A mailer circulating in Assembly District 26 slams candidate Tara Sreekrishnan for her attendance record on the Cupertino Union School Board — where she has never served.
The mailer compares Sreekrishnan, a trustee on the Santa Clara County Board of Education, with her opponent, Foothill-De Anza Community College District Trustee Patrick Ahrens. It claims Sreekrishnan had the “worst no show rate” on the board and missed the vote for board presidency, naming the Cupertino Union School Board in a small box at the bottom. Except those claims aren’t true.
A spokesperson for the Cupertino Union School District confirmed Sreekrishnan has never served on the district’s board.
The mailer was paid for by a super PAC named “Neighbors supporting Patrick Ahrens and opposing Tara Sreekrishnan for Assembly 2024, sponsored by housing providers,” whose primary funders are the California Realtors Association and the California Apartments Association.
Sreekrishnan said she has never served on the board of Cupertino Union School District — and that the mailer is a lie. She received the mailer on Friday and suspects it’s being circulated throughout the district.
“It’s become very clear that they’ll throw out any lie to attack me and I just hope the residents in this community can see past these lies,” Sreekrishnan told San José Spotlight. “I think voters know that if these billionaire special interests are this desperate to smear me, I must be a strong advocate for my district and working people.”
Sreekrishnan encouraged voters to research claims made in these types of advertisements and look at which organizations are funding them. She also called on Ahrens to denounce the mailer.
Ahrens declined to comment for this article.
Ahrens has previously disavowed special interest spending in the race and said if he were elected, he would work to limit involvement from these groups in elections. He added it’s illegal for candidates to coordinate with any independent expenditure groups.
The mailer claims Sreekrishnan received an “F” rating from the Cupertino Educators Association. Sreekrishnan said she’s unaware of any evaluations the association gives out. Association representatives did not have an immediate answer when reached for comment.
Special interests have been shelling out thousands of dollars on who might fill the Assembly District 26 seat. Evan Low, who currently represents the district, is running for Congress and did not file for reelection. As of Oct. 8, special interests have spent $661,381 to support Ahrens, who is district director for Low. Those groups include the Golden State Leadership Fund, whose top donor is PG&E, and the Uber Innovation PAC, which mostly gets funds from the San Francisco-based rideshare company Uber.
Another swathe of special interests have spent $317,973 to support Sreekrishnan, including the Fund Her PAC, which supports women in legislatures nationwide, and multiple unions.
Both candidates have been neck and neck in campaign fundraising, with Ahrens taking a $20,000 lead in September after Sreekrishnan was ahead by $30,000 at the end of summer.
The county sent vote by mail ballots to voters on Oct. 7. Election Day is Nov. 5. Check out San José Spotlight’s Election Guide for more information on the different races.
Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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