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Pleasanton City Councilmember Jack Balch is on track to unseat his opponent — incumbent Karla Brown — to become the next mayor of Pleasanton, according to the latest tallies reported by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office.
Balch told the Weekly that while his campaign has not officially declared victory just yet, despite the strong margin, he remains hopeful that he will win the top city seat.
“I’m humbled,” Balch said. “I’m encouraged by the voting results so far … but there are a lot of votes to count so we’re still waiting to see before we make any official confirmation.”
A current city councilmember whose term expired this year, Balch controlled Election Night with an almost 10% lead over Brown right from the beginning and continued to hold that lead well into the night.
As of 1:04 a.m. Wednesday, Balch is ahead by 54.56% (6,412 votes) while Brown, who is seeking a third term as mayor, trails behind with 45.44% (5,340 votes). The registrar’s office is set to drop two more rounds of election number updates — one on Thursday and one on Friday.
If the current voting trend continues, Brown will step down after four years of serving as mayor. She was first elected in 2020 and won unopposed in 2022.
Brown has declined to comment to the Weekly regarding the election results.
Balch was first elected to the City Council in 2020 after previously serving on the city’s Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation Commission. He ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility and believing the city needs a fresh start.
Balch said during his dozens of campaign events and his time spent talking with residents throughout the city, he has heard constituents say they want to change the status quo in the city council and that voters sent that message loud and clear during this election season.
“If this lead holds, it appears that the majority of Pleasanton voters do want change,” he said.
However, he emphasized that the strife and discourse he has seen in the country and locally is concerning and that people need to learn how to work together even if they disagree on certain issues.
“How we disagree matters,” Balch said. “We should try to make sure we provide opportunities to try to hear each other … it doesn’t mean we have to agree but it would be great if we can sow seeds of reconciliation.”
“If elected, I do plan to abide by that and try to champion that,” Balch said.
