By There are, believe it or not, similarities between the crazy governor's race and the upcoming election in November for three open seats on the Los Altos City Council. While we don't have a pornography king among our list of candidates, we do have, among our field, a good variety of applicants who will make for some exciting campaigning ahead.

As of Monday, seven candidates had filed and nine total had taken out papers with an intention to run. Los Altos School District trustee David Casas and incumbent Councilman Francis La Poll are leading a field of official candidates that also includes Val Carpenter, Curtis Cole, Christopher Friendly Nicholson, Steven Smiley and Ron Packard. The others yet to file, as of Monday, are Jeannice F. Samani and Jeffrey Martin.

Already, some interesting sub-plots emerge: La Poll is seeking his third term on the council, an action that defies a council edict limiting council members to two terms maximum. The stipulation however, is voluntary. Still it will be interesting to see if opposing candidates challenge the incumbent over this.

The field thus far features several qualified candidates: Carpenter, currently serving on the city’s Historical Commission; Packard, a member of the city’s finance committee; Cole, a planning commission member; and Casas, also a member of the city’s parks and recreation commission.

For the first time in recent memory, at least one teen, Nicholson, will be running for council. The recent Los Altos High School graduate has convinced fellow student, Jeff Martin to at least take out papers, if not file for candidacy. Nicholson said he’s running mainly to prove a point about younger residents getting involved in the election process. We commend his decision, although we wish he could spend more time in the Los Altos area than the one week he has set aside for knocking on doors. Nicholson plans to attend college in Oregon this fall.

Another possible first is the emergence of perhaps the first African American candidate running for council, Jeannice Samani. We also welcome her presence as a sign of some racial diversity among Los Altos leadership. We encourage Samani to complete the process and file for her candidacy.

Smiley and Packard are stepping into the Los Altos public spotlight for the second time to seek a council seat. Smiley, an engineer, ran unsuccessfully for council in 1997, and Packard lost by a handful of votes during his first try back in 1992.

With so many candidates putting in their bid for November, voters, at last, have a strong selection from which to choose.