Palo Alto Unified School District elections (2016)
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Three of the five seats on the Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Melissa Baten Caswell and Heidi Emberling ran against challengers Jay Blas Jacob Cabrera, Todd Collins, Jennifer DiBrienza, and Srinivasan Subramanian.[1] Caswell won re-election, and DiBrienza and Collins won the other seats on the ballot.[2]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Palo Alto Unified Board of Education consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held at large on a staggered basis every November of even-numbered years. Two seats were up for election on November 4, 2014, and three seats were up for election on November 8, 2016. There was no primary election.[3]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to register with the county elections office by August 12, 2016. If incumbents did not file by that deadline, the filing deadline was extended for non-incumbent candidates until August 17, 2016. In order to qualify as candidates, they had to be at least 18 years old, citizens of California, residents of the school district, registered voters, and "not legally disqualified from holding civil office," according to the bylaws of the Palo Alto Unified Board of Education. Once they took office, school board members could not be employed by the school district.[4][5]
To vote in this election, residents of the school district had to register by October 24, 2016.[6] Photo identification was not required to vote in this election.[7]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Palo Alto Unified School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jennifer DiBrienza |
28.73% | 20,868 |
| Todd Collins |
21.04% | 15,284 |
| Melissa Baten Caswell Incumbent |
18.67% | 13,556 |
| Heidi Emberling Incumbent | 18.39% | 13,358 |
| Srinivasan Subramanian | 8.61% | 6,255 |
| Jay Blas Jacob Cabrera | 4.55% | 3,306 |
| Total Votes | 72,627 | |
| Source: Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Official Final Results," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Melissa Baten Caswell 
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Heidi Emberling | Jay Blas Jacob Cabrera | |||
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| Todd Collins
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Jennifer DiBrienza
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Srinivasan Subramanian | |||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: California elections, 2016
The district's school board election shared the ballot with a bond measure for Santa Clara County, a number of statewide ballot measures, and elections for the following offices:[8][9]
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Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for California school board elections in 2016:[10][11]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| August 1, 2016 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
| August 10, 2016 - November 8, 2016 | 24-hour campaign contribution reporting period |
| August 12, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| August 17, 2016 | Extended filing deadline for non-incumbent candidates for open seats |
| September 29, 2016 | First pre-election campaign finance report due |
| October 24, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| October 27, 2016 | Second pre-election campaign finance report due |
| November 8, 2016 | Election Day |
| January 31, 2017 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
Endorsements
The community organization Evolve endorsed incumbent Heidi Emberling.[12] Palo Alto Weekly endorsed challengers Todd Collins and Jennifer DiBrienza.[13]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates in this race were required to file two pre-election reports. The first was due on September 29, 2016, and the second was due on October 27, 2016. If candidates received more than $1,000 from a single source between August 10, 2016, and November 8, 2016, they had to file a campaign finance report within 24 hours of receiving the contribution.[11]
Candidates who did not raise or spend more than $2,000 on their campaigns had to file an exemption form by September 29, 2016. They did not have to file additional campaign finance reports.[11]
Candidates who had a remaining balance from previous campaigns or who had raised or spent money on their campaigns prior to the candidate filing deadline had to file a semi-annual campaign finance report by August 1, 2016. The next semi-annual campaign finance report was due January 31, 2017.[11]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $82,691.00 and spent a total of $66,067.97 as of November 3, 2016, according to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.[14]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melissa Baten Caswell | $20,366.00 | $8,970.15 | $11,395.85 |
| Heidi Emberling | $14,552.00 | $13,102.64 | $1,449.36 |
| Jay Blas Jacob Cabrera | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Todd Collins | $25,899.00 | $23,524.57 | $2,374.43 |
| Jennifer DiBrienza | $21,874.00 | $20,470.61 | $1,403.39 |
| Srinivasan Subramanian | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
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What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
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About the district
The Palo Alto Unified School District is located in Santa Clara County in west-central California. The county seat is San Jose. Santa Clara County was home to 1,918,044 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[15] The district was the 132nd-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 12,466 students.[16]
Demographics
Santa Clara County outperformed California as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2010 and 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 47.3 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 31 percent of state residents. The median household income for Santa Clara County was $93,854, compared to $61,489 for the entire state. The percentage of people in poverty in the county was 8.5 percent, compared to 16.4 percent statewide.[15]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Palo Alto Unified School District' 'California'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Palo Alto Unified School District | California | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Contest/Candidate Proof List," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Santa Clara County, "November 8, 2016 Presidential General Election Summary," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Palo Alto Unified School District, "Board of Education," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ Palo Alto Unified School District, "BB 9220: Governing Board Elections," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ California Elections Code, “Part 5, Section 10600-10604: School District And Community College District Governing Board Elections,” accessed June 15, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "California Online Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "List of Local Measures: Presidential General Election November 8, 2016," accessed September 26, 2016
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Contest/Candidate Proof List: Presidential General Election," accessed September 26, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016, General Election Calendar," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 8, 2016," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Palo Alto Weekly, "Editorial: Collins, DiBrienza for Palo Alto school board," October 14, 2016
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "County of Santa Clara Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed November 3, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 United States Census Bureau, "Santa Clara County, California," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Past Election Results," accessed July 3, 2014
| 2016 Palo Alto Unified School District Elections | |
| Santa Clara County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Melissa Baten Caswell • Incumbent, Heidi Emberling • Jay Blas Jacob Cabrera • Todd Collins • Jennifer DiBrienza • Srinivasan Subramanian |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
