Tri-Valley Voters Decide Livermore, Dublin School & Park Board Races

Tri-Valley voters in Livermore, Dublin, and Pleasanton are casting ballots this week in pivotal public education and regional open-space contests that will shape school governance and park trail investments across eastern Alameda County.

Livermore Valley Joint Unified Transitions to District-Based Trustee Elections

As reported by The Independent, the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD) is holding its trustee elections by geographic district this fall rather than at-large seats, following the early departure of former superintendent Torie Gibson and a budget that required $14.8 million in reductions and the elimination of 12 full-time positions (partially restored 3 months later):

• Trustee Area 2: Tara Boyce—a parent of 2 Livermore public school students with data, finance, and technology expertise endorsed by the Livermore Education Association—faces Stephen R. Orgain, who emphasizes campus safety, educator wages, and vocational education.
• Trustee Area 3: With no incumbent running, Angela Brady—a parent of 2 public school students who served on Junction Middle's Local Control Accountability Plan committee and is backed by the Livermore Education Association, Livermore Advocates for Public Education, and the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club—faces Deborah Gibson.
• Trustee Area 5: Two current at-large trustees, Christiaan VandenHeuvel (pastor at Cornerstone Fellowship, former Livermore High PTSA president, and former substitute teacher) and Deena Kaplanis (a chiropractor serving on the district's Math Task Force and Junction Avenue PTA), are competing against general contractor Sam Phelps for 1 four-year seat; whichever incumbent does not win the Area 5 seat will continue serving in their at-large seat until 2028. The Independent endorsed Boyce, Brady, and VandenHeuvel.

Dublin Unified Areas 3 and 5 and East Bay Parks Ward 5 Contest

In neighboring Dublin, The Independent reviewed the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) races in Area 3—a special election between Tanner Frye, who prioritizes board transparency, small class sizes, and protecting music and arts electives, and energy and sustainability manager Shalani Bhandari—and Area 5, where incumbent Dan Cherrier, who has served on the board since 2016 including 3 consecutive terms as board president, faces Seema Badar, former Citizens Bond Oversight Committee chair and founding board member of the Dublin Education Alliance. The Independent recommended Frye for Area 3 and Cherrier for Area 5.

In the race for East Bay Regional Park District Ward 5, The Independent recommended re-electing incumbent Olivia Sanwong—a former Zone 7 Water District director who over the past 4 years negotiated a long-term lease for Del Valle Regional Park and plans a regional trail connecting Shadow Cliffs to Del Valle—over challenger Bruce Henry, a retired Pleasanton businessman who pointed to the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District's lawsuit alleging East Bay Parks misspent more than $100 million in shared property taxes.