Modesto City Schools trustee Steve Grenbeaux remains on the board until his term ends in 2011. Incorrect information appeared in a headline Wednesday on The Back Page.

RIVERBANK — Former Councilwoman Virginia Madueño was leading Tuesday night in the six-way race for mayor.

Modesto's first-ever district elections were supposed to open the door to new voices fueled by low-cost campaigns, but voters' choices on Tuesday showed that money still talks.

Modesto voters embraced none of five growth measures Tuesday, leaving future development in those areas up in the air.

In a fairly quiet election with no major issues, voters nonetheless aimed to knock off incumbents in the Turlock Unified School District election.

CERES -- The incumbents appeared to win re-election in a three-way race for two seats on the Ceres City Council.

Glen Wild ousted Mike Serpa from the Modesto Irrigation District board Tuesday, while incumbents Tom Van Groningen and Paul Warda easily won re-election.

Incumbents Cindy Marks and Nancy Cline and challengers Sue Zwahlen and Ruben Villalobos lead the race for seats on the Modesto City Schools Board of Education, according to unofficial results from Tuesday's election.

TURLOCK — Turlock Irrigation District board members chose a farmer from Hickman for the board's empty seat Tuesday morning. Hours later, voters picked two more candidates with agriculture backgrounds to fill out the board.

Modesto voters are turning their backs on five advisory measures that would have sanctioned new growth around the city’s outskirts. In early returns, all five measures are trailing by margins greater than 58 percent.

Tom Van Groningen has been re-elected to the Modesto Irrigation Board, and Paul Warda also won re-election. But in one of the biggest surprises of the election, Mike Serpa lost his seat to Glen Wild. "The voters have spoken," Serpa said, "and they'll get what they asked for."

City Councilwoman Kristin Olsen jumped to an early lead over challenger Joe Cataline in the race for a City Council seat that represents north-central Modesto.

In the other races, Joe Muratore had just over half the votes, clinging to the prospect of getting elected without a runoff against Jeff Perine.

Dave Geer had a narrow lead over Al Nava in District 4.

Local government is up for grabs today as Stanislaus County voters head to the polls to select their choices for a mix of school boards, city councils and irrigation districts. The polls opened this morning at 7 o'clock, and there was a relatively light turnout reported at some polling places.

Sports fans predict the winners long before the game is over, so it's not unreasonable for political junkies to offer their conclusions before the results are in. Opinions pages editor Judy Sly will be blogging throughout the day today about the election.

Stanislaus County voters face some big decisions at the polls Tuesday, but it's unlikely that more than a third of them will cast ballots. Modesto's City Council election is a historic one. It will be the first in which voters choose representatives for geographic districts.

Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, said Friday he'll run for re-election for a fourth term representing the 18th Congressional District.

Stanislaus County law enforcement officers are looking past Tuesday's local government races and zeroing in on June's sheriff's race.

Modesto City Schools Board of Education candidate Josh Vander Veen plans to meet with voters from 7 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the Modesto Certified Farmers Market. The 24-year-old candidate is calling his campaign "youth for youth."

Colorful mailings for political candidates and causes inundate voters' mail boxes this fall. Programmed phone calls intrude at prime home time. Empty lots, like the small one at Scenic Drive and Oakdale Road, sport more than 20 large candidate signs.

RIVERBANK -- Former Councilwoman Virginia Madueño remains the leader in the six-way race for mayor when it comes to campaign cash.

One of the biggest political fund-raisers this fall comes from one of Stanislaus County's smaller cities.

Candidates for the Modesto City Schools Board of Education are scheduled to speak at a forum today hosted by El Concilio.

One of five Modesto growth measures on the Nov. 3 ballot should not be at the mercy of a citywide vote, some supporters say.

Ceres Mayor Anthony Cannella today is announcing his run for the seat held by Republican state Sen. Jeff Denham, setting the stage for what promises to be a knockout fight for one of California's few swing districts next year.

Today is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election. Members of the League of Women Voters will be available from noon to 4 p.m. in the Modesto-Stanislaus Library with the registration forms. Citizens also can get forms at city offices and the Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters, 1020 I St.