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In early election returns, Thida Cornes is leading the race for the Area 3 seat of the Mountain View Los Altos High School District Board of Trustees with 56.69% (1,365 votes), according to initial results posted at 8:48 p.m. Tuesday.
Sanjay Dave trails Cornes with 23.01% (554 votes). Just behind him is Catherine Vonnegut in third place with 20.31% (489 votes).
Cornes could not be reached for comment, but Dave and Vonnegut told the Voice around 8:15 p.m. that it was too early to draw conclusions from the returns.
“It’s very early,” Dave said. “I think it’s hard to react to anything at this point.”
“It’s really hard to tell,” said Vonnegut. “But obviously, in the precincts that have reported, Thida has done really well.”
Cornes and Vonnegut both currently serve on MVLA’s board, while Dave was previously a trustee from 2016 to 2024. The district changed from at-large to by-area elections this year.
Trustee Area 3 encompasses an eastern portion of Mountain View south of Central Expressway, including the Cuesta Park, Old Mountain View and Shoreline West neighborhoods.
Trustee Areas 1 and 2 were also set to be on the ballot this year, but both ended up being uncontested, drawing a single candidate each. Nir Paz, a local engineer and father, will join the board from Area 1 and current City Council member Ellen Kamei will take the Area 2 seat.
The top vote-getter from Area 3 will join Paz and Kamei for a four-year term on the board, as well as current trustees Vadim Katz and Alex Levich, who each have two more years left on their current term.
During her tenure on the board and in her current campaign, Cornes has emphasized student well being and improving equity in students’ academic outcomes. The district has long seen wide achievement gaps between demographic groups.
Dave has focused his campaign on ensuring academic rigor for all students while prioritizing student well-being. Another priority for Dave is the district’s AVID program, which helps students from underrepresented backgrounds prepare to attend a four-year college.
Vonnegut, who has served on the board since 2018, has emphasized student mental health, fiscal stability and support for underserved students. She told the Voice that MVLA academics are in “absolutely fabulous shape” and touted the creation of a career technical education program as one of the district’s largest accomplishments during her two-term tenure.
