Livable Sunnyvale Candidate Forum Tonight

A candidate forum is happening in Sunnyvale tonight, but the real story is a little bigger than “local group hosts event.” Livable Sunnyvale is putting voters in the same room with people trying to win California State Senate District 10, an open Silicon Valley seat that covers Sunnyvale and a big stretch of Alameda and Santa Clara counties. The timing matters because ballots for the June 2, 2026 primary have already started going out. So this is landing right in the window when people are actually deciding. ### What exactly is happening tonight? Livable Sunnyvale says its board elections start at 6:15 PM, and the Senate District 10 candidate forum runs from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM on Wednesday, May 6, at Sunnyvale Community Services, 1160 Kern Avenue in Sunnyvale. The group is also offering Zoom access and Wordly translation, which makes this more than a room-only neighborhood meeting. It is set up for broader participation. ### Which race is this for? This is for California State Senate District 10 — a district that includes Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Fremont, Hayward, Newark, Union City, and parts of San Jose. That makes it one of those races that sounds local from the event flyer but is really regional in reach. The district sits right across core Silicon Valley housing, transit, and jobs fights, so the winner is not just voting on symbolic resolutions. They will be in Sacramento shaping state policy that lands back on these cities. ### Why is the seat open? The seat is currently held by Democrat Aisha Wahab, but she is not on the June 2 primary ballot for District 10. The certified candidate list shows a new field competing for the seat, which is why forums like this suddenly matter more. There is no incumbent standing on stage with the usual built-in advantage. ### Who’s running? The certified list for the June 2 primary shows six candidates: David Cohen, Anne Kepner, Raymond Liu, Carmen Montano, Scott Sakakihara, and Linda R. Price. Five are Democrats and one is a Republican. That lineup matters because California uses a top-two primary system, so party labels do not guarantee who advances — the top two vote-getters move on to November regardless of party. ### Why should Sunnyvale voters care? Because District 10 is rich, huge, and expensive — basically a place where state decisions on housing and transportation hit hard and fast. The district has more than 1 million residents, a median household income above $161,000, a median home value above $1.17 million, and median rent around $2,903. In plain English, this is a district where affordability is not an abstract talking point. It is daily life. ### Why does this forum matter more than a normal candidate night? Turns out the district is unusually diverse and politically fluid. More than 48% of residents are foreign-born, Asian voters make up about 44.5% of the electorate, and nearly 29.3% of registered voters are No Party Preference. That means candidate forums are one of the few places where a broad, mixed electorate can compare people side by side before a crowded primary narrows the field. ### What is Livable Sunnyvale trying to surface? Livable Sunnyvale’s own issue focus is housing, transportation, sustainability, and equity. So even if the event is not branded as a single-issue debate, those are the lenses likely shaping the questions and the audience. In a district where housing costs are brutal and growth fights never really stop, that framing is a clue to what voters in the room will press candidates on. ### What should people watch for tonight? Watch for specificity. Anyone can say “more housing” or “better transit.” The useful tells are narrower — who talks about where housing goes, who is willing to defend tradeoffs, who sounds like they understand both Sunnyvale and the larger district, and who has a theory for winning a top-two primary in a six-person field. In a race this crowded, clarity is a real advantage. ### Bottom line? This is a local forum for a state race, and that mix is the point. Sunnyvale voters are getting an early, direct look at the people trying to replace an incumbent in one of California’s most economically important districts — right as ballots are arriving.