A vacancy on the Mendocino County Office of Education Governing Board was created by Trustee Michelle Hutchins who began employment with Willits Unified School District which disqualified her from being eligible to be on the Mendocino County Board of Education. The vacancy became effective August 4, 2025, for Trustee Area 3. On September 23, 2025, the Board of Education unanimously voted to provisionally appoint David Strock to fill the vacant board seat immediately. David Strock took the oath of office and assumed all of the duties of a member of the Board of Education.
To challenge the provisional appointment, a petition calling for a special election, containing the valid signatures of at least 1.5 percent of registered voters of Trustee Area 3, must be filed with the Mendocino County Office of Education within 30 days of the date of the provisional appointment (September 23, 2025). If no petition is filed or the petition filed does not have sufficient valid signatures, the provisional appointment of David Strock will become final.