Pleasanton and Dublin Voters Decide Mayoral Races and Tax Measures

PLEASANTON & DUBLIN, Calif. — Voters across Pleasanton and Dublin have until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, to return ballots at official drop boxes and vote centers (or postmark mail ballots by November 3 for receipt by November 10) across a slate of mayoral, city council, school board, legislative, and local tax measures—even as the Alameda County Fairgrounds prepares to host more than 2,500 classic vehicles on November 14 and 15.

Pleasanton Ballot: Balch vs. Testa for Mayor, Council Districts 1 & 2, PUSD Area 5, and Measure HH

As reported by Patch Pleasanton, 6 candidates are competing across Pleasanton's municipal offices alongside a contested school board race and a hotel tax measure:

• Pleasanton Mayor & City Council: Incumbent Mayor Jack Balch faces District 3 Councilmember Julie Testa. In District 1, tech entrepreneur Vin Kruttiventi faces Kathy Narum, director of the Zone 7 Water Agency and a Pleasanton City Councilmember from 2013 to 2022. In District 2, Reena Gupta and Jamie Yee are competing for the council seat.
• Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD): In Area 5 (southeastern Pleasanton near Pleasanton Middle School, where incumbent Justin Brown did not seek reelection), 3 candidates—Thomas Choi, Karen Fletcher, and Brett Martinez—are on the ballot, while Laurie Walker runs unopposed in Area 2.
• Measure HH (Transient Occupancy Tax): Asks voters to raise Pleasanton's hotel Transient Occupancy Tax from 8% to 10% effective July 1, 2027, and from 10% to 12% effective July 1, 2028, projected to generate $1.4 million in the first year and $2.8 million annually once fully implemented.

Dublin Ballot: First District-Based Council Elections, DUSD Trustees, Measure I, and Legislative Races

In neighboring Dublin, Patch Dublin noted that the city is holding its first election under a geographic district system across 9 municipal candidates:

• Dublin Mayor, City Council & DUSD: 3 candidates are running for mayor, including incumbent Sherry Hu; 4 candidates are competing in District 2; and 2 candidates are running in District 4, including incumbent Councilmember Kashef Qaadri (while council candidates Tejpreet Singh and Shivraj Singh did not respond to candidate questionnaires). For the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) Board of Trustees, candidates include Seema Badar and Dan Cherrier.
• Measure I ($144 DUSD Parcel Tax): Asks Dublin voters to renew the school district's $96 annual parcel tax and increase it to $144 per parcel annually for 9 years (with annual inflation adjustments and senior exemptions), projected to raise $2.9 million per year for Dublin public schools.
• Congress & State Assembly: Both Pleasanton and Dublin vote in U.S. House District 14 between Democratic Representative Aisha Wahab (sworn in September after winning the August special election) and BART Board President Melissa Hernandez. Most of Pleasanton and Dublin vote in Assembly District 16 between Democratic incumbent Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (elected in 2018) and Alamo Republican Joe Rubay, while parts of eastern Dublin vote in Assembly District 20 between Democratic incumbent Liz Ortega (elected in 2022 after leading the Alameda County Labor Council) and Dublin real estate appraiser Patricia Muga.

Goodguys 36th Fuel Curve Autumn Get-Together Returns to Pleasanton Fairgrounds Nov. 14–15

Following the election, The Independent reported that the Goodguys 36th Fuel Curve Autumn Get-Together will return to the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton on Saturday, November 14, and Sunday, November 15.

The 2-day automotive festival will showcase more than 2,500 American-made show cars and trucks of all years alongside the "Vettes for Vets" Corvette honor cruise, free admission for all active-duty military personnel and veterans, the AutoCross timed-course shootout, a Smashathon demolition derby, a burnout competition, an indoor and outdoor collector car swap meet, and a Toys for Tots holiday donation drive.