January 6 Participant Karen Jones Loses Bid for Reelection in Santa Ynez
Jones, Serving Three Years Probation for Breaching Capitol, Lost Seat on Community Services District Board
Just a few months after pleading guilty and receiving three years probation for breaching the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Santa Ynez Community Services District boardmember Karen Jones lost her bid for reelection, receiving the least amount of votes of all four candidates in the race. Three seats were open on the Santa Ynez Community Services District Board of Directors, which covers streetlights, sewer collections, and contracts for wastewater and recycled water.
J. Brett Marymee earned the highest proportion of the vote with 28.9 percent, followed in second place by Donald Kelleher with 25.3 percent. Incumbent board president Frank Redfern came in third and re-claimed his seat with 24.7 percent.
Jones, who was also an incumbent, finished last with 20.2 percent or 491 votes total. Jones and her husband both pleaded guilty to federal misdemeanor charges for unauthorized entry into a restricted area of the U.S. Capitol during the 2021 insurrection. The pair was arrested in 2023 after they were identified by FBI investigators through phone records, travel bookings, and surveillance of their Santa Ynez home.
