Pleasanton Mayor Jack Balch is seeking a second two-year term on Nov. 3 against Councilmember Julie Testa, who is termed out of her District 3 seat after eight years. Voters in Council District 1 will choose between Vin Kruttiventi and Kathy Narum, and District 3 voters will pick Reena Gupta or Jamie Yee, according to the city's qualified candidate list. The mayor is elected citywide; council members by district.

Why it matters: The next council inherits a structural budget deficit, a state mandate to zone for 5,965 homes by 2031 and a search for a new city manager, the Pleasanton Weekly reported.

Where Balch and Testa differ

  • Downtown vacancies. Testa says some Main Street storefronts have sat empty for nearly 10 years and the city should press longtime property owners: "It's their property, but it's our downtown." Balch wants to reopen the 2018 Downtown Specific Plan, saying it isn't delivering the expected results. He said Testa favors a vacancy tax; she denied it at the Sept. 29 Weekly forum.
  • Taxes. Both back Measure HH, which would lift the hotel tax from 8% to 12% in steps. Testa calls it a "Band-Aid" and says the failed 2024 Measure PP sales tax, worth about $10 million a year, was the better fix. Balch voted against putting PP on the ballot and says he wants to be sure the city needs money before asking for "another … taxpayer dollar."
  • Housing. Balch criticized the earlier council majority for leaving East Pleasanton out of the Housing Element. Testa, part of that majority, says it followed a staff recommendation, prefers industrial use there because of limited transit, and calls state housing mandates unachievable.

Both said public safety is a priority. Balch noted police figures show crime down overall; Testa praised the department's quick arrest after commercial burglaries hit nearly two dozen businesses on Sept. 10.

The money

Balch raised $11,300 from July 1 to Sept. 19 and $25,326 since Jan. 1, filings reviewed by the Pleasanton Weekly show. Testa raised about $2,936 in the same period, mostly from residents, and was the only mayoral candidate to accept the city's voluntary spending limit.

The council races

District 1: Business executive Vin Kruttiventi gave his own campaign $25,000, nearly all he raised by Sept. 19. Former councilmember and Zone 7 Water Agency director Kathy Narum raised just over $10,000, half of it her own money. The California Real Estate PAC gave $1,000 each to Narum, Balch and Yee.

District 3: Business advocate Reena Gupta has raised $15,800 this year; former school board trustee Jamie Yee about $10,500.

How to vote

An 11-day vote center at the Pleasanton Unified School District office, 5794 W. Las Positas Blvd., is scheduled to open Oct. 24, with four more city vote centers opening Oct. 31. Election Day polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. Nearby, see the Livermore school board races and every contest in our Election 2026 guide.