Davis, Holohan and Schavrien lead Redlands races in early election returns

REDLANDS, Calif. — Redlands City Council member Denise Davis held a commanding lead in her reelection bid Tuesday night, while school board incumbent Patty Holohan and candidate Ryan Schavrien led their respective races for the Redlands Unified School District Board of Education, according to early election results.

Davis, who is seeking a third term representing District 1, received 60.48% of the vote in the first returns released Nov. 3. Doug Gonzales followed with 28.4%, and Andrew Hoder received 10.9%.

Davis gathered with supporters at Three Stags in downtown Redlands, where she expressed relief at the early results but stopped short of declaring victory.

"I think election night is always nerve-wracking," Davis said. "I feel a sense of relief after looking at the first batch of results that came in."

Davis' campaign manager, Ulysses Mora-Rodriguez, said the campaign began preparing in January in anticipation of a competitive race.

"We started fundraising early to be able to do a comprehensive campaign, which included mailers, paid ads and tons of canvassing," Mora-Rodriguez said. "And so we did everything we could to try to reach as many people as possible."

The campaign reported raising $77,530, with more than half of the contributions coming from individual donors, according to campaign finance filings.

Davis said she particularly enjoyed knocking on doors and hearing directly from residents about issues affecting their neighborhoods.

Those conversations covered future development, warehouses, housing, accessible parks, splash pads and other family-friendly amenities, along with neighborhood-specific concerns.

For residents who supported another candidate, Davis emphasized that she would continue representing the entire district if reelected.

"I've been proud to be your representative for eight years," Davis said. "I'm always here, even if we don't align on every single political issue."

School board candidates lead in early returns

In the Redlands Unified school board races, Holohan led challenger Dale Broome in Trustee Area 1 with 56.7% of the vote.

Schavrien led the three-candidate race for the open Trustee Area 2 seat with 55.44%, followed by Maria Montes with 32.17% and Tiara Richardson with 12.23%.

Schavrien joined Davis and supporters at Three Stags, while Holohan gathered with supporters across downtown at Mu.

Both school board candidates interpreted the early results as a sign that voters wanted a change in the district's direction following two years of contentious board meetings.

"Tonight, voters showed that they're rejecting the division and the hate, and they want unity and positivity and great things for our students, for our educators, and for our community," Schavrien said.

Schavrien, who is seeking his first term on the board, said he was eager to begin serving the district.

"I'm ready to get to work. I'm ready to make sure that we put our students first and we take care of our educators and that our community feels supported once again," he said.

Across the street, Holohan, who is seeking a sixth term, expressed similar sentiments.

"Today is a great night," Holohan said. "I am very happy that our voters came out for us tonight, and they know what they wanted, and they didn't like what has been happening for the last two years, and they wanted to restore Redlands Unified."

Holohan thanked her supporters and said she hoped to continue the district's legacy.

Supporters call for renewed focus on education

At Three Stags, several attendees said they hoped the election would bring a renewed focus on student achievement and classroom needs following divisions on the school board.

"Just restoring sanity to the school board," said Jenny Cross, who attended the election night gathering with other supporters. "Making sure we focus on student outcomes and education, instead of the circus it has been for the last two years."

Other attendees, including teachers, expressed frustration with the board's recent priorities while schools continue to face staffing and resource challenges. They said they hoped the board would focus more on education and student well-being rather than what they described as culture war issues.

Results remain unofficial

The early returns put Davis and Holohan in position to retain their seats, while Schavrien could join the five-member Redlands Unified Board of Education.

In the other two Redlands City Council races, incumbents Mario Saucedo in District 3 and Paul Barich in District 5 ran unopposed.

The results were based on the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters' initial election night returns, updated at 10:00 p.m. Tuesday. Additional ballots remain to be counted, and the results will not become official until the canvass is complete.

Community Forward Redlands will continue tracking the results as additional ballots are counted. Follow the latest updates in the Redlands Votes 2026 election guide.