Elections

Three candidates are vying for the two Los Altos Hills City Council seats soon to be vacated by termed-out Mayor John Radford and Councilman Gary Waldeck.

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier

A pedestrian strolls past the Mountain View City Hall polling place on Election Day in June.

With two days until Friday’s filing deadline for the Nov. 6 election, local ballot measures and council races are shaping up to be competitive – and controversial.

Graphic courtesy of Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters
The blue in the graphic, showing “no” votes for the recall of Judge Aaron Persky, includes much of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills.

Although only 90 percent of ballots had been counted by early this week, decisive margins have already decided nearly every race from the June 5 primary. The recall of Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky exceeded predictions from polls in the lead-up to the election, with a total of 61 percent of voters countywide voting to remove him from the bench.

But a closer examination of precinct results shows a deeply divided local area at the heart of Persky’s courtroom presence. Much of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto voted “no” – in some areas, by a significant majority. Even precincts on and adjacent to Stanford University’s campus voted “no.” But across much of the rest of the county, remoteness from Persky’s Palo Alto courthouse – and from many of the local campaigners – seemed to correlate with a “yes” vote.

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
Residents show their support for the recall of Judge Aaron Persky by placing yard signs around town, above. Two recent polls reported that 46-49 percent of voters favor the recall – with many still undecided. The recall requires a simple majority to pass.

The measure to recall Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, perhaps the most closely watched item on local ballots Tuesday, shows a closing gap in recent polls.

In the last two weeks, two surveys by different pollsters showed 46 or 49 percent of voters in favor of recalling the judge, while a March survey had revealed 56 percent of voters favored a recall. Undecided voters – who numbered between 15 and 21 percent, depending on the survey – will likely provide the decisive swing vote. The recall requires a vote of 50 percent plus one to remove Persky from the bench.

Nancy Bremeau recently declared her candidacy for one of two open seats on the Los Altos City Council in the Nov. 6 election.

The seats are currently occupied by Mayor Jean Mordo and Councilwoman Mary Prochnow. Mordo has indicated that he will run for re-election, while Prochnow has yet to publicly commit to seeking another term.