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City of Los Gatos · Statewide General Election

Los Gatos Town Council

Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

This person would hold one of three at-large seats up this cycle on the Los Gatos Town Council, a 5-member body governing this Santa Clara County town of about 33,500: town ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside the two Council seats not up this cycle. A 4-year term. The Council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor each December; day-to-day operations run through an appointed Town Manager.

Six candidates are running for Los Gatos's three open, at-large Town Council seats on the November 3, 2026 ballot, including incumbents Rob Moore (the sitting Mayor) and Mary Badame. Vote for up to three: the three highest vote-getters win the open seats -- there is no primary or runoff.

This person would hold one of three at-large seats on Los Gatos's five-member Town Council: town ordinances, the budget, and land use in this Santa Clara County town of about 33,500, alongside the two Council seats not up this cycle. A 4-year term. The Council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor each December; day-to-day operations run through an appointed Town Manager.

All three open seats belong to Council members first elected in 2022: Mayor Rob Moore and Mary Badame, both running for reelection here, and Rob Rennie, who is not on this year's nominee list and is not seeking reelection. The other two Council seats (Vice Mayor Maria Ristow and Matthew Hudes, both appointed December 2024) aren't up until 2028.

Rob Moore

Rob Moore is the sitting Mayor, first elected to Council in 2022 at age 24 and unanimously chosen by his colleagues as Mayor on December 9, 2025 -- the youngest mayor in town history and, by his own description, the only renter on the Council. His day job is health-policy aide to Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga, covering the county's public hospitals, clinics, and behavioral-health services. He grew up in Los Gatos public schools (Noddin Elementary, Union Middle, Leigh High) and holds a political-science degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Earlier roles include Senior District Representative for Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, a congressional internship with Anna Eshoo, vaccine-advocacy work for the UN Foundation, and a stint at the San José Conservation Corps. His stated mayoral priorities include affordable, deed-restricted housing; youth and family programs; street safety and traffic; emergency preparedness; and small-business support.

Strengths

Nearly four years of Council experience plus a year as Mayor, a policy-relevant day job in county health administration, and the field's most extensive institutional and community resume.

Trade-offs

As sitting Mayor he owns the last two years of Council decisions most directly; his committee's mid-2026 Form 460 shows no itemized activity, so there's little pre-summer fundraising signal.

Keep in mind

He describes himself as "the only renter on the council" as evidence he understands local affordability strain first-hand -- his own framing of that fact, not this dataset's characterization.

Mary Badame

Mary Badame is the incumbent, elected to Council in November 2022 and chosen by her colleagues to serve as Mayor for 2024. In 2022 she described herself as "courageous" on fiscal issues and, while opposing the density increases in the town's 2040 General Plan, acknowledged the town's obligation to comply with state housing law. Her 2026 platform centers on public safety (funding the police department to full strength, competitive officer retention pay, more community service officers, proactive traffic enforcement at congestion points), wildfire preparedness including coordination with neighboring Monte Sereno, fiscal responsibility (reducing municipal debt and building infrastructure-focused capital improvement plans), and stricter standards for negotiating Builder's Remedy housing projects while preserving single-family zoning.

Strengths

A full term of Council experience including a year as Mayor, and a specific platform -- named police-staffing and debt targets, not just general themes.

Trade-offs

Her only located campaign committee is a closed 2022 record; no 2026 Form 460 or Form 497 was found in this pass, so there's no fundraising signal at all to weigh against the other five candidates.

Keep in mind

Her 2022 quote that the Council can "fight" state housing law but "have to comply" was about the town's 2040 General Plan, not necessarily any specific 2026 housing proposal.

Steve Raspe

Steve Raspe is an attorney who spent 15 years in trial law before shifting to nonprofit and real-estate representation. He has served nearly a decade on the Planning Commission and the Historic Preservation Committee, chairing and vice-chairing both, and says he helped guide major housing and commercial project decisions and refine local codes and standards. He attended California public schools and earned his law degree at UC Berkeley; the son of Argentine immigrants (his father a machinist, his mother a bookkeeper), he says he entered kindergarten speaking only Spanish. He and his wife Kristina moved to Los Gatos twelve years ago to raise their two sons. His platform emphasizes preserving the town's historic character while pursuing what he calls "smart, managed progress."

Strengths

Nearly a decade chairing or vice-chairing both the Planning Commission and the Historic Preservation Committee gives him the most extensive land-use-specific record among the four non-incumbents.

Trade-offs

His campaign site's platform language ("smart, managed progress") is broad, and this dataset found no independent news coverage examining his commission-era votes.

