State Senate District 10 Candidate Forum

A state Senate forum can sound small-bore, but this one matters because District 10 is open and the primary is close. Livable Sunnyvale is hosting a candidate forum ton(livablesunnyvale.org) Community Services on Kern Avenue, with a Zoom stream and live translation for people joining in different ways. Board elections for Livable Sunnyvale start earlier, at 6:15 p.m. (livablesunnyvale.org) ### Why is this race suddenly a bigger deal? District 10 is open because Sen. Aisha Wahab is not runni(calmatters.org)at could have been an incumbent-protection race into a real scramble, especially in a district that covers parts of Alameda and Santa Clara counties and includes Sunnyvale. (calmatters.org) ### Who’s actually running? The June 2, 2026 primary field for California State Senate District 10 includes David Cohen, Anne Kepner, Raymond Liu, Carmen Monta(livablesunnyvale.org)nd one is a Republican, which means the top-two primary could easily become an all-Democrat November matchup if two Democrats finish first. (ballotpedia.org) ### Why hold a forum in Sunnyvale? Because voters here are in the district and the race is crowded enough that most people probably do not know all the names yet. (calmatters.org)fore ballots fully take over the conversation. Livable Sunnyvale is framing it around hearing each candidate’s vision and priorities, which is basically the useful part of these events when the field is still sorting itself out. (livablesunnyvale.org) ### Whi(ballotpedia.org)early signal is that this is not a fringe race — it already has multiple established local officeholders and serious fundraising. CalMatters flagged five major Democrats in the field and highlighted Scott Sakakihara’s $250,000 in self-funding, while also noting Anne Kepner and San Jose Councilmember David Cohen as strong fundraisers behind him. (calmatters.org) ### What makes the format notable? This is no(livablesunnyvale.org)er for people who cannot get to the site in person or want language support. For a district-level state race, that matters more than it sounds — these contests often suffer from low-information voting. (livablesunnyvale.org) ### Are there other forums coming? Yes. The League of Women Voters of Cupertino-Sunnyvale lists a separate District 10 candidate forum for Tuesday, M(calmatters.org)ans tonight’s event is part of a broader push to get candidates in front of voters before the June primary, not a one-off appearance. (lwvcs.clubexpress.com) ### So what should voters watch for tonight? Not polished slogans — everyone has those. The useful tells are who can explain housing, transportation, climate, and (livablesunnyvale.org)they understand that state senators write laws but also broker money and attention back home. In a six-person field, clarity is a real advantage. (livablesunnyvale.org) ### Bottom line Tonight’s forum is one of the first real chances for District 10 voters to compare (lwvcs.clubexpress.com)candidates who can turn local recognition into a broader district story are the ones to watch. (sos.ca.gov)