Eva Reiser likely to retain seat on Napa Valley School Board, preliminary results show

Incumbent Eva Reiser is likely to retain her seat on the Napa Valley Unified School Board, according to preliminary results.

With 24% of the total potential votes counted in Tuesday night’s first round of elections, Riser led with 62.5% while her opponent, Devin Jones, had 37.5%.

The Press Democrat will rely on information from election officials and the candidates themselves before calling a winner, since not everyone who receives a ballot will vote.

Four of the seven seats on the Napa Valley Unified School District board were contested in this election. Each was contested between the incumbent and the challenger, indicating polarized sentiment toward the school district in the recent past.

Napa Valley Unified is Napa County’s largest school district, serving more than 16,000 students.

This will be Eve Reiser’s second term as the representative of Area 4, which covers south Napa and western American Canyon, on the Napa Valley Unified School Board.

Riser, a longtime Napa resident and former public school teacher, spent her first semester navigating the pandemic and the district’s fiscal emergency.

Ahead of the election, she said her priorities now include improving student achievement and learning and implementing a new strategic vision for the district. Riser also strives to expand access to mental health services, supports English language learners and works to make communities safer by advocating for gun control.

Devin Jones, her opponent, is a farmer who has lived in Napa since he was 3 years old. He competed for the same seat in the 2020 election, when Riser won and took Isela Martin’s seat on the board.

While critical of the district’s handling of the Mayacamas charter school problem, he sought greater financial accountability for the school district.

The district has been opposing the school on legal and financial issues since 2021, and it is currently at the center of a lawsuit between Napa Valley Unified and the Napa County Office of Education.

“They shouldn’t waste money on lawsuits to stifle competition. Most residents doubt their ability to spend money wisely,” he told The Press Democrat.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned.

You can reach Tarini Mehta at 707-521-5337 or [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @MehtaTarini.