Mayor Balch Launches Re-Election Bid

Pleasanton politics just got concrete. Mayor Jack Balch has officially kicked off his 2026 re-election campaign, and that matters because the city is not choosing a mayor in calm conditions. Pleasanton is still working through a deep budget problem, years of deferred infrastructure needs, and the aftershocks of a tax fight that was supposed to ease the pressure. Balch is asking voters for another term while those problems are still very much alive. (pleasantonweekly.com) ### What happened? Balch announced on May 4 that he is running for a second term as Pleasanton mayor. He held his kickoff at Oasis Restaurant in downtown Pleasanton, with local coverage putting the crowd at about 100 supporters, and he became the first person to formally enter the November 2026 mayoral race. ### Who is Balch in local politics? He is not a newcomer trying to introduce himself. Balch was elected mayor in November 2024, after serving one term on the City Council from 2020 to 2024 and more than six years on the Planning Commission before that. (pleasantonweekly.com) He also works in business finance and is a CPA, which is central to how he is presenting himself now — basically, as the candidate built for a city with money problems. ### Why is the budget the real story? (pleasantonweekly.com) Because almost every other Pleasanton issue runs through it. The city has described a structural General Fund deficit averaging about $13 million a year starting in fiscal 2025-26, and it has also flagged a roughly $900 million infrastructure funding gap over the next decade for streets, parks, buildings, and other assets. That is not a one-bad-year problem. It is a long, grinding mismatch between what the city wants to maintain and what recurring revenue can support. (cityofpleasantonca.gov) ### Didn’t Pleasanton already try to raise revenue? Yes — and that is a big part of why this campaign matters. In 2024, the City Council put Measure PP on the ballot, a half-cent sales tax expected to bring in about $10 million a year for 10 years to help protect services. But even with that push for revenue, the city still moved ahead with a budget process built around reductions, efficiencies, and limited use of reserves. In other words, the tax debate did not make the budget debate go away. (cityofpleasantonca.gov) ### What cuts are voters looking at? The broad picture is fewer extras and tighter staffing, not one dramatic shutdown. During the budget process, city leaders discussed more than $6 million in proposed cuts, and earlier city updates said Pleasanton still needed to identify about $7 million in reductions after roughly $3 million of internal cuts had already been found. The adopted two-year budget says it closes an annual General Fund gap of about $10 million through reductions, operational changes, and some use of savings. (cityofpleasantonca.gov) ### So what is Balch really running on? He is running on stewardship. His argument is that Pleasanton needs steady management, transparency, and someone comfortable making ugly budget calls without blowing up core services. The catch is that this is a hard pitch to sell when residents can still feel the squeeze — because “responsible management” sounds good, but people usually judge city hall by potholes, parks, response times, and the programs that disappear first. ### Why launch this early? Early entry helps Balch frame the race before opponents do. (pleasantonweekly.com) He gets to define the election as a choice about competence under pressure, not just a referendum on cuts. And by moving first, he also gets the donor and endorsement advantage that comes with looking like the incumbent already in motion. That matters more in a local race than people think. ### What should Pleasanton voters watch now? Watch whether challengers argue that Balch managed the crisis well or merely inherited it and normalized decline. (jackforpleasanton.com) Watch whether the budget stabilizes over the next few months. And watch whether voters decide the city needs a turnaround artist or a careful accountant — because Balch is very clearly betting that, in Pleasanton right now, those are the same person. (cityofpleasantonca.gov) (pleasantonweekly.com)