Keep in mind

His account of entering kindergarten speaking only Spanish, as the child of Argentine immigrants, is his own campaign biography, offered as personal context rather than a policy position.

Jeff Suzuki

Jeff Suzuki works as an economic analyst on litigation involving price-fixing and fraud. He grew up in Los Gatos public schools and holds an economics degree from UC Berkeley and a data-science master's from Northwestern. He previously served on the Planning Commission and the Historic Preservation Committee (2021-2022) and currently serves on the Complete Streets and Transportation Commission (2023-present), including as Vice Chair. He founded and leads the Los Gatos Anti-Racism Coalition and sits on the board of West Valley Community Services. His platform includes a free bus and light-rail pilot program for Los Gatos High School students and staff, support for the VTA Vasona Line's extension to Los Gatos, a proactive rather than developer-driven approach to housing meant to avoid Builder's Remedy projects, preserving the Los Gatos Creek Trail and open space, mitigating weekend beach traffic, and pursuing a future community center.

Strengths

Current Complete Streets and Transportation Commission service plus prior Planning Commission and Historic Preservation terms, and the field's most specific transportation platform.

Trade-offs

He is currently a sitting commissioner, not a councilmember; his named commitments (a bus/rail pilot, a Vasona Line extension) depend on funding and agencies outside the Town Council's direct control.

Keep in mind

His Los Gatan exchange over "game theory" in town planning was a dispute with another resident's opinion piece, included here as evidence of his public engagement, not a policy record.

Heidi Owens

Heidi Owens describes herself on her campaign site as a 25-year resident of the Los Gatos area and a mother and community organizer; no other occupation is stated there. Her platform, "Keeping Los Gatos Prosperous, Connected, and Safe," emphasizes preserving the town's historic character, fiscal responsibility, and community security. Her mid-2026 Form 460 -- the only one in this race with real itemized activity -- discloses contributions from John Comisky, Aiden Dunne (a Tesla distribution manager), Chris VanNess (an Apple engineering manager), and a self-contribution from Owens herself, plus expenditures to the polling firm Voter.Vote and the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Foundation.

Strengths

The only itemized Form 460 in the race showing real, dated contribution and expenditure activity -- named contributors and categorized spending -- rather than an empty or missing filing.

Trade-offs

No news coverage of her candidacy was found in this pass, and her campaign site states general priorities without the detailed platform document several other candidates provide.

Keep in mind

Her contributor list includes donors identified as employees of Tesla and Apple -- disclosed exactly as her own filing states, not evidence of either employer's institutional position.

Rob Stump

Rob Stump is a third-generation Los Gatos resident -- a 36-year community member and 26-year hillside resident -- whose wife Nancy and three children are fourth-generation Los Gatans and Los Gatos High graduates. He was appointed to the Planning Commission in 2025 and describes himself as a fire-resiliency advocate active in wildfire-awareness efforts in the Civic Center Hillside Neighborhood. In his unsuccessful 2022 Council run, he described himself as a 25-year corporate executive and named his prior role as the PG&E manager responsible for the Moss Landing gas plant; his 2026 campaign site does not restate a current employer, instead emphasizing his family's multi-generational roots in town. His platform centers on holding developers to local building standards despite Builder's Remedy pressure, preserving the town's "charm and character" while accommodating necessary growth including affordable housing, and addressing wildfire risk through land stewardship.

Strengths

A multi-generational family history in town, current Planning Commission service, and a utility-scale fire-risk background (per his 2022 statements) relevant to his wildfire platform.

Trade-offs

This is his second Council run after an unsuccessful 2022 bid; no 2026 campaign committee was located in this pass, so there's no fundraising record to compare against the other five candidates.

Keep in mind

His 2022 self-description as a PG&E manager overseeing the Moss Landing plant is not restated on his 2026 campaign site -- documented here as what the record shows at each point, not assumed to still be current.

Source review: Mixed (77/100) · 16 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context; advocacy or endorsement sources are treated as attributed perspective.

