Attention voters: Election ahead
As the November election draws near, we take note of some important local races that could determine significant changes in direction for our Los Altos School District board of trustees and Los Altos City Council.
In the school district race, seven candidates are vying for three seats on the five-seat board. The candidates, all challengers, are: Mark Goines, Francis La Poll, David Luskin, David Pefley, David Struthers, Kitty Uhlir and Bruce Wiener.
In the city council race, four candidates, again all challengers, are vying for two seats. They are: Val Carpenter, Kurt Colehower, Chris Croudace and Randall Hull.
We recognize that absentee ballots for the Nov. 8 election are being sent out as early as Oct. 11 (next Tuesday). Absentee voters get an early and convenient start in the voting process, but also tend to miss out on important events that could influence their votes. These include upcoming election forums at which residents will have an opportunity to see the candidates discussing relevant issues under one roof.
The League of Women Voters has scheduled one such forum Oct. 17 at Los Altos City Hall, featuring the city council and school board candidates. The PTA Council has set another forum for school board candidates Oct. 18 at Los Altos High School’s Eagle Theater. An Oct. 20 forum at Mountain View City Hall will feature the state propositions.
We encourage residents to attend these forums as well as watch for the Town Crier candidate endorsements in the Oct. 12 and Oct. 19 issues before making their choices.
An informed electorate making decisions based on knowledge of the issues will mean a strong future for our city and schools.
Why pursue a town school district?
The good news: Los Altos Hills City Council has dropped its lawsuit against the Los Altos School District for control of the Bullis-Purissima School site. The bad: It cost the town of Los Altos Hills more than $97,000 in legal fees (the school district spent $50,000 fighting the town suit and $260,000 fighting the one brought by Bullis Charter School) with no noticeable outcome.
Meanwhile, the council this week is expected to discuss allocating additional money, an amount yet to be determined, to pursue the idea of creating a town school district.
What’s wrong with this picture? We have yet to see evidence that more than a handful of people support the idea. The subject is far afield from the focus on reopening Bullis. The chances of it actually happening are slim to none. Topping it off, Councilman Craig Jones remarked that approving funds for looking into redistricting does not mean the council supports it.
So why spend town funds or time for such a pursuit? This is one idea the council should drop.
