A Closer Look at Pleasanton's November Election

Photo Credit: Joel Martinez / Multiple campaign signs on Bernal Avenue

(PLEASANTON, Calif.) – Pleasanton voters will decide several local races in the general election on November 3. Voters will elect a mayor, two City Council members, and trustees to three seats on the Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees (PUSD). PUSD Vice President Laurie Walker, the incumbent in Trustee Area 2, is running unopposed.

The races come amid ongoing debates over the city budget, housing and growth, public safety, and PUSD’s enrollment and fiscal health. 

In the Pleasanton mayoral race, incumbent Jack Balch is facing off against District 3 Councilmember Julie Testa. Testa, who is term-limited in District 3, filed candidacy papers during the final week of the nomination period, entering a mayoral race that had appeared to be uncontested. 

Balch has served on Pleasanton’s Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation Commission, the City Council, and as vice mayor under former Mayor Karla Brown. His stated priorities include preserving Pleasanton’s quality of life, developing long-term fiscal solutions, and promoting good governance.

Testa, whose District 3 term expires this year, is running for mayor after serving on the Pleasanton City Council for eight years. A nearly 40-year resident of Pleasanton, Testa’s priorities include fiscal responsibility, responsible growth and housing, and public safety.

Photo Credit: Joel Martinez / Campaign signs for Julie Testa, Vin Kruttiventi, and Jack Balch.

In District 1, incumbent Councilmember Jeff Nibert will not be seeking re-election, and two candidates are competing for his seat. Former Councilmember Kathy Narum, who served on the council from 2013 to 2022, is currently the Director of Zone 7 Regional Water Agency. Narum’s opponent in the race is former Congressional candidate Vin Kruttiventi.

A 30-year resident of Pleasanton, Narum also served five years on the Parks and Recreation Commission and five years on the Planning Commission. She has emphasized protecting the city’s water supply and previously served on the City Council’s water subcommittee. Her other priorities include public safety, fiscal responsibility, and economic sustainability, including Stoneridge Mall redevelopment and downtown revitalization.

Kruttiventi describes himself on his campaign website as a community leader, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. Before running for local office, he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in California's 13th Congressional District in 2024 and 2026. Kruttiventi’s stated priorities include fiscal responsibility, the Stoneridge Mall revitalization, public safety, and strengthening the local economy.

Only two candidates are competing for Testa’s District 3 council seat, entrepreneur Reena Gupta and former PUSD Trustee Jamie Yee.

Gupta, a former Pleasanton Connects Ambassador and Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD) Career Technical Education advisor, is running under the slogan “Here to Listen. Here to Serve.” According to her campaign website, Gupta’s stated priorities include workforce readiness and what her campaign describes as “protecting what families count on,” including public safety, parks, roads, the local economy, and water.

Yee brings more than 20 years of public service in Pleasanton, including 12 years as a PUSD Trustee, 10 years as a leader in the Parent Teacher Association, eight years at the City of Pleasanton’s Economic Vitality Committee, and four years on the Civic Arts Commission. Yee’s stated priorities include government transparency, public safety, and planning for the future.

In PUSD’s Trustee Area 2, incumbent Laurie Walker is seeking a second term and is running unopposed. 

In Trustee Area 5, incumbent Trustee Justin Brown will not be running for another term. The three candidates running for Area 5 are attorney and business executive Thomas Choi, Livermore High School teacher Karen Fletcher, and business owner Brett Martinez.

Choi’s stated priorities include fiscal responsibility, academic excellence, and campus preservation. Fletcher’s stated priorities include academic excellence, school safety, and fiscal transparency, while Martinez lists transparency, community involvement, and accountability among his campaign priorities.  

The November 3 election will give Pleasanton voters a say in the city's leadership and the future direction of its public schools.

To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at joel.m@lead4earth.org or leave a comment below with your thoughts.