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Sunnyvale deserves credit for being one of the best-run municipalities in the Bay Area. It’s a key reason why the city’s voters should stick with incumbents when they have the option.
That means reelecting Mayor Larry Klein and District 2 Councilmember Alysa Cisneros in the upcoming Nov. 5 election.
In District 4, Russ Melton is termed out of his council seat and running against Klein for mayor. Melton’s successor, because she is running unopposed, will be Charlsie Chang, a government affairs officer for San Mateo County Transit District.
In District 6, where Councilmember Omar Din is not seeking reelection, voters should replace him with Eileen Le, a member of the Sunnyvale School District board.
The city of Sunnyvale is known for its long-range financial planning that requires a forecasted 10-year balanced budget; public safety officers who are cross-trained for fire, police and emergency medical services; and a cautious approach to hiring.
That helps explain why Sunnyvale made it through the pandemic in better shape than most cities, and why it’s better prepared than many to meet the rising costs of public employee pensions expected over the next 10 years.
The city has unusual term limits for its elected leaders. They can serve a maximum of three consecutive four-year terms, which can include no more than two terms as mayor or two terms as a councilmember.
The result is a turnover in elected leadership and some interesting internal jockeying, such as in the current race for mayor.
Mayor: Larry Klein
Klein has been a strong supporter of the city’s fiscally prudent budgeting practices, helped lead the city through the pandemic and is well-regarded within Sunnyvale and the rest of Santa Clara County, as demonstrated by his broad base of endorsements from current and former elected officials.
Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein (Photo courtesy of Larry Klein)
Klein has served one full term as a councilmember and one term as the elected mayor. Thus, he can run for one more term. Melton has served two consecutive terms as a councilmember so his only option for a third term would be as mayor.
Melton struggles to articulate a compelling reason to oust the incumbent. He rehashes a disagreement he had with Klein and the rest of the council over public safety staffing. The council this year agreed to add 27 new city staff positions, including three for public safety. Melton wanted to add a total of seven for public safety and specify that five would be detectives and two traffic officers.
In a city considered one of the safest in the area, Klein and the rest of the council, except for Melton, prudently decided to take the more-measured route for now — and to let the city manager and public safety chief determine how best to allocate the new positions. That decision was in keeping with the city’s successful philosophy of maintaining flexibility with its public safety workers.
Four years ago, we supported Klein for mayor and Melton, who faced a weak opponent, for a council seat. Now that they are running against each other, Klein is clearly the superior choice. He deserves another term.
District 2: Alysa Cisneros
We continue to be impressed by Cisneros and are deeply concerned about the honesty of her opponent, former Councilmember Jim Davis.
Alysa Cisneros (Photo by Lam Nguyen)
Cisneros, who has a public policy master’s degree, had worked on school equity issues for the ACLU of Northern California and as a senior policy associate for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group before her 2020 election to the council.
We supported her then and she did not disappoint. She impressed us as being smart and well-versed on community issues. She has been an advocate for affordable housing while supporting what she calls “the Sunnyvale way” of smart budgeting and leaving the city manager with the needed flexibility to efficiently allocate staffing.
As for Davis, he is a former public safety officer for Sunnyvale who also served on the City Council for six years. As we noted in recommending against his reelection in 2016, Davis is not very effective. Indeed, in our recent interview with him, he struggled to name an accomplishment while on the council beyond attending meetings.
In the interview, Davis claimed to be a consultant to the state, including working directly for Attorney General Rob Bonta on current state ballot measures. Bonta’s spokesperson said the attorney general had never heard of Davis, nor could the office find any state contracts with him.
District 6: Eileen Le
Omar Din was just 23 in 2020, when he became the youngest and first South Asian and Muslim elected to the Sunnyvale council.
Eileen Le (Photo courtesy of Eileen Le)
This year, in the March primary, he finished fourth in a six-way race for an open state Assembly seat. Now, about to turn 27, he’s done with politics, at least for now. He says he plans to start a new job that will demand more of his time.
Three candidates are vying to replace him. Only one has elective office experience. That’s Le, a member of the school board who appreciates that the city is financially well-run. She wants to push for more transportation options, including, for example, crosstown bike lanes on quiet streets and more bus options.
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Le has the backing of five of the seven current councilmembers, as well as key regional elected officials. She’s a smart and articulate candidate who has built critical political relationships and is well-prepared for the job.
Her key opponent is Richard Lesher, a financial analyst retired from the U.S. Army Reserves, where he served as a military intelligence analyst. He is currently a City Council-appointee to the Personnel Board. Lesher, like Melton in the mayoral race, wants to add public safety positions faster than the council’s prudent approach.
Finally, there’s Beverly Blau, who decided to run after Din did not file for reelection. She holds a Ph.D. in medical physics and is a senior software engineer. But she hasn’t even been to a City Council meeting, nor has she built a meaningful campaign.
In the District 6 race, Le is the standout candidate.