Review note: Mary Badame's own 2026 campaign site (marybadame.com): self-description, attributed in text -- her stated platform on police staffing and retention, wildfire preparedness and coordination with Monte Sereno, municipal-debt reduction, capital-improvement planning, stricter Builder's Remedy review, and preserving single-family zoning., Rob Moore's own 2026 campaign site (robforlosgatos.com): self-description, attributed in text -- his age (elected to Council at 24), his Noddin Elementary/Union Middle/Leigh High School upbringing, his Cal Poly SLO degree (Magna Cum Laude, Political Science with a Public Service/Urban Planning emphasis), his current job as a county health-policy aide, and his community roles (Young Leaders Group, Leigh High wrestling assistant coach, Kyle J. Taylor Foundation board, CERT)., Heidi Owens's own 2026 campaign site (voteheidiowens.com): self-description, attributed in text -- her 25 years as a Los Gatos-area resident, her FPPC filer ID (#1488267), and her stated priorities ("Keeping Los Gatos Prosperous, Connected, and Safe")., Steve Raspe's own 2026 campaign site (steveraspe.com): self-description, attributed in text -- his 15 years as a trial attorney before nonprofit/real-estate practice, nearly a decade chairing or vice-chairing the Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Committee, his UC Berkeley law degree, his family's immigration from Argentina, and his platform of managed growth alongside historic preservation., Rob Stump's own 2026 campaign site (stump4lg.com): self-description, attributed in text -- his third-generation Los Gatos roots, his 2025 Planning Commission appointment, his family (wife Nancy, three children), and his platform on development standards, wildfire land stewardship, and preserving town character., and Jeff Suzuki's own 2026 campaign site (jeffsuzukiforlosgatos.com): self-description, attributed in text -- his job as an economic analyst, his UC Berkeley economics degree and Northwestern data-science master's, his founding of the Los Gatos Anti-Racism Coalition, and his platform (a student bus/light-rail pilot, VTA Vasona Line support, avoiding Builder's Remedy, Los Gatos Creek Trail preservation, weekend beach-traffic mitigation, a future community center). may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

