens next
Mail-in ballots will be distributed to registered voters in San Francisco in October 2026.
Further reading
For more background on local contests, visit the San Francisco Elections portal.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KALW.
Live Poll
Should your local community college prioritize budget cuts to ensure financial stability?
