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Local races in the San Ramon Valley set to be on the ballot in November have been finalized over the past week following the end of the regular nomination period on Friday and a deadline extension through Wednesday for races with no incumbent running.
One race that has changed in the wake of the deadline extension is for San Ramon mayor, which had previously seen only one candidate – Councilmember Mark Armstrong – set for the ballot.
With the incumbent mayor and longtime councilmember Dave Hudson opting not to seek reelection, a deadline extension was triggered through the end of the day Wednesday, during which a second candidate emerged in the form of tech entrepreneur Chirag Kathrani.
The deadline was also extended for the District 1 seat on the San Ramon City Council following the decision of the incumbent Scott Perkins not to seek reelection, as well as the Danville Town Council with incumbent David Fong also not seeking reelection.
However, no additional candidates emerged for those races during the deadline extension.
Voters are set to decide between financial technology executive Vasanth Shetty and attorney/business owner Robert Jweinat as Perkins’ successor for the District 1 council seat in San Ramon, and between incumbents Newell Arnerich and Renee Morgan and newcomers Mark Belotz and Julia Gillette for the three at-large Danville Town Council seats up for election this year.
A competitive race has also taken shape for the Division 5 seat on the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District board representing a majority of San Ramon, with San Ramon Planning Commissioner Jean Kuznik and IT regulatory consultant Bansidhar Giri set to face off for the seat.
Another local race in which the deadline extension was triggered was for the Ward 2 seat on the Contra Costa Community College District’s governing board, with incumbent Judy Walters opting not to seek reelection. Retired attorney and mother Diana Honig and businessman/scientist Kofi Opong-Mensah are the two candidates seeking that seat.
With incumbent District 1 Bart Director Debora Allen choosing not to seek reelection and instead endorsing Pleasant Hill Mayor Matt Rinn, a deadline extension was also prompted for that race. Two other candidates – Laura Patch and Michael Kestenbaum – had pulled papers for that seat, but had not qualified for the ballot as of 4:51 p.m. Wednesday evening.
Another special district race in the San Ramon Valley will be for two seats on the Diablo Community Service District.
The special district was formed in 1969 to replace the Diablo Public Utility District. According to its website it helps maintain roads, street lights and helps provide security to Diablo residents.
The district is governed by five directors who are elected to staggered four-year terms by the residents of Diablo. There are two open seats that will be on the ballot this year.
According to the Contra Costa County Clerk’s candidate list on Wednesday, Kathleen Urbelis, who currently serves as the president of the board, did not qualify for the race. Instead, Matthew W. Cox and Phillip L. Luecht, who both qualified for the ballot last week, will face off for the seat. Luecht is executive vice president at Aon, a global professional services firm and Cox currently serves on the special district’s board as the vice president and roads commissioner.
For coverage of Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin and Sunol candidacy deadlines, visit PleasantonWeekly.com.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story included a misspelling of the name of San Ramon City Council candidate Vasanth Shetty. Embarcadero Media regrets the error.
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