  • losgatosca.gov (opens in a new tab)Town of Los Gatos -- "Candidate Information" page: states the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election is for three (3) Council seats, the nomination period (July 13 - August 7, 2026), and directs candidates to NetFile and the FPPC for campaign finance disclosure.
  • losgatosca.gov (opens in a new tab)Town of Los Gatos -- "November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election" page: names all six qualified nominees for the town's three Council seats (Heidi Owens, Rob Stump, Jeff Suzuki, Mary Badame, Steve Raspe, Rob Moore) and the write-in, voter-registration, and campaign-statement deadlines.
  • losgatosca.gov (opens in a new tab)Town of Los Gatos -- "Town Council" page: names the current five-member Council -- Mayor Rob Moore (elected November 2022, term expires December 2026), Vice Mayor Maria Ristow (appointed December 2024, term expires December 2028), and Councilmembers Mary Badame (elected November 2022, term expires December 2026), Rob Rennie (elected November 2022, term expires December 2026), and Matthew Hudes (appointed December 2024, term expires December 2028) -- confirming Moore, Badame, and Rennie's seats, not Ristow's or Hudes's, are the three up in November 2026; also states the Council is five members elected to staggered four-year terms.
  • netfile.com (opens in a new tab)Town of Los Gatos's own NetFile-hosted public campaign-finance portal (aid=losgatos), queried directly for all six 2026 candidates via its own QuickNameSearch and elections JSON API (reverse-engineered from the portal's own downloaded JS bundle, the same way this file's other Santa Clara County city sections did for their own city-specific NetFile portals): zero filer records and zero elections are returned for every name searched (Owens, Stump, Suzuki, Badame, Raspe, Moore) and for the jurisdiction itself, indicating Los Gatos's candidates are not using this portal for 2026 disclosure.
  • theballotbook.com (opens in a new tab)The Ballot Book (theballotbook.com), a third-party campaign-finance aggregator -- its City of Los Gatos jurisdiction page and each candidate's own committee page reproduce the town's actual Form 460/497 filings, but paywall the dollar totals themselves behind a subscription; donor/vendor names, filing dates, and (for itemized Form 460 entries) occupations and categories are visible without one. Rob Moore and Steve Raspe each filed a Jan. 1-June 30, 2026 Form 460 (filed July 31, 2026) with no itemized contributions or expenditures for that period. Heidi Owens filed a Jan. 1-June 30, 2026 Form 460 (filed July 29, 2026) with real itemized activity: contributions from John Comisky, Aiden Dunne (Sr. Manager, North American Distribution at Tesla), Chris VanNess (Senior Engineering Manager at Apple), and a self-contribution from Owens herself, plus expenditures to pollster Voter.Vote and the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Foundation, and unpaid bills to VanNess (print ads) and to herself (candidate filing/ballot fees). Jeff Suzuki has no Form 460 on file but a Form 497 late-contribution report (Aug. 21, 2026) naming two donors, Tina Phan (a real estate agent) and James Smeenge (retired). Rob Stump and Mary Badame have no active 2026 committee located on this aggregator at all -- Badame's only located committee is a 2022 record ("Committee to Re-Elect Mary Badame to Town Council 2022") that closed out all four of its filing periods by December 30, 2022, and Stump's own 2022 committee likewise shows no 2026 successor.
  • losgatan.com (opens in a new tab)The Los Gatan -- "Los Gatos Council Candidates Get First Public Look" (by Drew Penner, Sept. 22, 2022), read in full: coverage of two 2022 candidate forums (Los Gatos Community Alliance, Sept. 13; Democracy Tent, Sept. 19). Quotes Rob Stump describing himself as a fire-resiliency advocate and a 25-year corporate executive, and naming his prior role as the PG&E manager responsible for the Moss Landing gas plant; also covers then-candidates Mary Badame and Rob Moore's 2022 platform positions.
  • losgatan.com (opens in a new tab)The Los Gatan -- "Suzuki: No, Game Theory Hasn't Infected Town Planning" (Aug. 15, 2024), read in full: identifies Jeff Suzuki as a former Planning Commissioner and then Vice Chair of the Complete Streets and Transportation Commission, responding in his own words to another resident's opinion piece.
  • losgatan.com (opens in a new tab)The Los Gatan -- "Q&A: New Year Means a New Mayor for Los Gatos" (by Faizi Samadani, Jan. 7, 2026), read in full: Rob Moore on his day job as a health-policy aide to Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga, his mayoral priorities, and his stated plan to run for another Council term.
  • sanjosespotlight.com (opens in a new tab)San José Spotlight -- "Los Gatos' youngest mayor brings new perspective" (by Lorraine Gabbert, Dec. 21, 2025, updated Dec. 24, 2025), read in full: Rob Moore's age (27), his unanimous Dec. 9, 2025 selection as Mayor, his education (Cal Poly SLO, political science), prior roles (Senior District Representative for Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, an Anna Eshoo congressional internship, UN Foundation vaccine-advocacy work, San José Conservation Corps), and his stated mayoral priorities.
  • en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia's Los Gatos, California article -- 2020 census population (33,529) and the Town Council's five elected members with the Mayor position rotating among them.
  • robforlosgatos.com (opens in a new tab)Rob Moore's own 2026 campaign site (robforlosgatos.com): self-description, attributed in text -- his age (elected to Council at 24), his Noddin Elementary/Union Middle/Leigh High School upbringing, his Cal Poly SLO degree (Magna Cum Laude, Political Science with a Public Service/Urban Planning emphasis), his current job as a county health-policy aide, and his community roles (Young Leaders Group, Leigh High wrestling assistant coach, Kyle J. Taylor Foundation board, CERT).
  • marybadame.com (opens in a new tab)Mary Badame's own 2026 campaign site (marybadame.com): self-description, attributed in text -- her stated platform on police staffing and retention, wildfire preparedness and coordination with Monte Sereno, municipal-debt reduction, capital-improvement planning, stricter Builder's Remedy review, and preserving single-family zoning.
  • steveraspe.com (opens in a new tab)Steve Raspe's own 2026 campaign site (steveraspe.com): self-description, attributed in text -- his 15 years as a trial attorney before nonprofit/real-estate practice, nearly a decade chairing or vice-chairing the Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Committee, his UC Berkeley law degree, his family's immigration from Argentina, and his platform of managed growth alongside historic preservation.
  • jeffsuzukiforlosgatos.com (opens in a new tab)Jeff Suzuki's own 2026 campaign site (jeffsuzukiforlosgatos.com): self-description, attributed in text -- his job as an economic analyst, his UC Berkeley economics degree and Northwestern data-science master's, his founding of the Los Gatos Anti-Racism Coalition, and his platform (a student bus/light-rail pilot, VTA Vasona Line support, avoiding Builder's Remedy, Los Gatos Creek Trail preservation, weekend beach-traffic mitigation, a future community center).
  • stump4lg.com (opens in a new tab)Rob Stump's own 2026 campaign site (stump4lg.com): self-description, attributed in text -- his third-generation Los Gatos roots, his 2025 Planning Commission appointment, his family (wife Nancy, three children), and his platform on development standards, wildfire land stewardship, and preserving town character.
  • voteheidiowens.com (opens in a new tab)Heidi Owens's own 2026 campaign site (voteheidiowens.com): self-description, attributed in text -- her 25 years as a Los Gatos-area resident, her FPPC filer ID (#1488267), and her stated priorities ("Keeping Los Gatos Prosperous, Connected, and Safe").

Last updated September 1, 2026.