Trustees Kaplanis and VandenHeuvel, newcomer Phelps share their viewpoints in race for LVJUSD Area 5
Current LVJUSD trustees Deena Kaplanis and Christiaan VandenHeuvel are facing newcomer Sam Phelps in the race to represent Area 5, with the candidates offering differing views on district priorities, finances and the rights of transgender students at a Sept. 28 forum hosted by Livermore Vine.

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More Local news
Alameda County, fair board reach agreement in principle
Negotiators for Alameda County and the nonprofit fair association have agreed to three significant changes in their long-term contract for the fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Supervisor David Haubert told the Weekly.
Super rushed: On PUSD’s perplexing play to not disclose popular Diolazo as next superintendent
“Pleasanton Unified has built a strong reputation in education by being more than a bare minimum district, yet it is the pass-fail grading scale they want to be measured on here.”
Stockton man jailed over 2025 fatal crash on freeway east of Livermore
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next month for a Stockton man charged with manslaughter for allegedly causing an early-morning crash on the Altamont Pass that killed another driver almost exactly one year ago.
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Lifestyle
Letters: A mayor who puts us first | Parallel universes | Sustainability Beyond the Lab | Too many houses being built
“I understand that people need places to live, but I think there should be a limit to how many houses are built. More houses can mean more traffic, more crowded schools and less open space.”
News Digest: Weekends on Main returns | CD14 candidate forum | Life Sciences Summit coming to Pleasanton | LARPD touts successful diaper drive
The Pleasanton Downtown Association is bringing back its Weekends on Main program this weekend with two popular events: Pleasanton Palooza and Porsches on Main. Read about that and more in this week’s News Digest!
Guest Opinion: A local problem with a powerful solution
“We could have accepted our experience as frustrating and moved on. Instead, we asked whether the system could be better. Now it will be.”
A&E
Halloween-themed events, Night Market coming to Alameda County Fairgrounds this month
Summer is officially over and the spooky season is now in full swing as two Halloween-themed events take over the Alameda County Fairgrounds for a month-long run, beginning this weekend.
Livermore Valley Opera presenting Puccini’s ‘Suor Angelica’
Love and tragedy cross paths at the convent where Suor Angelica was sent to atone for her sins.
Watershed-inspired mosaics installed at Livermore park
A new public art installation hit the ground this summer — literally — at Sycamore Grove Park in Livermore.
Spotlight
This California Delta community is drawing Bay Area homebuyers to the water
Bay Area residents understand the value of open space. That’s why it’s no surprise a private waterfront enclave on the California Delta is drawing homebuyers who are ready for a different kind of life.
Ivy League mentorship for college applications and career foundations through meaningful projects
Path Mentors was born out of dissatisfaction with the toxic high-pressure environment that college admissions has created. Founded in 2019 by Columbia graduates, the Path Mentors’ team of nearly 100 mentors from a wide range of professions including technology, finance,…
Community Calendar
Did you miss
An event destination: Visit Tri-Valley pushes bold vision to transform region – but not everybody is all-in on the $365M project
Thousands of seats for concerts, interchangeable arenas for different sports and abundant space for business meetings and conferences – for a price tag in the hundreds of millions.
Pleasanton Weekly wins General Excellence, nine other first-place honors in California Journalism Awards
“The winning categories capture the quality, range and impact of our journalism: General Excellence, Investigative Reporting, Enterprise Series, Best Newsletter, Columns, Editorial Comment, Business and the Economy, Sports Feature, Profile Story and Fine Arts.”
Sports
Pleasanton Preps: Four wins in strong week for Foothill volleyball
Also: Announcer antics, rough refereeing overshadow Amador’s big flag football win over SRV
Flag football is rapidly growing – could it be the only football locally soon?
“This is what we face in Northern California. It’s not good or bad, but rather the reality we are living.”
Pleasanton Preps: Amador football gets off the schneid with 32 points in win over Liberty
There was a collective sigh of relief coming out of Amador Valley, as the Dons football team got both their first points and first win of the season with a 32-28 win over Liberty on Friday night.
ReAL Estate
Column: Ask a Realtor. Then ask the robot. Then ask a Realtor again
“While AI is currently generating significant attention, it didn’t top NAR’s 2026 list of current technologies used in the real estate business. The list was dominated by more traditional tools…”
Construction begins on new memory care facility in Dublin
A senior housing company broke ground this month on a memory care project in western Dublin, with the goal of opening the facility late next year.
Column – Home sweet home: Seniors are staying put
Modern seniors have more flexibility than ever to design a next chapter that fits their life
Blogs
State News from CalMatters




