West Valley sees low-key local races amid tense presidential election
On the backdrop of a contentious presidential election and with some of the Bay Area’s local and congressional races drawing national attention, the West Valley’s local races were quiet by comparison.
The most exciting thing to happen in the area on Election Day was arguably a series of public safety power shutoffs by PG&E triggered by red flag fire conditions, which affected polling locations including Los Gatos’s Lakeside Elementary School.
City council races in Los Gatos, Saratoga and Monte Sereno were canceled earlier this year due to a lack of candidates, and with mostly incumbents pulling papers to run for those seats, some candidates were directly appointed to their positions.
Saratoga’s only two contested local races were for seats on the Saratoga Union School District and West Valley Mission Community College District boards. A Los Gatos Union School District facilities bond measure appeared to have the support it needed to pass as of Friday, Nov. 8, at the same time that residents across California voted largely in favor of a statewide school facilities bond measure.
The West Valley-Mission Community College District had three open seats on its board of trustees. Paul Fong was in the lead for trustee area 2, which covers parts of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, with 54.98% of the vote, compared to Robert T. ‘Bob’ Owens’ 45.02%. Candidate Adrienne Grey comfortably led the race for trustee area 6 with 59.75% compared to Rebecca Wong’s 40.25%. Trustee area 6 encompasses part of Campbell and San Jose’s Cambrian neighborhood.
Diane Lamkin remained in the lead for trustee area 5’s short-term seat with 61.43% of the vote. Lamkin faced off against candidate Mary-Lynne Bernald, a former Saratoga mayor, who was appointed to the seat in March after longtime trustee Jack Lucas died in late January.
Los Gatos Union School District’s Measure CC is a bond measure that would secure $163 million to improve school facilities at its elementary and middle schools. The measure appeared to have the more than the 55% of the vote it needed per the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, with 65.97% of voters approving it as of Friday, Nov. 8.
Though supporters of the measure felt confident that it would get the votes it needed, the community’s approval comes after a parcel tax increase measure that was put before voters in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District’s attendance area narrowly passed by just a handful of votes in a special election this May.
Four candidates faced off in the race for two four-year board seats in the Saratoga Union School District, but three days out from the election, Melissa Stanis and Ramya Vasu maintained a comfortable lead. Stanis had 35.88% of the vote and Vasu followed with 27.74%. Jingyuan Huang and Yacoub Elziq trailed with 22.72% and 13.66% of the vote, respectively.
Three West Valley entities saw open seats on their boards this year but had an equal number of candidates and open seats.
Incumbents Theresa Bond and Katherine Tseng are the only two trustees who pulled papers for their seats on the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District board In the Los Gatos Union School District board race, incumbent Daniel B. Snyder and newcomer Andrew Howard were the only two who qualified for the ballot this year.
The Saratoga Fire District, which provides fire and emergency services for 12.5 miles of the city of Saratoga and unincorporated land to the south of the city, had two open seats on its board of directors. Chiiming Kao and Eugene Louis Zambetti were running uncontested.
These races did not appear on the ballot, and as such the candidates are likely to be appointed to their seats by the end of the year.