Los Altos School Candidates Top $30K as East San Jose Rallies Voters

Peninsula, South Bay, and Sacramento civic developments converged on Monday evening as Los Altos School District board candidates reported more than $30,000 in combined fundraising, East San Jose community leaders hosted a get-out-the-vote rally at Mexican Heritage Plaza, Midpeninsula election officials prepared Tuesday polling centers, and a former legislative district director sued Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco.

Los Altos School District Candidates Raise Over $30,000 for Three Board Seats

As reported by the Mountain View Voice, 4 candidates competing for 3 seats on the Los Altos School District (LASD) Board of Trustees raised more than $30,000 combined through the October 17 campaign finance reporting period:

• Candidate Fundraising & Spending Breakdown: Challenger Olya Krasnykh led fundraising with $12,920 raised (including $7,642 between September 20 and October 17, a $3,500 personal loan, and $1,000 from former Los Altos Mayor Lynette Lee Eng) and $13,502 spent. Incumbent Vladimir Ivanovic raised $10,803 (including $4,775 in the latest period, a $2,229 personal loan, and $500 from trustee Bryan Johnson) and spent $9,259. Incumbent Vaishali Sirkay raised $9,690 (including $4,151 in the latest period, $500 from Johnson, and $500 from Mountain View Whisman trustee Devon Conley) and spent $9,129. Challenger Shikha Gupta filed a short-form Form 470 confirming she raised and spent less than $2,000.

East San Jose GOTV Rally Urges Latino Turnout; Midpeninsula Polls Open From 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, community coalitions and registrars made their final Election Day push:

• East San Jose Rally at Mexican Heritage Plaza: According to San José Spotlight, Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice and Empowerment CEO Maritza Maldonado, U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo, outgoing Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone (who served 30 years), Silicon Valley Community Foundation CEO Nicole Taylor, and 26-year-old Pastor Sammy Flores of Legacy Center Church rallied voters at Mexican Heritage Plaza in East San Jose—where 78% of Amigos de Guadalupe clients live and where Latino residents represent roughly 25% (1 in 4) of Santa Clara County's population—urging support for Measure A (a $330 million annual healthcare sales tax) alongside ACT for Mental Health CEO Patricia Gardner and Gardner Health Services CEO Reymundo Espinoza.
• Midpeninsula Vote Centers & Measures P and N: As detailed by The Almanac, San Mateo County will operate 55 vote centers from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, including Midpeninsula locations at Arrillaga Family Recreation Center and Belle Haven Community Campus in Menlo Park, Town Hall in Atherton, Independence Hall in Woodside, and the Schoolhouse at 765 Portola Road in Portola Valley (with 11 local drop boxes). Voters are deciding Measure P in the Menlo Park City School District (an $86 million bond) and Measure N in the Portola Valley School District (an $842-per-parcel tax renewal measure), along with town council races in Atherton, Portola Valley, and Woodside and division seats on the Menlo Park Fire Protection District and West Bay Sanitary District boards.

Former District Director Ari Ruiz Reyes Sues Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco

In state capitol legal news, The Almanac (via CalMatters reporter Yue Stella Yu) reported that Ari Ruiz Reyes—who served as district director for Democratic Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco of Downey from December 2022 until being terminated in June 2025—filed a whistleblower retaliation and hostile work environment lawsuit on October 21, 2026, in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Pacheco, the Assembly Rules Committee, and chief administrative officer Lia Lopez. Represented by attorney J. Bernard Alexander III, Ruiz Reyes alleges that Pacheco required staffers to walk her dog, chauffeur her personal errands, and perform campaign tasks on state time, and retaliated after Ruiz Reyes reported the conduct to Assembly human resources in April and May 2025.