Lara, Silveira hold early leads in Merced County Board of Supervisors races
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Luis Lara holds 57.11% in District 3 as precincts report and ballots remain uncounted.
- Incumbent Scott Silveira leads District 5 with 66.48% and all 176 precincts reporting.
- Merced County supervisors serve four-year terms and oversee the county budget.
Newcomer Luis Lara and incumbent Scott Silveira are leading in their respective races for seats on the Merced County Board of Supervisors after polls closed Tuesday night.
In the District 3 race, Lara held 58.2% of the vote in early, unofficial results, while incumbent Daron McDaniel — who has served in the role since 2015 — has received 41.5%.
District 3 is northwest of the city of Merced and includes the communities of Atwater, Winton, Beachwood-Franklin and McSwain.
Lara’s campaign has focused on economic growth and bringing new jobs and businesses to Castle, as well as developing its “full aviation potential.”
In the race to represent Merced County’s District 5, Silveira held a sizable lead, 66.4% to 33.2%, over his opponent, local business owner Miguel Alejandre, with all 176 precincts reporting.
Silveira, 48, has a lot of familiarity with public office in the county: He’s held the role of District 5 representative since he was elected first in 2018. Prior to that, he was a City Council member in Los Banos.
“I’m feeling really good,” Silveira said. “We put a lot of work into this campaign and I think the results showed (that).”
Silveira said that “first and foremost,” he thanks the voters for their trust in reelecting him, as well as his family and campaign team.
“I’m very fortunate that I have a group of people that believe in me and work just as hard as me every day representing the people of District 5.”
District 5 is on the west side of Merced County, encompassing the cities of Dos Palos and Los Banos and a large swath of unincorporated county land. Key issues for the district are public safety and job creation.
Board members serve four-year terms. Their responsibilities include approving the annual county budget, appointing members to the board commission, committees, and advisory boards, and reviewing and overseeing the administration of County programs.
This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 9:47 PM.
