Livable Sunnyvale board elections set to precede District 10 candidate forum

Livable Sunnyvale is doing two things back-to-back on Wednesday, May 6, and that pairing is the real story. First comes the group’s own board election at 6:15 p.m. Then, at 7:00 p.m., it hosts a public forum for candidates running in California State Senate District 10 at Sunnyvale Community Services on Kern Avenue, with Zoom and live translation available. That means the organization is handling its internal leadership vote and then immediately turning outward to shape a high-stakes local-state political conversation. Why does that matter? Because Livable Sunnyvale is not just a neighborhood club putting on a random event. It is an advocacy group built around affordable housing, transportation, sustainability, and equity in Sunnyvale. So when it convenes a District 10 forum, the point is not only to give candidates mic time. It is to frame what issues matter to a politically active audience in the South Bay and East Bay parts of the district that will help choose who advances out of the June 2 primary. Who is actually in this race? The current District 10 seat is open because incumbent Aisha Wahab is not on the 2026 primary ballot. The field listed for the June 2, 2026 primary includes Democrats David Cohen, Anne Kepner, Raymond Liu, Carmen Montano, and Scott Sakakihara, plus Republican Linda Price. Under California’s top-two system, the two highest vote-getters move on to the November 3 general election regardless of party. Why is an open seat such a big deal? Open-seat races are where forums matter most, because voters are not just judging an incumbent record. They are trying to sort through a crowded field of people who may be familiar in one city and almost unknown in the next. District 10 is exactly that kind of seat — broad enough that no single local base settles the contest on its own, but local enough that civic groups can still influence what gets attention. That is why a Sunnyvale forum can punch above its weight. What’s special about the timing? The board election starts 45 minutes before the candidate forum. Basically, Livable Sunnyvale is staging a small demonstration of how advocacy groups actually work. They are member-run organizations with their own governance, but they also act as conveners that translate civic priorities into public pressure. Holding both events the same evening makes that connection unusually visible. What will voters get out of the forum itself? A cleaner side-by-side comparison before ballots fully flood the race. California election officials began mailing ballots by May 4, and secure drop boxes opened May 5. So this May 6 event lands right as voting becomes real, not theoretical. A forum at that moment can still shape first impressions, late endorsements, volunteer energy, and early returns. Why the Zoom link and translation piece? Because access is part of the politics here. Livable Sunnyvale is offering remote attendance and Wordly translation, which lowers the barrier for people who cannot make it in person or are more comfortable following the event in another language. That does not guarantee a broader electorate will tune in — but it does widen the door at the exact moment campaigns are trying to reach beyond their core supporters. The bottom line is simple. Wednesday’s event is not just a forum. It is a snapshot of how local civic groups try to matter in a state legislative race — by choosing their own leadership, convening candidates, and doing it just as ballots start moving.