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Local resident Christine Lutz, one of the three candidates to qualify for the election ballot for Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees Area 2, announced this week that she will be withdrawing from the race.
Lutz, who was listed as a human resources recruiter on the county election website, told the Weekly she will instead shift her support to one of the other two candidates — Laurie Walker, an office manager and parent.
“Laurie is an excellent, qualified, and passionate candidate for the future of PUSD and its school board,” Lutz said. “At this time, Laurie has more focused time to put into our students educational growth in our district, and I trust that going forward she will be the best candidate to represent Trustee Board Member Area 2.”
However, Lutz’s name is expected to still appear on the Nov. 8 ballot even though she will not actively campaign. She said she has been trying to remove her name but has been unsuccessful.
“I have spent the last 24 hours trying to remove my name from the ballot, but apparently the county has no process to do so unless I get a superior judge to sign a writ of mandate,” Lutz said. “Seems a bit unusual for a ballot that hasn’t even been sent to the printer yet, but that is where it stands as of now.”
The two remaining active candidates for the Area 2 race, which will be Pleasanton’s first district-based election, are Walker and Urvi Shah, a mother and businesswoman. The winner will represent the areas surrounding Hart Middle School and Fairlands Elementary.
Incumbent trustees Joan Laursen and Mark Miller, whose at-large terms from 2018 expire this year, both declined to seek re-election this fall.
