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The November 2026 election marks the first time that the Mountain View Los Altos High School District will elect its board members from separate trustee areas, rather than through an at-large system.
Previously, residents throughout the district all voted on each trustee. Now, the district is split into five segments, with each area picking one trustee.
This year, Areas 1, 2 and 3 were set to come before voters. However, only Area 3 will be on the ballot, because it is the sole contested race.
In Area 1, the only candidate is Nir Paz, a local engineer and father. Similarly, current City Council member Ellen Kamei is the only candidate for Area 2.
Over in Area 3, there are three candidates vying for a single spot: Thida Cornes, Sanjay Dave and Catherine Vonnegut. Cornes and Vonnegut both currently serve on the board, while Dave served from 2016-24.
Area 3 encompasses an eastern portion of Mountain View south of Central Expressway, including the Cuesta Park, Old Mountain View and Shoreline West neighborhoods.
To help voters compare and differentiate between the contenders, the Voice sent a questionnaire to all three candidates, asking about their policy positions and priorities across a wide range of issues impacting the school district.
The Voice allowed candidates to include brief explanations, capped at 150 characters, along with each of their answers. However, they were encouraged to only include additional information when necessary.
See below for their side-by-side responses.
Check out our 2026 Election Center to view more of our recent coverage. In the coming weeks, the Voice will also be publishing individual profiles of each candidate and reporting on campaign fundraising totals.
