Pleasanton's Nov. 3 ballot came into focus over the past three weeks, and it is shaping up to be the most contested city election in years.
The nomination window opened July 13 and closes at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7. In any race where a sitting officeholder does not file, the deadline stretches five more days to Aug. 12. That extension will apply to District 1, because Councilmember Jeff Nibert is not seeking a second term.
According to the city clerk's office, seven people have taken out nomination papers so far. Taking out papers is not the same as filing them, and the list can still change, but here is where things stood at the start of this week.
Mayor
Mayor Jack Balch pulled papers on July 13. He announced his reelection bid on May 4. Balch joined the council in 2020 representing District 4 and won the mayor's office in 2024, unseating incumbent Karla Brown. The mayor's term in Pleasanton is two years.
Councilmember Julie Testa pulled papers for mayor on July 29. Testa was first elected to the council in 2018 and reelected in 2022, which puts her at Pleasanton's eight-year term limit in District 3. She has chaired the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority board, which runs the Wheels bus system, and served 11 years as a city Human Services Commissioner. She has generally been a skeptic of state-driven housing growth.
If both file, Pleasanton gets a genuine mayoral contest between two people who have sat on the same dais and disagreed publicly.
District 1
Nibert's seat is open, and three candidates have pulled papers: Melanie Sadek on July 14, Kathy Narum on July 21 and Vin Kruttiventi on July 29.
Narum is the most familiar name. She won a special election in May 2013 to fill the seat Jerry Thorne vacated when he became mayor, served until term limits caught up with her, then spent three years on the Zone 7 Water Agency Board of Directors. She has said her campaign centers on three things: securing a reliable water supply while holding rates down, fiscal discipline paired with support for local business, and making sure first responders are resourced. Her platform is at kathynarum.com.
Because Nibert is not running, District 1 candidates have until Aug. 12 to complete their paperwork.
District 3
Reena Gupta pulled papers July 13 and Jamie Yee pulled papers July 15. Testa's departure leaves this seat open on the city's southwest side, and unlike District 1, the filing deadline here is Friday.
The hotel tax measure
There is one city measure on the ballot. On July 7 the council voted unanimously to ask voters whether to raise Pleasanton's transient occupancy tax, the tax charged on hotel and motel stays of 30 days or less.
The increase would come in two steps: from 8 percent to 10 percent on July 1, 2027, then to 12 percent on July 1, 2028. City estimates put the added revenue at roughly $1.4 million a year once the first step takes effect and roughly $2.8 million a year at the full rate. The measure needs a simple majority to pass.
Pleasanton's rate has not been touched since 1983. At 8 percent, the city sits at the bottom of Alameda County alongside Dublin and Livermore, in a county where rates run from 8 to 14 percent. The city collected about $5.3 million in hotel tax during the 2024-25 fiscal year.
The reason the council put it forward is a structural budget gap, meaning costs are growing faster than revenue. Aaron Zavala, assistant to the city manager, told the council the city's 10-year forecast projects ongoing annual general fund shortfalls. Voters rejected a half-cent sales tax, Measure PP, in 2024. Balch opposed that measure as a councilmember.
Nibert and Councilmember Craig Eicher were appointed to a subcommittee to write the primary argument in favor. Primary arguments are due Aug. 13 and rebuttals Aug. 20. The Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce has stayed neutral.
What this means for you
First, check your district. Pleasanton elects four councilmembers by district and the mayor at large, so whether you get a council race on your ballot depends on your address. The city keeps an interactive district lookup on its Elections and Measures page.
Second, understand what the tax question is and is not. The transient occupancy tax is paid by people staying overnight in Pleasanton hotels, not by residents on a utility bill or a property tax statement. What it funds is the general fund, which pays for police, fire, streets, parks and library service. If it fails, the deficit does not go away, and the council's remaining options narrow to service reductions or another revenue measure.
Third, if you have an opinion on the measure, the argument deadlines are the participation point most people miss. Ballot arguments are open to residents and organizations, not just the council subcommittee, and they run in the sample ballot that every voter receives.
Every active registered voter in Pleasanton will get a mail ballot. There are three 24-hour drop boxes in the city, and they close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.
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