Recount for Los Banos school board seat set for Friday

The heated Los Banos school board Area 4 race between incumbent Dominic Falasco and challenger Gary Munoz isn’t over.

Falasco has filed for a recount with the Merced County Elections Office, less than a week after certified election results revealed Munoz won by just three votes – 658 to 655.

Last Wednesday at a special school board meeting, Falasco said he would discuss the possibility of a recount with his campaign workers.

“After much consideration over the weekend I filed a request for a recount with the County Elections Department on Monday,” Falasco said in a text message Wednesday. “I feel that I owed it to all of those people who gave me such tremendous support during my campaign.”

Merced County Registrar of Voters Barbara Levey confirmed that Falasco filed the request. According to a copy of Falasco’s letter of intent to seek a recount, obtained by the Los Banos Enterprise through Levey’s office, Falasco asked for a manual recount of all votes in school district Area 4.

That recount will start at 9 a.m. Friday, Levey said.

Munoz, who was sworn onto the school board last week, said Wednesday he had no concerns or additional thoughts about the recount.

“Not really concerned, not one bit,” Munoz said. “I ran a good campaign. … I was really surprised that it was that close, and that I won.”

Levey said Falasco was required to pay the elections office a deposit of $2,796.20 for the estimated cost of a one-day recount. The elections office will deploy 12 or 13 people for the recount.

“I’m hoping that we can certainly get through a hand count of all those ballots on Friday,” Levey said, noting that the most time-consuming part of the recount process would be the counting of vote-by-mail ballots.

The elections office will post updates on the recount at the end of each day needed.

The total cost of the recount will go up with each day of work needed, Levey said. Falasco will need to pay an additional deposit for the next day’s estimated cost. He also has the option of ending the recount at any given moment.

If the total of the deposits is more than the total cost of the recount, Falasco will be reimbursed. However, if the recount swings the election to Falasco’s favor, he will be reimbursed the entire amount of the recount. In that case, the elections office will officially amend its certified results.

School board President Anthony Parreira on Wednesday said Munoz will remain the Area 4 trustee until the school district receives notification from the elections office of a Falasco victory.

Falasco and Munoz each have hit roadblocks during their campaigns.

Falasco, a recovering drug addict who said he has been clean for four years, has faced criticism about pending misdemeanor drug charges – allegations he denies.

Falasco also has been commended, and questioned, about his role as an informant in a Merced County District Attorney’s Office investigation that led to corruption charges against another trustee, Tommy Jones. Jones lost his re-election bid last month to new trustee Megan Goin-Soares.

Munoz has faced criticism for supporting and being supported by the controversial community group called the Community Advocacy Coalition, which describes itself as a local civil rights group that champions for underrepresented populations.

Critics have denounced the CAC’s support of Jones, and what they say is a CAC attempt to take over the board.

Munoz also faced heat from the public about his son, who confessed to authorities about vandalizing more than a dozen of Falasco’s campaign signs.

This story was originally published December 14, 2016 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Recount for Los Banos school board seat set for Friday."