November Elections Shape Future of California, Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD)

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Catherine Chen

Anna Eshoo: CA District 18 Representative in House of Representatives

In order of appearance:

Ken Dauber: Ken Dauber served as president of the PAUSD Board of Education and successfully ran for re-election. He will continue to serve as president for the next four years. Dauber will work towards establishing a full-day kindergarten, closing the achievement gap and improving communication and transparency with the public.

Shounak Dharap: A Gunn graduate, Shounak Dharap ran on a platform that emphasized improving mental health awareness, expanding student career pathways and closing the opportunity gap. Dharap believes in re-designing special education by building strong community networks through peer support and enhanced resource allocation. At press time, Dharap had the highest number of votes out of the three candidates locked in a close battle for the remaining School Board seat.

Anna Eshoo: Democratic incumbent Anna Eshoo won with 70.9 percent of the vote, and will continue to represent the 18th Congressional District, which includes parts of the San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, in the House of Representatives. She will continue, on a Democratic platform, to protect the environment, encourage the development of clean energy and fight for access to healthcare for families.

Gavin Newsom: Winning with 56.7 percent of the vote, Democrat Gavin Newsom will serve as California Governor for the next four years. Once at the forefront of the anti-Trump resistance, he now needs to face California’s growing poverty rate, homelessness and housing costs that threaten to drive young generations out of the state. As for the future, Newsom will likely focus efforts on fixing California’s housing shortage and homelessness, and instituting universal health care. He will also continue to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) community, advocate for gun safety and defend California’s immigrants.