By Where are the candidates?

Los Altos Hills City Council and the El Camino Hospital District Board are both facing three open seats in the coming November election. And now is the time for all good candidates to come to the aid of their governing bodies.

Both the town of Los Altos Hills and the hospital district are at crossroads. The hospital district faces the question of retrofitting or rebuilding the hospital. In Los Altos Hills, a new council majority promises change for the better, but the climate remains as divisive as ever.

Mayor Elayne Dauber and councilmember Bob Johnson are not seeking re-election in the Hills. The third open seat, currently occupied by Emily Cheng, was created by the resignation of Bill Siegel. Cheng won the position in March by little more than 40 votes in a close race against Jim Steiner.

Cheng’s election reversed what had been by and large a 3-2 council dynamic, Dauber-Johnson-Siegel vs. Toni Casey-Steve Finn, to a Casey-Finn-Cheng majority. The impact of this new polarity has already caused changes in staff (the departure of city manager Mark Miller last month) and bodes to change the makeup of the town planning commission.

According to outgoing mayor Dauber, voters are getting what they wanted. She doesn’t see the conflicts as old-guard vs. new guard so much as those seeking change through changing ordinances vs. those seeking change by “getting rid of everyone in sight.”

Voters will have another opportunity this November to either affirm the current philosophy or opt for three fresh faces who hopefully will bring evenhandedness and compromise to the table.

The El Camino Hospital District Board has three spots on the ballot. The terms of Drs. Paul Hoar, Dominick Curatola and Edward Bough are up for grabs.

The district board faces some monumental challenges in the months ahead. Financial reports issued by the district anticipates an operating loss of several million dollars in the current fiscal year. The board needs to hire a new chief administrator to replace Richard Warren, who retires in early September. But the deteriorating hospital infrastructure may be the biggest challenge. A large portion of the 40-year-old building needs complete seismic upgrading or demolition and replacement soon.

Candidates for both the hospital board and the town council can take out papers for the election process on July 17, with a final filing date of Aug. 11, according to the county Registrar of Voters.

Now is the time. Where are the candidates?